Man of Steel

What’s it about?

An alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth with different intentions.

The facts

• Directed by Zack Snyder
• Starring Henry Cavill (The Witcher), Amy Adams (Arrival), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Kevin Costner (Yellowstone)
• English language
• Runtime: 143 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence 

The film has a lot of large-scale destruction but no blood or graphic injuries are shown. The violence includes explosions, bullet violence, laser and heat beams, and demolished buildings causing rubble to fall on fleeing crowds.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• A character’s head bursts with blood splattering. This scene is easy to miss because it is very brief, and the camera is shaky.
• In hand to hand combat a character is stabbed in the stomach with a large blade.
• An older woman is shot with a Kryptonian ray gun, and she slumps forward dead, but no injury is shown.
• One character’s neck is snapped and his body falls to the ground. There is a loud cracking sound.
• In one scene, hundreds of human skulls and decayed corpses are shown.

Offensive language

This film contains some offensive language, with words like “sh*t," "a**,” “d*ck,” and one censored use of “f**king.”

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters