Star Wars Prequels Trilogy

What’s it about?

The Star Wars prequel trilogy follows the political schemes and wars that lead to the fall of the Galactic Republic as Anakin Skywalker grows from a gifted slave to a powerful Jedi Knight.

[PG | Violence] Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

[PG | Violence] Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

[M | Violence] Episode II – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The facts

• Directed by George Lucas
• Starring Liam Neeson (The Chronicles of Narnia), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Hayden Christensen (Jumper), Ian McDiarmid (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings), Temuera Morrison (Moana), Anthony Daniels (The Lord of the Rings), Kenny Baker (Time Bandits), Frank Oz (The Muppet Movie), and Ahmed Best (The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle)
• English language
• Runtime: 140 minutes per film, on average
• Received 5 Academy Award nominations

Why did it get this rating?

These films were cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence

The trilogy contains regular fantasy action scenes including futuristic guns and sword weapons, some of which involve characters being injured or killed.

Many large spaceships are destroyed with large explosions and sometimes it is implied that many civilians have been killed.

Some of the strongest violence in the Trilogy include:

• After an intense fight, a man is left covered in severe burns, with no legs, as he helplessly tries to crawl away from lava.
• After an intense laser sword fight, a man is cut in half and falls down a tunnel, but there is no blood or gore.
• There is a large explosion as a group of people exit a spaceship. A woman is seen with blood around her mouth as she dies of her injuries.
• A child watches in horror as his father is beheaded, though he was wearing a full suit of armour so no skin or blood was seen.

Content that may disturb

• A man enters a room full of young children who think he is there to save them, however, the man pulls out his laser sword and it is implied and confirmed by other characters that he killed them all, though it is not shown.
• In one scene, a son holds his bloody and cut mother as she dies after being brutally beaten by her captors for a long time.
• A man strangles his pregnant wife from many metres away using force powers.

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