People keep asking if this Alaska survival film is okay for a younger teen. The US stamp is PG-13. Australia has it at M. Those are the board labels. Our call is 13+.
In the UK it is 12A. That stays on the page too. Thirteen is the youngest we would sit through it with a kid beside us, once you know what the crash and the cold actually look like.
A Special Forces officer and his combat dog are stranded after a plane crash in Alaska. It is a survival story, not a monster night. The cold, the crash, the dog under stress, and fighting the weather are what carry it.
The danger is the crash and the wilderness. You see enough injury aftermath that a soft younger kid may flinch. It does not turn into horror gore.
The fear is the isolation. The crash opens the night, and the cold stays life-threatening. It is that kind of dread, not jump scares.
Language stays mild. Sex and nudity are not the point. Some of the survival choices look simpler than real backcountry risk. It does not teach careful outdoor safety, so say that if your teen copies what they see.
The crash leaves stress, isolation and a hard loss sitting under the story. What a lot of families will take home is the officer and the dog, and the fact they keep going.
We marked it 13+ because the crash and the injury detail sit above a soft family adventure, even with the dog at the centre. A teen who already handles realistic survival films should be fine. A younger kid who melts at a crash, or at being alone for that long, may need you beside them, or a wait.
If a plane crash and wilderness injury are a no in your house, this one will not be an exception. If you are still deciding, the full flags are on the guide.
Full guide: Heart of the Beast on ClearAge. Method: How we review a film.
Parent review
Alaska-set PG-13 survival thriller with crash peril, wilderness danger and violence-and-injury detail.
ViolenceModerate
Crash trauma and wilderness hazards sit at the centre of the danger. Injury detail is noted in the NZ classification.
LanguageMild
The PG-13 rating points to only mild profanity. Reviews do not flag strong language as a concern.
FrighteningModerate
A plane crash and isolation dominate the setup. Life-threatening cold-weather peril keeps the stakes high.
Gore / death / weaponsMild
Injury detail from the crash and survival beats does appear. It is not described as graphic horror gore.
Dangerous behaviourMild
Wilderness survival choices can look simpler on screen than real backcountry risk. The film never teaches careful outdoor safety.
Mental healthMild
Stress and isolation come with the survival premise. They are not a clinical focus.
Grief / bereavementMild
Catastrophic loss and endurance themes surface in the crash aftermath. Surviving the wilderness carries that emotional weight.
Positive themesMild
The human-animal bond and perseverance sit at the centre of the survival story.
Role modelsMild
The officer and dog model loyalty and resilience under extreme conditions.
Our take
Heart of the Beast is a PG-13 survival adventure about a Special Forces officer and his combat dog stranded after a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. New Zealand classifies it M for violence and injury detail. Cold-weather peril, crash trauma, animal companionship under stress and fights against the elements all feature, rather than horror monsters. Fine for teens who can handle realistic injury detail; younger kids may find the crash and wilderness isolation upsetting.
Full guide: Heart of the Beast on ClearAge.