What we flagged
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Our take
Francis Lawrence adapts King's deadly walking contest, where boys are shot for slowing down. Rated MA 15+ for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language and sexual references. Critics call it a tough two-hour endurance test with hundreds of profanities. Powerful but punishing; not for younger teens.
Uplifting themes
Perseverance, friendship and anti-fascist ideas offer fragile hope Some walkers protect others, but survival ethics are complicated
Story (may spoil tone)
In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains.
What we flagged
Details
Violence Teen walkers are shot, run over and beaten in a state-sponsored death m…
Teen walkers are shot, run over and beaten in a state-sponsored death march
Language Relentless f-word use and harsh insults among exhausted boys
Relentless f-word use and harsh insults among exhausted boys
Sex / nudity Crude sexual references and partial non-sexual nudity appear, without e…
Crude sexual references and partial non-sexual nudity appear, without explicit sex scenes
Drugs / alcohol Smoking and alcohol talk in a survival context
Smoking and alcohol talk in a survival context
Frightening Psychological dread, state violence and hopeless odds dominate
Psychological dread, state violence and hopeless odds dominate
Self-harm / suicide Suicide is part of the rating rationale and on-screen despair
Suicide is part of the rating rationale and on-screen despair
Sexual violence No sexual violence found in this title
No sexual violence found in this title
Child peril / abuse Teen boys are shot, run over and beaten in a state-sponsored death march
Teen boys are shot, run over and beaten in a state-sponsored death march
Bullying / discrimination Homophobic insults among walkers
Homophobic insults among walkers
Gore / death / weapons Grisly gun deaths and bodily injury are constant
Grisly gun deaths and bodily injury are constant
Dangerous behaviour March rules and shootings stay framed as dystopian spectacle
March rules and shootings stay framed as dystopian spectacle
Eating disorders / body image No eating found in this title
No eating found in this title
Mental health Exhaustion, trauma and breakdowns shape the teen contestants
Exhaustion, trauma and breakdowns shape the teen contestants
Gambling No gambling found in this title
No gambling found in this title
Grief / bereavement Friends watch each other die in real time on the road
Friends watch each other die in real time on the road
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- The story is an anti-violence allegory told through brutality. What did your teen take from that tension?
- Teens die on screen repeatedly. How did the film handle empathy versus spectacle?
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The Long Walk
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