| Overall: | B- |
|---|---|
| Violence: | C |
| Sexual Content: | A- |
| Language: | A |
| Drugs/Alcohol: | B+ |
| Run Time: | 113 |
| Theater Release: | |
| Video Release: | 28 Apr 2008 |
| MPAA Rating: | |
| See Canadian Ratings | |
| How We Determine Our Grades | |
After watching a movie with your children or students, we encourage parents and teachers to look for education opportunities to teach with movies. Here are a few discussion topics that can help with lesson plans or teaching in the home.
In the movie, Lyra and her friends are fighting for the right to make their own decisions, rather than being forced to follow the values and beliefs of the Magisterium. How important is freedom of choice to you?
What roles can governments play in maintaining or usurping this freedom? Could peaceful societies exist without laws?
Do you think religion “forces” individuals to conform? What is the difference between guidance and enforcement? What are the benefits of make good decisions for ourselves?
How might the controversy generated by this film have been affected if the Magisterium had been given a different name and costumed in military uniforms instead of clergy clothes?
Join the Conversation
About the Reviewer: Rod Gustafson
Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. He currently serves as the President of the Alberta Association for Media Awareness, a provincial non-profit society. He also authors a regular column for The Parent's Television Council in Los Angeles. He and his wife Donna have four children.
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