THE KARATE KID CAUSES OUTRAGE DOWN UNDER
THE KARATE KID has sparked outrage in Australia, with campaigners condemn ing the movie for showing "brutal" violence inappropriate for children.
The picture, starring Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s son Jaden, was origi nally rated M - recommended only for mature audiences - but after an appe al from distribution chiefs at Sony Pictures, it was downgraded to a PG ( parental guidance advised).
The decision makes the film more accessible to children, but bosses at The Australian Council on Children and the Media are fuming about the cha nge - and are urging parents to exercise caution when allowing their kids to see it.
Vice-president Elizabeth Handsley says, "The movie presents violence as a solution to bullying, which is absolutely wrong. Strong violence by a sympathetic character with little or no consequences is shown.
"Just because your 12 year old can watch the movie, doesn’t quite mean that your eight year old can too. It might be very inappropriate." Council Board member and child psychologist Dr C. Glenn Cupit adds, "Th e violence is quite brutal and of an adult type. It is inflicted by child ren on other children. It’s young children doing the bashing up. Further, the violence inflicted does not show real-life outcomes of serious kicki ng and punching… a young audience may not appreciate what will surely r esult if they copy that violence."
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
