Glossary

We may use a variety of terms as shorthand throughout Is This Movie Suitable.com. We have provided the glossary below to help if you are unsure what we mean at any point. If you are still not certain then please contact us using the form below and we will do our best to clarify what we meant.

By: Renaud Camus

‘action / adventure’ – The movie will most likely contain numerous fight scenes and elements of conflict throughout. There will most likely be a ‘good’ character and ‘bad’ character up against each other throughout. The action itself is usually fast paced and not too emotive but we will specify anything that needs attention drawing to it.

‘bad language’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review and includes swearing, cursing, threatening statements, insults and vulgar speech.

‘blasphemy’ – this will most likely be phrases or words intended as curses but contain religious wording or statements. For example, we probably wouldn’t use the term ‘blasphemy’ when a character simply says ‘God’, but we may if they say something in such a manner that may cause offence.

‘cinema review’ – The movie is showing in cinemas / movie theatres at the time of our review. Cinemas are by their nature an assault on the senses with a huge screen and loud sound system. Movies that are high in action may be more difficult for a child to process in the cinema than at home because of this and we specify ‘cinema release’ in the review to make sure you are aware of this.

‘comic book’ – A movie based on a comic book. There has been an abundance of these lately. Aside from the usual ‘action / adventure’ elements there will usually be super powers of some sort and a ‘super villain’ who may cause large scale destruction with special powers or skills

‘dialogue’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review. Sometimes when characters talk, the things they say can be incredibly powerful. The strength of wording used can elicit joy or be crushingly devastating. If we feel that dialogue is particularly emotive or distressing then we will detail this.

‘DVD review’ – We may use DVD to refer to any physical home media such as video, blu-ray and HD-DVD. We may also state that whilst the movie was classified as 12A at the cinema it has been re-classified as 12 for home release (as 12A is for cinema only). We will therefore write the review on the assumption that if you are allowing a child who is under the age of 12 to watch this movie then an adult will be with them at all times.

‘emotional distress’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review. Some children are sensitive to ‘sad’ bits in a movie. Sometimes the music and direction is such that something technically sad is not highlighted, and other times the emotional scoring and distress of the characters can exacerbate an already upsetting moment and we will highlight such scenes as necessary.

‘family friendly’ – we use this to refer to movies that both adults and children can enjoy. The movie isn’t dull for children but likewise isn’t focused so much on childish content that adults cannot also enjoy it.

‘fantasy’ – This refers to a film that has other worldly elements. It may be a completely fictitious universe, (such as Lord Of The Rings) or the real world with fantastical elements (such as the Harry Potter franchise)

‘fear factor’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review. It refers to anything that may be scary, have an element of horror, or where a character is in danger (be it brief or sustained).

‘for adults’ – this is a movie that is clearly made for adults despite not having anything particularly unsuitable for children (although we would recommend that you read our review for more details). Movies like Lincoln or Hyde Park On Hudson would fit this category. We use this category for any movie that doesn’t have any real content to keep children entertained, and so they may get rather bored.

‘for kids’ – the movie is written for, marketed towards and aimed at children. As such an adult may find it a little sickly to endure, but children should have oodles of fun!

‘older children’ – By this we generally mean children 10 or over. However some children aged 8 and over may fit into this category, depending upon the sensibilities of the child.

‘other notes’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review. It is where we mention the thematic elements of a movie or talk about any miscellaneous content that doesn’t fit elsewhere.

‘sexual content’ – This is one of our rating terms we use at the end of a review. It may include nudity (sexualised or not), sexual references in dialogue (implied or explicit) or sexual / romantic situations. By its nature the term ‘sexual content’ will have a large variation of situations and we will talk about anything specific we feel needs attention drawing to it.

‘streamable content’ – this means any direct to your TV and/or computer service (like LOVEFiLM or Netflix).

‘thriller’ – a movie that concentrates on intrigue and deceit. Whilst there may also be a strong action element, Thrillers tend to be a little more complex and plot driven.

‘violence’ – This could refer to any form of physical aggression including things like assaults, fight scenes, injuries and threats of violence. Such things may be seen or implied and we will provide detail as to specific examples in the review.

 ‘younger children’ – By this we generally mean children aged 6 and under. However some children aged 9 and under may fit into this category, depending upon the sensibilities of the child.