Around the World in 80 Days

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Around the World in 80 Days' classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Around the World in 80 Days completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 26 August 2004.

Overall comments and recommendations

Around the World in 80 Days is a good adventure movie complete with heroes and villains. Jackie Chan does what he does best, which is Kung Fu, however the violence is mostly set in a comic context and is well choreographed and not graphic. It is a departure from Jules Verne’s original story; however it is very entertaining and good family viewing..

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Around the World in 80 Days contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Set in 1890, Phileas Fogg is an eccentric inventor, scorned and derided by his contemporaries but undeterred nonetheless. When Lord Kelvin, Minister for Science and Head of the Royal Academy of Science, challenges him to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, Fogg accepts the wager. If he wins he will take Kelvin’s place at the Royal Academy and ten thousand pounds. However if he loses he must never enter the Royal Academy again. Fogg is not confident of his ability to do this but he is assisted by Lau Xing, alias Passepartout, a Chinese man masquerading as a French valet. Unbeknown to Fogg, however, is the fact that Passepartout is on the run from the British police having just robbed the Bank of England of a Jade Buddha, which had been taken from his home village in China and which he wants to return to its proper place. Passepartout sees travelling with Fogg as an opportunity to get the Buddha back to China.

The pair set out on what turns out to be a very adventurous trip. They are joined by Monique La Roche who also wants to see the world and have some fun along the way. They are often in peril as not only are the British Police, in the form of Inspector Fix, a bumbling, corrupt policeman being paid by Kelvin, chasing Lau Xing but also a female Chinese warlord who wants the Jade Buddha and the power it holds. She sends a team of Black Scorpions after Lau Xing to fetch the Buddha. The threesome eventually arrives in Lau Xing’s village after travelling through many countries by boat, air balloon and train and including rescuing Monique from the Turkish Prince who wants her to join his harem as wife number seven. Here Fogg is disappointed to learn of Lau Xing’s true identity and feels betrayed by him. After a final battle between the Black Scorpions and Lau Xing’s village fighters, Fogg sets off to finish the journey alone.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is a lot of violence in this movie, mostly set in a comic context and none of it graphic. There are many Kung Fu fights and knife throwing, which are well staged and no-one gets seriously hurt.

Comic violence includes:

• Passepartout is catapulted from a train track when it derails and the car he is in goes flying.
• Inspector Fix is dragged along the ground and an engine falls on his head
• A woman bites Passepartout and steals his bag
• Passepartout slams into a large statue
• Inspector Fix falls out of the train window
• Inspector Fix gets his nose shut in a train door
• Inspector Fix gets used as a battering ram

Other violence includes:

• Passepartout throws objects at guards to prevent capture after robbing the bank
• Knives are thrown at the Chinese warlord
• Passepartout pours boiling water on Inspector Fix
• Monique is attacked with knives
• Attacker gets knocked out with a sextant
• Large Chinese man attacks Passepartout with a ball and chain
• Fogg gets punched in the face

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

There is really nothing scary in this movie; however, younger children in this age group might be disturbed by the above-mentioned violence.

Also the Chinese female warlord is a bit scary looking with very long fingernails that are like knives.

Aged over the age of eight

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children over the age of eight would not be scared by this movie.

Sexual references

The only sexual reference is when the Turkish Prince takes a liking to Monique and wants her to be his number seven wife—he wants one for every day.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity or sexual activity.

Use of substances

There is some drinking of alcohol in this movie: on the train, in the Prince’s palace and in the Chinese village. Fogg drinks too much of a strong Chinese liquor and passes out.

Coarse language

There is one use of the word ‘bloody’.

The movie's message

The take home message of this movie is to achieve one’s goals in life and not be deterred by scoffers.

Values parents may wish to encourage include:

• determination
• courage
• loyalty
• friendship
• ingenuity.

Values parents may wish to discourage include:

• stealing
• lying
• violence as a way to solve conflict.