Common Sense Media Review
By Alistair Lawrence
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Historical drama has colonial attitudes, racism, violence.
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Edge of the World
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
What's the Story?
EDGE OF THE WORLD is the story of British explorer Sir James Brooke's (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) exploration of Borneo in the 1840s and his refusal to go along with the British Empire's colonial ideals. Settling in a part of the island where a local rebellion is taking place, Brooke gets to know the local indigenous people and becomes determined to bring peace to the area and establish it as an independent state.
Is It Any Good?
Based on the life of real-life explorer Sir James Brooke, this adventure drama addresses the oppressive environment of 19th-century Borneo and the colonialist British Empire that ruled beyond it. Rhys Meyers is perfectly cast as Brooke, a world-weary traveler who fears his best years are behind him. Like many biopic movies, Edge of the World feels duty-bound to cram lots of real-life events into two hours in order to do its subject justice. Unfortunately, this leads to a labored voice-over that adds little more than exposition, along with a slightly hurried opening and a plot that becomes muddled in places. Writer Rob Allyn struggles to balance competing storylines about the threat of pirate battles and Brooke's strained personal and professional relationships.
Director Michael Haussman recreates life in this place and time well, doing his best to work around budget constraints that limit the size of the cast and the movie's running time. But there's no escaping the issue of the "White savior" narrative. While Brooke is both portrayed, and received, positively, the film fails to look at his role as ruler objectively. It's a story that seems like it would have been better suited to a miniseries format, allowing more time to explore how the indigenous people felt about Brooke, for example. But -- like Brooke's voyage -- there just about remains enough here to capture the eye and the imagination.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Edge of the World. What did it add to the story? Does exposure to violent media make kids more aggressive?
Discuss British colonialism as depicted in the film. How much did you know about this part of history? How did Brooke's attitudes, as portrayed here, differ from others? How can we be sure that's an accurate depiction? And does that make his role in colonialism any less problematic?
Talk about the way the movie portrays Borneo's indigenous people. Did you notice any stereotypes? How white parents can use media to raise anti-racist kids.
Do you consider Brooke a role model? What character strengths does he demonstrate in the film? How do you think he'd be portrayed if the story was written from the indigenous characters' point of view?
Did this movie remind you of any other movies you've seen? How did it compare?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 4, 2021
- Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers , Dominic Monaghan , Josie Ho
- Director: Michael Haussman
- Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , History , Pirates
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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