Sand Castle Parents Guide (2024)

FAQs

Why is Sand Castle rated MA? ›

Multiple scenes of graphic war violence with gunshot wounds and accompanying blood spurts. Some explosion wounds with burns and blood shown. A body is seen hanging upside down and burnt.

The movie is based on the true events and the experience of the film's writer Chris Roessner during the Iraq War.

As the movie concludes, Ocre's commanding officer and command sergeant major decide that he has now obtained enough war stories to interest Hollywood, and so they put him on a plane back to the States. That last bit about being sent back to make a movie is not actually what happens in Sand Castle, but it might well be.

Overall, Though Sand Castle punches above its weight with a strong screenplay, sadly ends up looking like a B grade movie with a high quality screenplay. I would definitely recommend this to "War" movie fans for its strong & different content, but will also warn you not to expect a Platoon or a Black Hawk down.

We hear glass break, then see a shattered windshield. Some verbal threats and one instance of threatening with guns. LANGUAGE 8 - Nearly 25 F-words and Australian derivatives, several anatomical and scatological references, a couple of mild obscenities, some "bloody" slang and a racial epithet.

An inexperienced American private discovers the true cost of war when his unit is sent on a dangerous mission to repair a water pumping station in a rural Iraqi village.

Sand Castle / Film synopsis

This story is focused on a young, fairly introspective young man who had joined the Army Reserves to pay for college before any thought of war or 9/11 was apparent. He was not prepared for the difficulty of deploying to Iraq and the constant danger and loneliness, even intentionally injuring himself to avoid the fight.

Filmed in Jordan, Sand Castle follows reluctant G.I. Matt (Hoult) and the rest of his team as they try to re-build a bombed out water pumping station for the benefit of Iraqi civilians. True to Roessner's own experience in the Army's Civil Affairs Unit, good intentions get undermined by insurgent violence.

The film ends on tragic yet hopeful note involving something Noah does for Lauren after she is reunited with her family. There is also a connection between Alison and Noah earlier in the film that has consequences for the movie's denouement.

After returning home from the war in Iraq, a group of soldiers struggles to readjust as memories of combat take a toll on their lives and loved ones. Watch all you want.

Will film 2024 be on Netflix? ›

Will (also referred to as Wil) has been picked up by Netflix and is set to be released globally on January 31st, 2024. Set in Antwerp, Belgium, the new WWII movie tells the story of an auxiliary policeman working during the Nazi occupation.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare marks Cavill's first WW2 movie, breaking recent trends in his career. Cavill's role in the film moves away from his usual hero archetype, adding diversity to his acting. The movie is one of Cavill's first true ensemble films, giving room for comedic and dramatic opportunities.

It's a true story, and so that has some inherent value, and the young cast is relatively strong, especially a few stand-outs, but we've seen too many similar stories in the decade-and-a-half since 9/11 for this one to register as anything special.

The theme of The Sand Castle, according to Hoedeman, is "man versus nature... one can't outdo the other. We have to live side by side and make the best of it."

The film centers on Matt Ocre, a young soldier in the United States Army, who is tasked with restoring water to a village in Iraq. It is inspired by Roessner's experience as a soldier in the Iraq War.

Roessner's goal was to portray what war was to him, dirty and violent, and the film did just that, but many other Iraq veterans argue the story falls flat of being realistic based on their experiences.

Mature Accompanied (MA 15+)

Films and computer games classified MA 15+ are legally restricted to people aged 15 and over. They can contain content such as sex scenes and drug use that may have a strong impact on the viewer.

Then there's Garai, who seems baffled by her character. Most audiences won't be, though. They'll be just as bored by her as they are by the film itself. "I Capture the Castle" is rated R for female nudity, some brief sexual contact and some brief violence (an accidental stabbing and a tussle, both seen in flashbacks).