Is Star Wars The Last Jedi appropriate for kids?

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'll show how out of touch I am. I've only seen the first 3, the original 3, the OLD three Star Wars movies. I know nothing about these new ones, but I have a 9 yo boy who is into all sorts of action. :D So is it appropriate or isn't it? I'm seeing this, and they make it sound kinda mild in a lot of the categories, then they say PG-13, which means not appropriate, yes? No?

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/parentalguide

[NormaElle]

How can we know until it's released?

[PeterPan]

Well I was assuming that if someone else has seen all the other scads of similarly rated movies in the series that they've been releasing, they'd have a pretty good guess about how this one will be. That's what I was saying, that I haven't seen ANY of them. I've only seen the PG, old old, original ones.

[PeterPan]

I watch trailers and I'm kinda freakish. I'm trying to be a little flexible here and go ok, maybe the most vicious parts are in the trailers and it's actually fine. Or maybe it's really not fine, kwim? I just don't know. So I wanted some sensible mom feedback, like no you idiot don't take a 9 yo to that. Like Lei in the metal bikini, we kinda skipped that with ds. Didn't need that. We just conveniently let him wander from the room...  :lol:  :lol:  

[Lady Marmalade]

Yeah... no one will really know until it's released in theaters.

 

But if your boy hasn't seen any Star Wars movie, you don't want to start with the new one anyways.

 

My kids watched all the SW movies by the age of 6 and loved them, but that was before the newest ones.  I would not let a sensitive child watch Rogue One until they were older, and I also would caution against The Force Awakens if you have a child who doesn't do well with intense scenes.   We have no idea where The Last Jedi will be going, but as a Star Wars fan, it seems like it has the potential to go in a dark direction.  

 

I think you want to wait until the parent previews come out from places like common sense media. IMDB is notorious for being wildly inaccurate, and I definitely wouldn't trust it with a movie that, literally, no one has seen yet.  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2017 by Lady Marmalade

[Meriwether]

My 7 year old will be with us when we go see it in the theaters, but she has seen the others numerous times.

 

There are many, many movies I would not let her see that are at that level. We make exceptions for Star Wars and LotR.

[Elizabeth86]

Well my star wars obsessed dh is taking our 4 and 6 year old, so I hope so. They saw the other two. Dh said it was a bit scary for them, especially compared to the old ones. Still he's taking them.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Elizabeth86

[Elizabeth86]

My 7 year old will be with us when we go see it in the theaters, but she has seen the others numerous times.

 

There are many, many movies I would not let her see that are at that level. We make exceptions for Star Wars and LotR.

:lol: You sound like my dh.

[HomeAgain]

If he hasn't seen 4, 5, 6, and 7, then it is very much inappropriate.

 

PG-13 is often for violence.  I would give it until the week of to read a detailed reasoning (IMDB will usually have one) for the rating.

[forty-two]

My kids have seen all the Star Wars movies except Rogue One (and they won't be watching that one for a while), even Revenge of the Sith (which we didn't let them watch for a while). Dh and I saw Force Awakens before deciding that we'd take the older two to see it (and we watched part of Rogue One before deciding we *aren't* showing that one to the kids any time soon), and I expect we'll do the same with Last Jedi. Because ime there's no reliable way of telling ahead of time.

Edited November 17, 2017 by forty-two

[Arctic Bunny]

My now 10yo has seen them all; they both started a long time ago, though. They’ve seen the movies in and out of order, as well as the cartoons in between, read some of the books, and kick butt at SW Trivial Pursuit . Maybe watch some of the Clone Wars and Rebels first? Or the other movies? I’m not sure I’d take a 9yo to The Last Jedi without them knowing the backstory.

[BarbecueMom]

DS4 will be going with us, but he is literally named after a Star Wars character. He's seen all of the movies more than once (except Rogue One, maybe?), but this will be his first time seeing it in the theater.

 

DS9 is the most sensitive of the bunch, but he saw TFA in the theater. Ragnarok was his first in-theater Marvel movie though. Before that he waited for Redbox.

Edited November 17, 2017 by BarbecueMom

[Robin M]

I've watched all the star wars films and my son is really into it, so we watch all the youtubers who cover the news and trailers and theorize, etc.  From the sounds of things, there is a lot more intensity like Force Awakens. From what we've heard so far, it barely fits into the pg-13 rating.  Rogue one was beyond and not for sensitive kids at all.  I'd watch it first and decide from there. 

 

We will be waiting until it comes out in dvd anyway. My kiddo hates surprises so he'll be watching all the reviews and news and excerpts until he knows everything about the movie before we even see it.   :laugh:

[PeterPan]

My kids have seen all the Star Wars movies except Rogue One (and they won't be watching that one for a while), even Revenge of the Sith (which we didn't let them watch for a while). Dh and I saw Force Awakens before deciding that we'd take the older two to see it (and we watched part of Rogue One before deciding we *aren't* showing that one to the kids any time soon), and I expect we'll do the same with Last Jedi. Because ime there's no reliable way of telling ahead of time.

Ok, that makes sense. 

 

I've watched all the star wars films and my son is really into it, so we watch all the youtubers who cover the news and trailers and theorize, etc.  From the sounds of things, there is a lot more intensity like Force Awakens. From what we've heard so far, it barely fits into the pg-13 rating.  Rogue one was beyond and not for sensitive kids at all.  I'd watch it first and decide from there. 

 

We will be waiting until it comes out in dvd anyway. My kiddo hates surprises so he'll be watching all the reviews and news and excerpts until he knows everything about the movie before we even see it.   :laugh:

 

 

Well thanks for explaining it. He's actually not sensitive, which is why I was asking. :( He's very obsessed with wars, battles, tanks, etc., and we keep trying to hold that back and keep him grounded a bit in reality. I just didn't want to hold him back if this was age-appropriate fun, kwim? 

 

The advice for me to watch a video of another component of the series really makes sense. Not sure I'll be buying tickets. The only time I've watched LotR, I put all the battle scenes on fast forward, lol. Soemthing moving out of PG-13 is probably beyond where I'm gonna be. With a fast forward button, might be different.

[lovinmyboys]

I read an article awhile ago about how all the movies are pg13 now unless they are specifically geared toward kids. The article came out when Star Wars 7 came out. It basically said that back in the day, it would have for sure been PG and was no worse than the other “pg†Star Wars. When they came out, there was no pg13.

[kiwik]

I am obviously a minority but I don't think any of the star wars movies are suitable for kids.

[Carrie12345]

It depends on the kid.

 

We have friends with kids who adore some of the "episodes", but can't handle others.

My kids are all about the Star Wars.  My youngest kinda sorta thinks they're made for him. (They get released around his birthday, lol.)

[JFSinIL]

Well my star wars obsessed dh is taking our 4 and 6 year old, so I hope so. They saw the other two. Dh said it was a bit scary for them, especially compared to the old ones. Still he's taking them.

 

Yeah - about that scene with Hans and Kylo.....that is why I hesitate to recommend the film (and the upcoming) for a younger kid until parent sees it first.  Could be traumatic.

 

And a kid HAS to see all of the other films first. Even the stupid Phantom Menace etc., that triolgy, then the wonderful trilogy (New Hope/Empire/Return) then Force Awakens...only then will the Padawan be ready for Last Jedi.

[Hypatia.]

We're going in shifts and our 13, 11, 9, and 7 year olds will be seeing it. The older two have seen all the movies, the 9 and 7 year olds haven't seen Rogue One.

[theelfqueen]

I think Machete order is fine ... :)

 

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[PeterPan]

I think Machete order is fine ... :)

 

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Are you saying there's going to be a lot of chopping? I'm missing it, lol.

[BarbecueMom]

Someone will probably beat me to it:

 

Machete Order:

Watch New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, go back and watch Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, then Return of the Jedi. Then The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Not sure where Rogue One fits in there, but I know you skip Phantom Menace completely!

 

So - 4, 5, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. Skip 1. Get one of the DK Leveled Readers for Phantom Menace for the background. They aren't entirely accurate, but better than watching the whole movie.

Edited November 17, 2017 by BarbecueMom

[theelfqueen]

The point of Machete Order is that it makes Luke the center of the story again and allows for the No, I am Your Father and There Is Another reveals to be revelations.

 

Then it explains Anakin' s backstory as a sort of flashback... after Empire.

 

 

 

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[Moonhawk]

Our kids have seen the original 3. Those are ok, just a bit dark in some spots. 

 

The Prequels are mostly kid friendly, though we haven't shown those to them. I'd say those are ok for a action-y 9yo.

 

I saw The Force Awakens and Rogue One. They were just more charged movies overall. I don't think they would qualify as PG, and had the feeling they were trying with a couple scenes/story choices to make sure they weren't PG. 

 

I personally am a traditionalist and would show in the order of 4-5-6-1-2-3, that's it, lol. But, I'm a "give us Legends" person with a bone to pick, so a bit of bias there, lol. Maybe try out 4-5-6 to see if your son likes the universe first? 

[Lady Marmalade]

Someone will probably beat me to it:

 

Machete Order:

Watch New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, go back and watch Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, then Return of the Jedi. Then The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Not sure where Rogue One fits in there, but I know you skip Phantom Menace completely!

 

So - 4, 5, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. Skip 1. Get one of the DK Leveled Readers for Phantom Menace for the background. They aren't entirely accurate, but better than watching the whole movie.

 

Hmm.  I think to work in Rogue One properly to the Machete Order, you would need to watch all five movies, and THEN watch Rogue One, followed immediately by New Hope again.  Whether you repeat the whole cycle or not, I dunno.  Watching Rogue One and New Hope together is scary good, but I don't think Rogue One would be anywhere near as good if you started with it.  There's something very poignant about knowing what these people are fighting for and how vital their portion of the story is in order for the rest to unfold.

 

That being said, up until Rogue One, we'd always rated movies in general by our Star Wars rating.  We would compare movie violence/intensity to SW to see if we thought the kids would want to watch it.  We have nieces and nephews with the same system.  It was almost like a rite of passage, if a child was old enough for Star Wars, it started to open up a whole world of movies, AND it was kind of like you were never really too young for Star Wars if you could sit through the whole movie.  But then Rogue One came along last year, and I was really glad some of us had seen it before taking the whole crew down to the five year old.  It just was so much more mature and deeper than any of the other SW movies.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Lady Marmalade

[poppy]

Our kids have seen the original 3. Those are ok, just a bit dark in some spots. 

 

The Prequels are mostly kid friendly, though we haven't shown those to them. I'd say those are ok for a action-y 9yo.

 

I saw The Force Awakens and Rogue One. They were just more charged movies overall. I don't think they would qualify as PG, and had the feeling they were trying with a couple scenes/story choices to make sure they weren't PG. 

 

I personally am a traditionalist and would show in the order of 4-5-6-1-2-3, that's it, lol. But, I'm a "give us Legends" person with a bone to pick, so a bit of bias there, lol. Maybe try out 4-5-6 to see if your son likes the universe first? 

 

The prequels are OK except #3 with the murdering kids, and then that once scene in the prequels where someone gets his limbs chopped off and then catches on fire because he is crawling in a pit of lava.... that part is so bananas to me.

[Lady Marmalade]

Ok, that makes sense. 

 

 

 

Well thanks for explaining it. He's actually not sensitive, which is why I was asking. :( He's very obsessed with wars, battles, tanks, etc., and we keep trying to hold that back and keep him grounded a bit in reality. I just didn't want to hold him back if this was age-appropriate fun, kwim? 

 

The advice for me to watch a video of another component of the series really makes sense. Not sure I'll be buying tickets. The only time I've watched LotR, I put all the battle scenes on fast forward, lol. Soemthing moving out of PG-13 is probably beyond where I'm gonna be. With a fast forward button, might be different.

 

Nine year old, NT non-sensitive child?  This will absolutely be age appropriate fun.  

 

I don't think SW violence can be compared to LOTR violence.  AT ALL.  With LOTR we saw a lot (A LOT) of gross things that I won't detail.  With SW, the violence is mostly superficial in comparison.  We see the laser blast hit a trooper, but we don't see a violent spurt of blood.  

 

But, you still don't want to see it if you haven't seen The Force Awakens.  It probably won't make sense if you are not in the loop. 

[poppy]

Yeah - about that scene with Hans and Kylo.....that is why I hesitate to recommend the film (and the upcoming) for a younger kid until parent sees it first.  Could be traumatic.

 

And a kid HAS to see all of the other films first. Even the stupid Phantom Menace etc., that triolgy, then the wonderful trilogy (New Hope/Empire/Return) then Force Awakens...only then will the Padawan be ready for Last Jedi.

 

Yeah. That scene.  My husband took my 7 year old, because everyone told us their 5-6-7 year old loved it, and it was a bad idea.  

Don't listen to other people when it comes to movie questions.  People take their kids to R rated movies all the time.

 

I'll never forget my coworker back in the day who took his little kids to all the Harry Potter movies because "there is not any violence  in them".   There is murder and torture and people get eat by snakes and ugh. I think he thought violence = guns? IDK.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

My 10yo (by age 9) had seen the old 3 (episodes 4,5,6), the new episode 1 (child Anakin), The Force Awakens, and Rogue One.  I won't let him watch 2 or 3 yet.  I won't let him watch Last Jedi until I've previewed it.  

 

 

[La Condessa]

Our kids have seen the original three, plus 1 and 7 with some home editing (in 1 we skip the Qui Gon/Darth Maul death scene and in 7 the rathtars and murder scenes).  These are the only PG-13 movies our kids have ever seen or will be seeing for a good long while, so I guess we made an exception for Star Wars, too.  I'm hoping that 8 will be similar, and we'll be able to let them watch it with only a little editing.  They won't be watching 2, 3, or Rogue 1 until their teens.

Edited November 17, 2017 by La Condessa

[Bluegoat]

I think most 9 year olds could see it without being worried.

 

I find the ratings system pretty tricky, actually.  Lots of kids movies seem to be PG-13, but then a few will have things I really would not consider very appropriate. I'm never sure why they get under the line.  But for the most part, I find the things that are over the line have a tv-14 rating.  

 

If you think about it, E.T. has a PG rating, and to me it's probably the best example of a perfect kids movie.  (Though, I have recently heard parents who think it is inappropriate.  Our culture seems to be shifting in general to a more Victorian mode, I think.)

 

Movies that are rated G sometimes seems like a category that means "really boring movies."

 

ETA - I'd leave out all three of the prequels - not worth it - they are actually kind of bad movies.  The compelling aspect ought to have been Annakin's story, and the actor is so horrible that it isn't.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Bluegoat

[PeterPan]

Someone will probably beat me to it:

 

Machete Order:

Watch New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, go back and watch Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, then Return of the Jedi. Then The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Not sure where Rogue One fits in there, but I know you skip Phantom Menace completely!

 

So - 4, 5, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. Skip 1. Get one of the DK Leveled Readers for Phantom Menace for the background. They aren't entirely accurate, but better than watching the whole movie.

 

Thank you, that was helpful!  :thumbup:

[Lady Marmalade]

Updating for the OP because we went and saw it last night.  Included in our party was my 8 year old nephew who has a hard time sitting through an entire movie in the first place.  As soon as the credits rolled he said "That was a great movie!"  And we all agreed.

 

Great fun for the family if you are into Star Wars.  PG-13 rating must be for violence, which there is a lot of, but it's Star Wars violence, so no blood and gore.  There are also most definitely intense moments that had some of us on the edge of our seats, but in a good way.

 

You really must see The Force Awakens first though or I think you'll be quite lost.

[Garga]

I'd definitely rent the others first. Does your child like SW? Dh is very gung ho on SW and ds has seen some of the newer ones. I think we only own copies of the original three on VHS so ds has not seen those yet. Ds is around your child's age if your sig is up to date. But, he has seen a lot of what I consider violent super hero type movies (Some of the X-Men etc. To be honest one of the last X-Men films was over the top violent imo. I still haven't seen Logan).

 

Logan is rated R and is very violent. Lots of blood and gore. It was also very good. I loved it. But I left my ds15 and dh at home. Neither of them like movies that are that violent.

 

Star Wars: It is appropriate for a 9 yo who isn't sensitive. It would be pointless to watch the movie that is in the theater now without having seen the previous movies. Each set of trilogies is one story in three parts and they all link together. You really need to know who the characters are from the movies in the 70s and 80s (episodes 4-6) to understand what's going on in these movies from the 2010s. You wouldn't need to see eps 1-3 to understand the current movies (7-9).

Edited December 15, 2017 by Garga