Would you let a 4 1/2 year old watch Star Wars?

[NanceXToo]

Yesterday while shopping at Walmart, we allowed each of our kids to select a poster for their rooms. My teen wanted a "Twilight" poster, my tween wanted a "Justin Bieber" poster, and my 4 1/2 year old wanted Star Wars.

 

However, he's never seen Star Wars, and my husband convinced him to get a "How To Train Your Dragon" poster instead (since we did just take him to see that recently). My husband commented "You can get a Star Wars poster after you see the movie."

 

Now my 4 1/2 year old has it in his head that he wants to see Star Wars (and then he wants to get the poster lol). My husband wants to rent it and have all of us watch it together.

 

I know I must have seen it many many years ago but I can't remember enough of it to determine whether it would be okay for my little guy. Mostly I just want to make sure it wouldn't be too scary for him, I can't remember if there was anything in it that might scare a four year old or that would be highly inappropriate. I know there is some "violence" but I don't recall it being anything over the top or gory or anything.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[PinkInTheBlue]

Absolutely not all of them. For instance, there's no way I'd let a 4 year old watch episode 3 at all. I'd have to edit it so much there would be no point. I would probably let him watch episode 4 because it wouldn't require much editing. Matter fact, I'd probably let him watch 1, 4, 5, and 6 with little editing. I don't know if I'd watch 2 and 3 at all. That's just me. :)

[Pippen]

I didn't show it to my kids at that young age, but I know a lot of families who have. Kids are so different at that age that the only way to know if it's appropriate for your little guy is to preview it yourself.

 

You're talking the original Star Wars?

[QuirkyKapers]

All I can remember is there is a scene in the cantina where a character gets his head, arm or something chopped off.....It is a little gross...but it's amazing for something so high tech back than it really isn't as graphic compared to today's technology

[Daisy]

Which Star Wars are we talking about? The old one? Number 4?

 

Possible frightening parts might include...

 

1. Luke's family gets killed (though you don't really see anything).

 

2. Tusken Raiders attack Luke in the desert.

 

3. Cantina scene (mentioned by another poster). I can hardly remember it, but Luke ticks off someone.

 

4. In the garbage compactor when Luke is grabbed by the eel/monstery thing.

 

5. When Darth Vador kills Obi Wan Kanobi but again no blood or guts.

 

It is really the tamest of all six movies. I'd say my son was 6ish when it watched it.

 

For a loooooong time, my son had only seen the old movies. Then we allowed him to watch the first of the new ones. It has only been in the last month or so that he has watched an edited version of the last 2 new ones (technically episode 2 and 3).

Edited May 17, 2010 by Daisy

[Elisabeth in IL]

My youngest saw it at 3 as he has 2 older brothers and a father that are Star War Crazy. He left the room (his choice) during episode III when Anakin was being burnt. Episode III is the one that I'd worry about the most.

[JudoMom]

All of my boys have seen all 6 of the episodes. I don't remember how old my oldest was when he first saw the original 3...maybe 5 or 6? So the rest were all younger.

[kokotg]

My youngest saw the original 3 Star Wars movies when he was three, largely because he has 2 older brothers (none of them has seen the newer ones). Sigh. I remember musing at the time that I'd better not have a fourth kid or I'd be letting him watch Scarface by the time he was two. But, really, said three year old handled it fine; he was a bit bored, but not traumatized.

[NanceXToo]

Hi, thanks for the responses so far. We're talking about the original Star Wars movie- the original three movies, I guess if the first one ends up seeming okay. I guess now they are called "4, 5 and 6." We'd be starting with the first original movie (4?) and seeing how that went, so mostly I guess I'm asking about that one! Thanks again :)

[Wendi]

We didn't let our ds watch even episode 4 until he was 8yo. There are things such as body parts cut off by light saber, Darth Vader choking someone to death, etc. We wouldn't have let ds watch it at 4yo. Once he watched episode 4, at 8yo, he watched episodes 5 and 6. Not to much longer, he watched episodes 1 and 2. But we made him wait quite awhile to watch episode 3 (which really bugged him because many of his friends saw it in the theatre). I just didn't think he could understand the themes of that movie, and knew it was going to be intense.

 

YMMV! :D

 

Wendi

[Pippen]

Which Star Wars are we talking about? The old one? Number 4?

 

Possible frightening parts might include...

 

1. Luke's family gets killed (though you don't really see anything).

 

).

 

They show a fairly close-up image of the smoldering skeletal remains.

[hornblower]

Nope.

My ds was over 10 when he was allowed to watch them, & we started with #4, & slowly, over many months worked our way through them. He was over 11 before he had seen them all. He also had nightmares several times & we had to slow down even more - but he was motivated to see them too & really wanted to work through the fear issues.

 

I'd say I've never regretted holding my kids back from films or storylines. I think if you're going to err, err on the side of caution. I think film & tv are incredibly powerful mediums & as a society, our kids are way over-exposed & desensitized.

[Desert Rat]

The old ones, yes. The newer trio, it depends on your 4.5 yo and your stance on fantasy violence. I can say that my now 7 yo watched all but #3 (which is the very newest and where Ani goes bad) by the time he was 5 or so.

[cathmom]

LOL my 4 1/2 yo twins are watching The Empire Strikes Back right this very minute! They have seen all of them except Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith, which in our house you have to be 10 to see.

[Ravin]

Depends on the four year old, but probably yes, though I'd be prepared to turn it off if it got too scary for them. I let DD watch LOTR at 4. She hasn't seen Star Wars yet, though. Something we should probably remedy, given what a fan DH is. :tongue_smilie:

[NanceXToo]

Thanks again for the feedback! I think he'll probably be okay with the original/episode 4 based on what's been said here. He watched "Where The Wild Things Are" and "How To Train Your Dragon" without being scared so I don't think the scenes mentioned here would be too scary for him (although I might just edit out the cantina scene, the rest I don't think would be too bad for him).

 

We'll probably just watch that one and then wait til he's a little older to see the rest of the movies.

 

Thanks again! :)

[Ohdanigirl]

I think it depends on the child. My little one has seen them all and loves the animated. He prefers the last one (new) because he says he hopes Ani will change his mind and not tun bad. He knows its all make belief and doesn't even focus on some of the things I was concerned about.

 

Boys.

 

Danielle

[mrsrevmeg]

My kids have seen all the Star Wars movies. We went to the theater to see Episode III with the two older boys in costumes. (youngest stayed home) Benjamin was 4 or 5 at the time. We had talked to him ahead of time about what was going to happen to Anakin (turning mean, getting mauled in a fight and burned by lava). He was excited and bouncing up and down clapping when they went to the planet where it happens. Other people had to carry kids out crying. It just depends on the child.

[hsmom]

My son has seen them all. He watched them when he was 3 or 4. I figure there are way worse things he could be watching and I don't see a problem with them. That is me, my kids have watched most movies I have seen.

[MaMa2005]

What a timely thread! DS has watched two of the Clone Wars movies (Star Wars that is animated). He did fine and then DH decided to show him a real Star Wars movie last night. Of course, DH never asked me and all of a sudden I hear a very upset voice asking why things are dying so quickly. DH realized he had made a mistake and DS realized he wasn't ready for the 'real' thing yet!

 

DS will be 5 on Friday. He is very tender hearted :), but DH said it too much to try to explain who all the characters were as the show was playing.

[nikkinic]

there's a website you can go to http://www.commonsensemedia.org. You can type in the name of a movie or tv show and it lists several criteria such as language, violence, sexual content, etc. and describes exactly what curse words they say and how often and it will describe exactly what type of sexual scenes are in a movie - even if it's only a kiss. They also give a general age reccomendation for the watching the movie, but generally after I read through the descriptions of the different criteria I know if it's something I want my kids watching or not.

[Dana]

I saw the original in the theater when I was 5. It was fine - and I'm VERY squeamish about movies.

 

My son played Lego Star Wars a couple of times and then we let him watch the movies. He was fine with them, knowing the story, and I was surprised at how faithfully the game was made.

 

(Of course, when I refer to the Star Wars movies, I'm talking about the original 3 (SW, Empire, Jedi) - I refuse to believe in the existence of the later 3. :D)

[Jamee]

Wow, one of my first memories was going to see Star Wars in the theater! I think I was three and I even went to see it again. My parents were surprised at how much I actually liked the creatures---hmmm, maybe that's hereditary, my boys LOVE creature movies, Ray Harryhausens and all those. My boys have been watching for as long as I can remember. I didn't care for the first three movies, but the orginal three are classics.

[Orthodox6]

NO.

[Meriwether]

My boys, 5 and 3, have seen all six of them. They had no problems with them. I probably would have held off on them, but Dh was fine with it. They've seen them a number of times now. They understood the storyline very well and were never scared, but I could see many kids being scared.

[BigMamaBird]

Our 4 y/o has seen it. This is the girl that watches Star Trek with her Daddy all the time (and can name the different aliens:glare:) We've allowed her to see the original 3 but not the newest 3, which I think are junk. She just seems uninterested in them. Yup, my 4 year old has entered the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate.

[jujsky]

We let my 6 year-old watch Episode 1, and then 4-6. He is not allowed to watch 2 or 3 at this point, though we're considering 2 (we want to rewatch that one again). It will be quite some time before he is allowed to watch 3. At 4 I wouldn't have let him watch any of them. I think he was a late 5 when we let him watch Episode 1, and he was 6 when he watched the rest of them.

[patchfire]

My just-turned-5-yo has watched Star Wars. Uh. A New Hope. Man it freaks me out when the kids call it "the fourth one!" He's allowed to see the remainder of the original trilogy but not the newer ones. So far he just wants to rewatch the one he's seen, which is also fine by me. But everyone needs to know who Han Solo is! :D

[texasmama]

My 7 and 9 year old boys have not seen any of these. Dh and I both agree that they are too young. I saw it in the theatre when it came out with my family...I believe I was 12. My brother was 10 at the time. I err on the side of caution, though, with movies/TV for the kids because media puts very real images into their heads which may be difficult to manage for a child who is still in a concrete versus abstract stage. One of my sons is also a bit anxious, and I don't want to feed that.

[LibraryLover]

I think the first three would be OK...although Jabba and sexy chained Princess Leah is creepy. I would be OK with the first one. The rest are so dark...it would depend on the child.

[Colleen in SEVA]

It completely depends on the kid!

 

My oldest saw it (as in the original one from the 1970s) right before he turned 4 and LOVED it. He has seen all of the episodes by now, and sometimes watches the Clone Wars on Friday nights.

 

My 5 yo loves all things Star Wars but has never seen the movies, he just knows it from the Legos. LOL!

 

I don't know if G has seen any of them or not, he is super sensitive. These are movies they watch with dad, it's not my thing.

[Harriet Vane]

No

[katemary63]

My boys, 5 and 3, have seen all six of them. They had no problems with them. I probably would have held off on them, but Dh was fine with it. They've seen them a number of times now. They understood the storyline very well and were never scared, but I could see many kids being scared.

 

This is just the thing. You have to know your kid because they are all so different. My DS let my DD watch Jurasic Park when she was age 3! I was furious! (I wasn't home) But she LOVED it. No bad dreams, no problems. She LOVES scary movies and has been watching them ever since. She is 9 now and there have been no problems. She watches the TV series Bones with all those gross, decomposed bodies and thinks it's cool. Every kid is different.

[JeneralMom]

My kids have seen all of them and the animated movie...Friday night is the only night they are allowed to watch Cartoon Network so they can see the Clone Wars cartoon. The only thing that bothered my eldest was the Ewok dying in Empire Strikes back and also the when the Tonton gets gutted and Luke is placed inside it.

[lovemyboys]

All I can remember is there is a scene in the cantina where a character gets his head, arm or something chopped off.....It is a little gross...but it's amazing for something so high tech back than it really isn't as graphic compared to today's technology

 

I'd vote no. Kids grow up fast enough. Maybe there's not a lot of graphic violence, but scenes like this in the cantina, Vader choking people, etc. are full of menacing characters and surprising scares.

 

Mine are very visual so I'm still careful. But even so, at the age of 4-1/2, I'd let the little guy stay "little" a bit longer.

 

Like others here, though, I know of other families whose kids have seen SW, even LOTR and more before the age of 6.

 

:001_smile:

[Natalieclare]

Depends on whether it's the first kid or someone further down the line. :D

 

We had a Star Wars movie night with our kids when our oldest was around 8 1/2, which made our next dd 7 and our ds, 5. The oldest was pretty burned up that she had to wait 'til 8, but her little 5yo didn't. ;)

 

Our viewing of Star Wars never bothered anyone in our family, contrasted with our attempt to watch Wizard of Oz. That beloved show of my youth, anticipated annually, completely freaked my kids out before they even met the scarecrow!

[Dandelion]

We let DS watch the original Star Wars movie when he was 5.5. His best friend (same age) had seen several of the episodes and was really into Star Wars - so I mainly let him watch it so he could understand what his friend was talking about. He subsequently (surprise, surprise!) became a HUGE Star Wars fan himself.

 

I was surprised at how tame the original Star Wars movie actually was, compared to what's out there today. Having said that, we did fast-forward through some of the more violent scenes others have mentioned.

[Jen in PA]

It was the second movie I ever saw in a theater, and I saw it when I was 4. I turned out ok (mostly).:D

[smrtmama]

My nine year old took it upon himself to watch the Star Wars series (original three) and Raiders of the Lost Ark on VHS with his almost four year old brother present. Tank wasn't scarred by the experience, so I'd say that it's probably not too much for a kid that age.

[Jamee]

My DS let my DD watch Jurasic Park when she was age 3! I was furious! (I wasn't home) But she LOVED it. No bad dreams, no problems. She LOVES scary movies and has been watching them ever since. .

 

My boys have thought from the beginning that Jurassic Park is one of the funniest movies.:glare: They watched it younger than I would have though appropriate, but they too loved it. They too love "scary" movies and see it more humourous than scary.

 

If you're interested, there's a book out there that uses Star Wars (the orginial) to teach plot, character, etc.

[Teachin'Mine]

No, I wouldn't. The poster would probably be fine though. :)

[orangearrow]

Well, our oldest two girls "saw" Star Wars when they were toddlers, but we stopped watching it for a couple of years because we felt they were too young.

 

So, we pulled the movies out again when the oldest was around 7, second dd was around 5 and the "baby" was around 3. He's grown up watching the S.W. movies - it's a big family tradition around here.

 

Now, the kids (even the 7yo boy) have seen all the movies EXCEPT the more graphic scenes in the final movie. I'm thinking they haven't seen the scene where the Emperor and Mace Windu fight & the emperor has the "face change" that I think is kind of gross (probably wouldn't bug my kids, though) - and the scene toward the end with Anakin and ObiWan fighting and Anakin being thrown into the lava pit. That's just... gross. I usually turn the movie off when Anakin and ObiWan start to fight. The kids have heard what happens, but they wouldn't enjoy Padme's death either...

 

But - they've seen everything else. And they LOVE Star Wars. :D

[Pretty in Pink]

Yes, I'd let my 4yo watch the one in question (probably the three original, in fact, and he may have watched all of those with my dh by now). I know that all but my little one have seen one of the newer ones (one with 'pod racing'...I don't know which one that is...I think Anakin is a child in that one).

[courtney.byrum]

My 4 yo DD and 5 yr old DS watched episode 1 about 6 months ago I think. Ds then watched episode 2 and 4. DH told DS that episode 3 was too dark to which DS said 'Well I'll get my flashlight then!' ---- he didn't win that one but it was cute :)

 

I'd be ok with him watching 4-6 and probably 1 again. Then again he hasn't seen Spiderman, Iron Man, or any of those either.

[TXMomof4]

The original 3 would be ok IMO. In fact, my ds has seen all 3. He doesn't like Empire Strikes Back - I don't either, but we all love Return of the Jedi. Ewoks are just fun.

[ScoutTN]

No. It can wait.

We love SW - have them all, but not for preschoolers.

[Starr]

Which Star Wars are we talking about? The old one? Number 4?

 

Possible frightening parts might include...

 

1. Luke's family gets killed (though you don't really see anything).

 

2. Tusken Raiders attack Luke in the desert.

 

3. Cantina scene (mentioned by another poster). I can hardly remember it, but Luke ticks off someone.

 

4. In the garbage compactor when Luke is grabbed by the eel/monstery thing.

 

5. When Darth Vador kills Obi Wan Kanobi but again no blood or guts.

 

It is really the tamest of all six movies. I'd say my son was 6ish when it watched it.

 

For a loooooong time, my son had only seen the old movies. Then we allowed him to watch the first of the new ones. It has only been in the last month or so that he has watched an edited version of the last 2 new ones (technically episode 2 and 3).

 

 

Number 4. has merit however. I use the trash compactor to describe how I feel about school hallways. :lol:

 

No my dc did not watch Star Wars until they were a little older. Ds had a couple of action figures and abridged children books. Ds thinks he was about 8 when he watched the old ones.

[Embassy]

There is no way my 6 and 8 year old would handle that movie. They are sensitive little guys though. Maybe in a couple years.

[elegantlion]

My son had probably seen it by four. Actually the first movie we ever took him to see in a theater was episode 1. I think he was about two years old. IIRC he fell asleep.

 

Of course after they see the movies, then you get to explain the logic behind episode 4, 5, and 6 being made well before episode 1, 2, and 3. :tongue_smilie:....the technological differences... the differences in film making capabilities.

[swellmomma]

MY kids have all seen all the star wars episodes from a young age. My younger 2 have seen a few episodes several times because ds11 is a star wars fanatic and he is watching them over and over again.