Did you let your young child see Revenge of the Sith?

I always found it interesting that Lucas made ROTS so much darker than TPM and AOTC. The general consensus was that he started the new trilogy to appeal to children moreso than adults, in order to make a "new generation" of Star Wars fans. Perhaps he felt that, since the young kids that watched TPM back in 1999 were six years older, they could handle the more mature themes of ROTS, but I gotta be honest that I was shocked that it was rated PG-13. I'm sure there were lots of young kids that didn't watch Episodes I and II until 2005, who might have missed out on ROTS because their parents didn't want to take them to see a PG-13 movie. I don't have kids, but I'm pretty sure I would have let a 7-10 year old watch ROTS.

So, did you let your young child watch ROTS when it came out four years ago? Perhaps you watched it first, and then decided whether or not to let your kid see it?

 

I don't think ROTS was that violent or scary to be honest with you,

so I say around 9 y or over.

 

Our 7 year old has seen it it's his second favorite next to ESB.

 

My oldest is 4 1/2, and I'm just now ready to introduce him to the OT. I don't know when I'll let him watch ROTS. I offered to let him watch Home Alone with me and he said no because there are "bad guys in it." Which means he might not want to watch the Star Wars films at all. He's been asking me to let him watch Spider-Man for a year though, and IIRC it's PG-13 so I've said no.

I don't like ROTS myself; I have the DVD but I've only watched it maybe 2-3 times, and that was mostly for the first 45 minutes of it. It is darker than the other films, but as far as scary or more violent, I'm not so sure. If we had seen Anakin actually slaughtering the Younglings instead of that just being implied by his igniting his saber, maybe. But Luke got his hand cut off in ESB and that was PG.

 

"Keep the change, ya filthy animal"

...sorry, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to bust out a Home Alone quote

There was a scene in ROTS with all the young kids' dead bodies scattered on the floor, so it was definitely much more than implied. I think that was the one scene that caused the jump from PG to PG-13.

Also, Star Wars came out before the PG-13 rating was implemented, but I'm pretty sure Lucas would have had to edit out the two "arm severing" scenes in ANH and ESB to get a PG rating if PG-13 had existed.

If it was Lucas's intent to make ROTS PG-13 from the beginning, it's too bad he didn't use his one "F-word" quota. Imagine Darth Vader dropping a 10 second long F-Bomb after finding out Padme was dead...awesome...

 

When my parents took me and my siblings to see ROTS, I was 12, my brothers were 8, and my sister was 6. I was actually was surprised that my parents let me see it at all at the time because they are very strict when it comes to what movies I watch. In fact, I think it was the first Pg-13 movie I ever saw in theaters. But I ended up loving ROTS, and my parents never had a problem with us watching it. (although they shielded my 6 year old sister's eyes when Anakin burnt to a crisp!)

 

My nephew was 9 at the time and I told my sister no way, based on the scene of Anakin burning alive. She and hert husband saw it first and agreed with me. It's not a film I would show someone under 12 generally. Too graphic in places. The burning alive scene is the biggest culprit.

 

I've blocked the Anakin burning alive scene out of my head. Ditto with the kids' bodies on the floor. You're right, that would be enough to constitute a PG-13 rating. I do think ESB would be PG-13 if we had the same system then that we have now.

 

Kids can handle it. These days there is much worse on free TV. Besides, all fairy tales and early Disney have pretty harsh stuff in them. They need that stuff to get ready for life so it doesn't hit them all at once turning 13!

 

So then why was ROTS rated PG13 if kids today can handle it? Clearly the structure in place felt that it should be 13 and older...

 

I think it's meant to protect the most sensitive members in the audience. But the American rating system is completely bonkers anyway, all you have to do is look at the amount of films that get rated R for proof of that. The MPAA has been under fire since the rating system came into effect in 1969, though at least it is better than the British board.

Anyway, as for ROTS, I think most kids over 7 or 8 would be able to handle the film, but this is fast and loose, some are more sensitive than others of course. The sensitivity issue comes down to whether it will be harmful, if the viewer will be scarred or be unable to easily resolve their emotional response. To that end, I would say kids who are 8 or 9 will be frightened and unnerved by the immolation scene, and that's okay, that is the point of the scene, so I think some people get a little over-protective in this respect. I think you definitely need to see the remainder of the series to have ROTS in context though, otherwise its darkness and violence may seem pointless and perplexing. In my experience though, parents are always way more sensitive about what they think their children can handle than the children themselves. Maybe I'm a bit strange though; I remember having nightmares about The Terminator when I was 6, but that film was still one of my favorite movies, and same with Neverending Story, which gave me a couple nightmare, and which I think it was precisely designed to do. I guess it ultimately boils down to how savvy a kid is regarding cinema and how they understand fantasy and the unreality of movies and such.

As a last defense, there is always the fast forward button. This wasn't an option in theatres, but it is at home. Its the reason I never went to an R rated movie with my parents but watched stuff like Predator and Robocop on VHS with them.

 

I took my 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, just so they could say they saw a Star Wars film in a theater. My son got scared about half-way through, so I took him out. However, I had already watched a downloaded copy, so I didn't mind missing the rest. My wife and daughter sat through the rest. Of course, neither child remembers it, but I have pictures of them there, so bragging rights are still possible.

Ironically, it's also the ONLY Star Wars film they've ever seen.

 

^ This...

... and this. ^

The vast majority of kids are much more able to handle this stuff than many adults give them credit for. Most kids much younger than 13 should be able to watch ROTS with no problems whatsoever... especially if the youngling bodies and immolation scenes are skipped past (and I mean skipping just a few on-screen seconds of each, not the whole scene)... and even then that should just be necessary for the youngest viewers.

 

And just think about what kids would have missed out on if all those hysterical mothers had their way!



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Just wanted to add something here. My mother made me watch Ransom (which is MA 15+) so she could teach me not to run off, or I might get kidnapped. Good lesson learnt. Maybe ROTS could teach kids lessons.

 

Interesting that you mention Gremlins, which was supposedly one of the movies that led to the PG-13 rating in the first place...

My friend always mentions how he used to watch Jaws in daycare when he was a young kid.

 

I remember watching Poltergeist in Junior High.

 

Me too. Although I'll admit that I've evolved into somewhat of a "hysterical mother."

 

The scene in which the horse slowly sinks into the swamp may be the defining trauma of my childhood. Our fourth grade teacher had to stop the film for a few moments, as half of us were crying.

See what happens when they hand a children's film over to the director of Das Boot?

 

There's tons of programming that has been labeled "children's television" that's far, far worse than ROTS. My younger sister first saw it when she was nine. At eleven years of age, it's her favorite Star Wars film. And she's perfectly normal. Almost.

 

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Case in point.

 

See below, can't get this to post right.

 

This one is banned from our house:

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ROTS would be worse if Luke and Leia were left in the middle of Tatooine to raise each other with no parents or guardians around.

 

I don't understand how any parent can think the immolation scene in ROTS is suitable for most all kids under 12. The film is rated PG-13 for a reason. This is, in my opinion, far more detrimental to a child than any sort of strong language.