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Is 'The Dark Knight' for Kids?

By Dave Rogers - Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:54pm PDT
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It's not a comic book movie.

That's the first thing you should know when your kids ask to see "The Dark Knight," this summer's biggest blockbuster. The film is vastly more true to Frank Miller's famous alternative view of The Batman than to the zap-pow camp of Adam West's TV portrayal and sanitized DC comics that filled our childhood.

So how do you answer? Should your children see "The Dark Knight?" We turned first to our resident film fanatic and visual designer, Chuck Kim, the first of the Yahoo! Kids team to see the box office smash.

"I would not take a kid to see 'The Dark Knight,' said Chuck. "The Joker and Two-Face alone could give a kid nightmares." The oft-mentioned violence is not of one of gore, he says, but more of the heart—and thus potentially more terrifying. "The main thing is that it is a very dark movie," Chuck concludes."There's no ray of hope for the city." He recommends kids be 14 or older to see the film.

Such cautions seem to be the consensus, beginning with movie's star, Christian Bale, who said this on the "Today Show:"

"It’s quite haunting. It’s something which will stay with you for quite a while afterward. I’m not sure how much a child will be oblivious to that. I would say starting at about 9, maybe 10 years old may be an appropriate age for kids to be able to deal with this.”

A sampling of other comments:

"'Dark Knight' is a staggeringly violent and disturbing film. Thought-provoking for adults, but potentially terrifying for children," says Jeffrey Weiss of The Dallas Morning News. "The PG-13 rating should offer some warning, yes. But this film dances just south of an R in my book."

"This film is not for children, and I would discourage parents from taking anyone under 12 to see this movie," writes Jim Pappas of The Trades.com. “'The Dark Knight' offers a glimpse into the darker places within each of us, which might be cathartic for some, but others will simply be afraid."

"The movie is sadistic, violent, disturbing and also one of the best and biggest movies of the year," according to MoviesOnline.ca. "That all said, 3 out of 4 of those components are absolutely not suitable for young children... regardless of how the MPAA rated the movie."

Ultimately, the "Dark Knight" decision depends upon you, your children and your relationships with them. There are children at age 14 (and I was one) who would be deeply troubled by the darkness of the film. And there are children of 10 who could not only face down the terror but even discuss some of the film's layered themes.

In all cases, we suggest talking with your children about "The Dark Knight." Be sure they understand that it is not a typical comic book movie and that it is intended for grown-ups. And should you permit them to see the film, we strongly recommend discussing it afterwards; our Common Sense Media review has some excellent starting points.

How about you? Have you seen "The Dark Knight?" Would you take your children to see it? Please share your views in our comments.

Related: movies, talking about media, media violence

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Other Parents Say…

Showing 12221-12230 Comments of 12231

Posted by dirtbikegirl150@ameritech.net Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:42am PDT

Know your kid. There are some disturbing images, that to an adult, are exciting and add to the movie, but to a kid could give nightmares. Its PG 13 but kids under 13 could possibly handle it

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Posted by Todd R Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:50am PDT

I took my 14 year old and 11 year old girls to the movie at midnight. They enjoyed it, but Harvey's face did disturb my 11 year old to the point she closed her eyes when he was onscreen. Why people would take 5 & 6 year olds to a PG-13 movie is beyond me. It is rated this for a reason. It was a fabulous movie, but no one has ever said that this was a kids movie. Parents need to research a little before taking their kids to movie events like this.

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Posted by RobertM Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:13am PDT

well, i think we all could have seen that coming from the previews. or maybe thats just me. but i wish that they would have made it a full fledged 'R' movie. the extra gore and whatnot would have put it over the edge for me. i thought it was very well done, but it was missing a little something for me to make it amazing. if the united states' population wasnt so worried about their children being 'scarred' for life, movies would be MUCH better. so, short version, get your little kids out of the adult movies. thank you.

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Posted by RobertM Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:17am PDT

well, i think we all could have seen that coming from the previews. or maybe thats just me. but i wish that they would have made it a full fledged 'R' movie. the extra gore and whatnot would have put it over the edge for me. i thought it was very well done, but it was missing a little something for me to make it amazing. if the united states' population wasnt so worried about their children being 'scarred' for life, movies would be MUCH better. so, short version, get your little kids out of the adult movies. thank you.

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Posted by Red Eye Jedi Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:24am PDT

this is not a movie my 9 year old will see til i think he can handle it, that is not now.

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Posted by Damon Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:31am PDT

This movie is not for children of any age. It may be scary for those younger than 12 but it certainly sends the wrong moral message to those who are able to distinguish right from wrong. Protecting image is more important than protecting the letter of the law.

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Posted by Lisa Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:32am PDT

I think that the Dark Knight was a good movie...I took my 7 year old to see the movie and he loved it. I think that it's up to the parent and if they want there child to see the movie...I have scene worse and all of the other action hero movies like spider-man and superman just about have the same amount of violence. Batman has always been a darker kind of film, and I feel that if parents know that there child can handle it, then take them. I think that they will enjoy it.

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Posted by Re-Re R Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:25pm PDT

thanks for the info

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Posted by blahblah.hass Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:51pm PDT

I AM 13 AND MY PARENTS WOULD LET ME SEE IT BY MYSELF. PARENTS IF YOU LET YOUR KIDS PLAY GTA AND THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A PG-13 MOVIE THAT IS KINDA MESSED IVE SEEN 300 ON DVD BY MYSELF AND ITS AWESOME! SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO KILL ME TO STOP ME FROM WATCHING THIS! SO HA AND HA MORALISTS!!!!

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Posted by abe6953 Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:33pm PDT

I was reading Yahoo reviews before, and I was surprised how these mothers reacted to a fine film. I am 13 years old and the movie did not "fly over" me. I would understand not bringing your 5 year old, but 10 and up would get it. And two, your kids will find a way to see it anyway, so you might as well enjoy it with them.

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