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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 11-20 Comments of 12231

Posted by Pinchy Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:40pm PDT

i would take my neighbor kids to see it...because i don't like them and giving them nightmares would make me happy.

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Posted by spiderman Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:40pm PDT

I thought this movie was amazing.. the best batman ever made. Would I take my son of 7.... no.. He can watch w/ me on DVD when he is old enough. Just remember.. was batman "too dark".. absolutly not!! Was Batman "too dark for my child".. yes.

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Posted by CMPG Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:40pm PDT

I see very little problem with kids ages 7 and over seeing this. If you viewed the cartoon series from the past 10 years, like Batman The Animated Series and Batman Beyond, it too tends to be a little dark. The only problems I see for young ones is the way the Joker uses knives. I would hate to see a child emulate what the joker threatens to do with knives. But if the child knows what is right from what is wrong (like I use to), this movie is fine.

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Posted by Mandi Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

Thank you, I went to see this without my child and was upset that they can't watch it for a few years. It was an awesome movie, but the rating should have been different. In the theatre we were in, there were too many 5 and 6 year olds there. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought about how scary the movie would be. Great movie, but not for kids.

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Posted by nic Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

As a 16 year old I was a little bit traumatized by the film. I loved it and thought it was extremley good, but I definitely was shaking at some points and had to grab the hand of my seat neighbor (whom of which wasn't to happy about it). 14+ is okay, better to be older. Great movie, though.

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Posted by EMWKY Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

It's PG-13.... Hello??

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Posted by ChristineM Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

I am 29 years old and I was a little disturbed myself. I would not take anyone under 14 to see this movie. It is a very dark and scary movie but definitly a must see for all adults!

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Posted by MarkT Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

I would never ever take my kids to this movie unless they were 13 or 14. The Joker is down right scary and the political and under lining story lines are thing most kids will not get. But I saw a lot of kids at the show I went to and i am sure plenty more will see it.

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Posted by Me Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41pm PDT

The Dark Knight is fantastic, but it is NOT a kid friendly movie. Parents need to understand that not all comics turned movie are meant for kids. I'm geting tired of Hollywood making most to all comics-turned-movies kid friendly. The Batman comics aren't exactly geared towared kids, but Warner Brothers co. and various other small comic companies create various kid friendly versions of Batman so kids can enjoy it. Parents need to pay attention to the reviews or study up on the movie before taking kids. This also goes for the couple behind me who brought their two year old to see The Dark Knight....

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Posted by Chrys72 Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:42pm PDT

I took my children ages 13 & 9 to see this movie-yes it has some violence, but not more than any other film of that kind. The Joker nor Two Face either one bothered my children, but each child is different. With a running time close to 3 hours long, towards the end, my 9 year old started to get the "wiggles". It is an awesome movie-all actors did an amazing job! Heath Ledger went above and beyond any expectations.

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