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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 21-30 Comments of 12231

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

The movie is dark as hell but i like it!

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Posted by Me Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:42pm 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 Carla G Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:42pm PDT

I agree, this is a very dark film. I took my boyfriend's 13 year old son to see it and he not only loved it but understood the complex storyline. He is a very smart kid but not all children could cope with the breakneck, heartstopping action and theme of this movie. I will bet this movie causes a lot of nightmares in children whose parents didn't have the heads up on how disturbing it could be to kids. If your kids are under 13 (it is PG 13 afterall) you need to go see it with them.

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

ok- this movie is very dark and in answer to your question - no, i would NOT take my children to this movie. however; that said - you missed the whole point of the movie! there IS hope for gotham city - that's why the person that ultimately takes the fall at the end takes the fall! and also - what about the ferry scene? didn't see that one coming, right? there's hope... there's always hope.

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

I brought my 12 year old to see it and after seeing it with him, I regret it. My son is very mature, but this movie seems to have gone to his core somehow and it genuinely frightened him.

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

Um. Sorry, but this IS a comic book movie. The make-up art is based on Frank Miller's interpretations and the graphic novel Akram Asylum. Batman has never been a "kiddie comic". If you want kiddie comic lameo Batman, watch the old 60's tv show or the old SuperFriends cartoons. If you want a kiddie comic superhero, stick with Spiderman. Leave Batman alone.

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Posted by anuushu Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:43pm PDT

The movie was very dark, and very well done. However, this is not a film for any child under the age of 14! I was appalled at how many children under that age were in our theater - and I would have to say that the median age of children in our theater wasn't even near 14 - more like ages 6 & 7 - some under that. Parents have no business being parents if they think it's ok to subject their children to this type of film. Heath Ledger's performance as the menacing joker was superb but also very terrifying - even for some adults. I don't have children yet but no way would I have brought them to see this movie no matter how much they whined or begged or pleaded. Parents need to pay attention to the trailers, scan the trailers well and pay attention to the ratings!

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Posted by Funnytiger Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:43pm PDT

This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Like video games, comic books grew up with their audience. Have you been to a comic book store? MOST comics aren't for kids. They are a mature medium that has grown well passed its "Archie" days. Even Spider-Man and X-Men have had a grown up makeover in the comic book universe. To assume that something is based off of a comic book that it is "kiddish" or a children's movie by any standards is being ill informed about the medium of comic books.

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Posted by mucky576 Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:43pm PDT

I thought the movie was GREAT! Not totally a kid kind of movie. My 7 year old nephew went to go see it and he no problem with it...he loved it! Before going to go see it he knew that there were gonna be scary parts but he said he wanted to see it and that he knew that it wasn't real and they were just actors. He had no nightmares or anything, he actually wants to go see it again. I just think it depends on the child really :)

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