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Author Topic: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?  (Read 15438 times)

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Offline vulcan fox

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2011, 04:30:13 PM »
wow believe it or not this is a tough call.. does your son show a general interest in something that seems special to him .? and is it an interest that will reward him jobs wise in his late teens? star wars had a big impact on my life and seriously derailed my mind as regards work. talk it over with your wife then do what she says. :D

Offline PRINCESS LEIA

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2011, 05:42:42 PM »
 I was 9 when the OT started out,but it will be kind of hard now days with all the propaganda star wars has now if he's ok with the clone wars series then he should be ok ;)

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Offline DarthCaedus

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #17 on: October 04, 2011, 05:55:19 PM »
I was 5 when i was first introduced to star wars (the OT), i feel its fine to see at that age, and it truly captures ones imagination as a kid :P i think that they are great for kids to watch, but as General Veers said, i'd also say hold off on the prequels. especially the scene where Anakin burns. quite graphic.



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Offline Amptrooper

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2011, 06:14:59 PM »
Just saw this and really wanted to jump in on it.
I took my son to see his first movie in the theater and it was Star Wars AOTC......he was 4 months!
We were kind of worried that he would cry or that it would be too loud. We were very surprised!
He was all into that movie!!!! So much that he had a bottle and he bent the bottle down out of his view
so that he could still drink it and watch the movie. His eyes were wide open and he stayed awake for the whole thing.
He has been watching SW and the Clone Wars on his own. He now is 9 and loves reading the novels. Yes, the full size
300 + page novels. He was reading on a 10th grade (tested) level since 2nd grade. He wants to be an engineer (buildings)
when he grows up. He also loves costuming and we have been working on building him a Mando costume for a while now.
I attribute most of it to Star Wars.   His interest in it has led him to be someone who is energetic to learn and read and he first
started getting interested in structural engineering because of the mechanics and design of the SW ships buildings and weapons.

Next, my daughter was born. We took her to see ROTS when she was 7 months. Same reaction! She loved it. She kept refusing the bottle.
She did get a little squirmy during some of the more boring political scenes but, it was short lived and she would be glued to the screen.
She too has benefited from SW just in a different way. She too has always enjoyed watching SW and CW but she has like the more artistic side like her Daddy!
She liked coloring books of SW and has always been great at coloring. While her older brother thought is was challenging to stay in the lines
(but could draw you a diagram like nothing else) she at a very young age was amazing her teachers with how well she colored and even drew.
She has loved painting and drawing and is very good for her age. Well above her class mates. Today she got up this morning and made a 5 page, full page comic book about Darth Vader. She wants to give it to Andy (the Darth Vader in my 501st Squad). She also is a 501st member in our kids group. She troops as a Jawa and loves it!

So, I would say that they are never to young to see Star Wars. With most of us I think they have continued access to it if they want. The one thing I have never done is to force it upon them. Well, except for showing the the movies when they were babies. LOL After that, it has always been their own thing. I never has pushed them into costuming but have been supportive when they show interest and always encourage them to think outside the box and to use their imaginations. I think so far....so good! I am very proud of them and I know that there is no limit as to where they can go with their skills that, can (in part) be attributed to an early exposure to the SW universe.  

Offline Darth Methodious

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2011, 06:30:00 PM »
Times have changed. I think society in general, is a bit overly sensitive. That being said.

I saw A New Hope when I was four and ESB when I was seven when they came out in theaters. Of course I have watched them a few dozen times but hey.... who's counting LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!

I took my nephews to see Episode III when he was eight. And he seems normal. Except for the fact that he tries to change his fellow class mates to the dark side  ::)

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Offline SL-2272

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2011, 06:32:10 PM »
I was three when I first saw them so he is good to go.

Offline Phoenix

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2011, 10:08:28 PM »
I can't remember how old I was when I first saw the original trilogy, but I was very young. For my own kids, we let them watch it when our youngest was 5. We started with Episode I and went from there. My son likes the Phantom Menace because Anakin is a little boy like him, and our daughter likes Return of the Jedi because of the cute Ewoks. Frankly, I have a bigger problem with the content of certain shows and movies that are geared toward kids than any of the Star Wars films. When we introduce the kids to a new movie that we are on the fence about letting them watch, we watch it with them, answer their questions, and usually it turns out fine. Once in awhile it turns out to be a mistake, and we catch it pretty quickly, in which case we just turn it off and pick something else or just fast forward through the parts we don't want them to see. It's funny, but they are so used to it, that our daughter likes to let us know when we're coming up to a part that we need to fast forward.

Offline ehwwong

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #22 on: October 04, 2011, 10:58:19 PM »
my daughter 3 and son 2 watched it, and had no problems. in fact, they sit through episode 4,5,6 during a movie marathon i had recently from the new release SW BD. :)

Offline gchu149

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #23 on: October 04, 2011, 11:09:19 PM »
Started with episode 5 when I was 3 (though I did grow up with the special editions, much to my own dismay)
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Offline The_Night

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #24 on: October 05, 2011, 12:24:18 AM »
Started out at 2 with the pt on VHS. I would watch all 3 through plus all the interviews... I was a cool kid. Lol
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Offline Mersenne

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #25 on: October 05, 2011, 01:08:14 AM »
Each child is different.

In 1977, I was 8 my sister was 5. Back then movies came around once then were gone forever.  No tv reruns, no DVDs. You went as a family.  Mymom covered my disorder eyes at the cantina and my sister proceeded to push her away and say mooooooommmmm, I'm trying to watch it.

At five they will enjoy it but not understand as much of the story.

My sons are 5 and 21 months.  We are waiting until the younger one is 5 and a few months.  Most likely a may release date for ANH.  ;D. We plan to release one movie per year in the spring.  That way each chris as we can do the action figure thing.

With Luke, I agree ....

Yes all children are different and this needs to be cconsidered before introducing just about anything into their young lives
I saw ESB 1st as a 6-7 year old on the re-release here in Australia at the movies and it was tstill the same thing - it was an occasion and you went with your family
I went with my older brother (11) and dad, sisters went with mum to see Annie.

I think there's plenty of things that need to be discussed afterwards and perhaps before viewing it, you'll know if this applies to you - the fighting/conflict, anger, words like hate etc.
some children are pretty sensitive and others less

we do live in a very differnt word to when I saw it 1st and our children are then obviously exposed to different things earlier beyond our control, soooooo really you know your child and have that open discussion with your Family 1st then sit back and enjoy

oh, and I voted 7 years old :: basing it on watching ROTS, others would certainly have a lower age rating
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Offline sushitronic

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #26 on: October 05, 2011, 06:13:45 AM »
A little off-topic but watch this video of a 4 years old boy watching the ESB big revelation... so cute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbV5hn_ET0U

Offline ASAJJ VENTRESS

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #27 on: October 05, 2011, 09:51:11 AM »
I was 4 when I saw Ep. IV in the movie theatres, and here's what I took away from it.

1) I wanted the doggie that the Big Man called Chewie.  I kept begging for one for my birthday and Christmas for YEARS.
2) The Lady in the white dress and weird hair was BOSSY!
3) The Lady in the white dress didn't let the men do all the saving and stuff... She didn't depend on the Big Man to do things for her.


When I saw Ep. IV, I saw Leia walk into the Lion's Den to save Han, and she killed her captor.  The boys in my class saw the metal bikini.  I saw that she used what she had to get herself out of captivity while wearing it.

I kid you not, all these things stayed with me to this day.  I'm as girly as they come, with the high heels, and the make-up and the pretty dresses, but I NEVER grew up singing, "Some Day My Prince Will Come...." 

(Of course number 1 might explain my first boyfriend though!  :D )


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Offline WEDGE ANTILLES

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #28 on: October 05, 2011, 08:10:06 PM »
I read somewhere, george acknowledged how JK Rowling 'aged' her franchise along with the audience -- the first book/movie was aimed at a fairly young audience..  but as the years went by, and she released more books, the story grew more mature as it went along. to the point where, the latter harry potter movies are too scary for little kids. but the first ones are just fine.

George always intended for ROTS to be PG-13.    counting backwards, at a rate of 3 years between movies, he intentionally aimed TPM at an audience of six year olds.   

they say, this was his intention for the OT as well, but the "suits" at Fox steered it more towards the 12-year-old male demographic instead.  thankfully, it caught on with younger kids too.  (I was 7 and it suited me just fine). ;) later when he took control for ROTJ, he went back and tried to cater to that 'teddy bear' audience all over again, but, by then it was too late.  his '12-year-old-male' was now 18 -- the core audience had little patience for teddy bears.   aiming 'old' to start and 'young' to finish, didn't work as well as what rowling did.

--> for the PT he took a page from Rowling's book and aimed young to start,  old to finish.  so to speak.  (he aged the franchise along with his audience).

-=-

in the end, history reveals that the OT caught on just fine with the 5-7 crowd ;)  and TPM is aimed at the 5-7 crowd.   8)

the only one you really need to be careful of is ROTS.   :-\ (and only because, he did that on purpose, with ham-fisted subtlety)  :-\
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Offline Obi_Dar

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Re: What is the minimum age to watch Star Wars?
« Reply #29 on: October 05, 2011, 09:11:18 PM »
Good things to chew on.  I appreciate all your opinions. 

Personally, I think he would be fine with ANH to start.  The violence level is pretty low.  You've got Han shooting Greedo, Obi cutting the guy's arm off in the cantina,  and Luke's crispy relatives, but other than that, I think he should be OK with the rest.  My wife on the other hand, thinks he is too young and impressionable, so I'll respect her wishes, even if I disagree.  She was OK to let him watch The Incredibles, which has more violence in it in my opinion, but whatever.

I will add that he has played through both of the Star Wars Lego games, and thoroughly loves them.  He's pretty good at them too.  He got really excited tonight when we figured out how to carry the characters over from game 1 to game 2.  Now we pair up in the free play modes with Jango and Boba Fett, Luke and Anakin, etc.

 

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