I’m forever grateful my uncle took me and my older brother to see Star Wars in the theater in 1977. I was seven years old, which I think was the perfect age to watch Star Wars for the first time. I have to say though, when the bad guy gets his arm cut off in the cantina scene, and when Darth Vader cuts down Obi Wan Kenobi, I was pretty upset.
If you’re thinking about taking one of your young children to see the new Star Wars franchise movie, Rogue One, there are a few things you might want to consider in advance. I don’t think this is an automatic go for all kids, and there are a few things you might want to know.
Is your child sensitive, very literal, or not used to fictional deaths in the movies, video games, and television they experience? Rogue One has character deaths that a child like this might find upsetting. I know I shed a few tears last night, and I’m old and hardened by media.
There is no bad language or nudity or sexual situations in Rogue One at all. It’s cleaner than clean in that regard.
The death or deaths are bloodless. When characters are shot with blasters, burn marks on their clothes or uniforms are visible, but shouldn’t be upsetting. Not every
blaster shot is fatal, because, come on, we’re still dealing with Storm Troopers here.
I’ll put this next part in text you need to highlight to read:To give as little away as possible, one or more main characters are killed. If your child would be upset by a situation like this, I suggest you pre-screen Rogue One first.
Asked asked my teen daughters what age would start being too young to see Rogue One in the theater. They babysit a little boy who’s eight, and they said they thought it would be too much for him.
Rogue One is rated PG-13, but parents don’t seem to follow rating guides any more, which is why I had to sit by two 12-year-old boys at the R-rated movie Kingsman, watching an entire church full of people beat each other to death.
This isn’t a regular Star Wars episode like we’ve seen before. Rogue One isn’t a fun space-cowboy tale, it’s a harder story more like a real war. While the violence is softened, the consequences are real.
Thanks for your insight. I value and appreciate it.
I hope it helps! We took our kids to Revenge of the Sith and had some pretty upset kids afterward. Wish I’d read a parents’ guide! I’d have seen it without them, then let them see it on video. Movies are always less intense at home.
Thank you for this! I’m going to wait until I’ve seen it and then likely wait until it’s out on video so we can fast forward.