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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Iron Man 3 - would this be suitable for an 8 year old?

21 replies

mummatotwo · 29/04/2013 14:01

Sorry for posting here but wanted opinions of parents with primary aged kids.

So has yours seen it and is it suitable???

OP posts:

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TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 14:11

I saw it last night, and no (IMO) although I'm sure several of DS's friends will see it (and DH, who saw it independently last week, thought it might be OK. I gave him a strong look when I got home).

As I was leaving the cinema the people around me were making comments along the lines of "Wow, that was a bit much for a 12, wasn't it? Surprised it wasn't a 15" (I think it escaped being a 15 because it cuts away from a lot of the blood that is implied by what happens).

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 29/04/2013 14:16

Kermode said definitely not for a 7 year old - 8 is the very very lowest age that might (but probably wouldn't) be acceptable.

yousankmybattleship · 29/04/2013 14:19

No way. My DD is 8 and I wouldn't even consider letting her. Films have certificates for a reason so why would you ignore them? There are plenty age age appropriate films out there for 8 year olds to see.

mummatotwo · 29/04/2013 14:26

The only thing on this week (inset day) is The Croods. Iron Man is a 12a (children under 12 can see the film if accompanied by an adult)

OP posts:

TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 14:27

The Croods is good, if they've not seen that. Reviews were mixed but I really enjoyed it (and 8yo DS went twice).

Spottyegg · 29/04/2013 14:28

mm my 8yr old DD was very keen to see this having watched Iron Man 1 and Avengers Assemble on DVD. She is a superhero fangirl. DS(11) will definitely see it, she will be livid at being left at home!

TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 14:29

I do let DS see some 12A films. He's seen Thor and Avengers Assemble, for example, after we'd pre-watched them. But this one, no way.

ThePendant · 29/04/2013 14:30

interesting.
there was a thread on this last week and most people said it was fine...

ThePendant · 29/04/2013 14:31

Here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1741698-Iron-Man-3-What-age

TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 14:35

Of course, that thread was before the film came out, with the opinions of lots of people who hadn't seen it yet on whether they would or wouldn't be taking their children when it did come out.

(In the interests of balance, there's also this thread with a couple of parents who had seen it posting).

It was really really good, mind you. Although will annoy the fanboys.

ThePendant · 29/04/2013 14:38

good point.

MikeandLor · 29/04/2013 14:52

My husband and I saw it last night and we wrote a review for our blog ( isthismoviesuitable.com/2013/04/29/iron-man-3/ ). I am very keen on trying to help unsure parents when they are deciding whether or not to take kids to see a film.

Essentially it was very similar to Iron Man 1 and 2, although a touch more violent. I don't mean it was more bloody, just that the violence was more frequent. There was also a lot of comedy though, so it generally balanced out.

I think it should be ok for an 8 year old but of course it depends on the child, and what parents are comfortable with them seeing. It's basically standard Marvel. Some explosions and some death but a good hero and lots of fun.

TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 14:59

MikeandLor, when you say "derogatory term for a mental illness" do you mean the s-word (which I winced at)? If so, surely it's not a derogatory term for a mental illness, it's a derogatory term for a physical condition (cerebral palsy isn't a mental illness)?

PearlyWhites · 29/04/2013 15:14

No Pg are suitable for 8 year olds , 12 are only suitable for children over the age of 12 . Just because it is legal to take a younger child doesn't mean it is a good idea.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 29/04/2013 15:30

Not quite Pearly. 12As are (sort of) guaranteed by the BBFC to be OK for most 12 year olds. Parents are advised to use their discretion and knowledge of the individual child when deciding to take a younger child, although a 12A is very unlikely to be suitable for any child younger than 8.

I would vehemently defend a decision to take a (not especially vulnerable) 10 year old who's read all the Harry Potter books to see the last two HP films for example. Likewise a superhero mad 10 year old could get a lot out of Avengers Assemble.

MikeandLor · 29/04/2013 16:58

TolliverGroat - yes that was the part we referred to. And you are quite right! I'll log in later and amend that part for the sake of accuracy.

Pearly and LadyIsabella - the confusion over 12A is why my husband and I thought starting our blog would be helpful. On the one hand it is nice that 12A encourages flexibility and parental discretion, as obviously not all children are the same and what may scare one 10 year old may be nothing to another 8 year old. However, what you lose in the trade off is certainty and it can be difficult to guess what kind of content will be in a 12A. That's why we focus on them.

PGs are a bit more reliable I think. Generally ok for age 6 and up, but of course it varies so it is worth being a little cautious with these too.

TolliverGroat · 29/04/2013 19:54

Another way of thinking about it is that if a film wouldn't be suitable for the average 8yo (the definition of a PG) it shouldn't be given a PG certificate. The next highest certificate up is a 12A. Therefore films that would be perfectly suitable for the average 9yo but not the average 8yo ought to be being given 12A certificates and it's too simplistic to say "well, you should never take an under-12 to any 12A film ever" -- if you do then you are holding all 9, 10 and 11 year-olds to the standard of what is suitable for the average 8yo.

As the flip side of letting DS see a handful of 12A films at 8, there are some PG films I still haven't let him see (and in some cases probably won't for another couple of years) -- because I am looking at what will affect one particular 8yo rather than a hypothetical average.

Twinklestarstwinklestars · 29/04/2013 19:57

My 8 year old saw it and loved it, he's seen the others and avengers etc.

HauntedArmchairOfDoom · 29/04/2013 20:00

AT the risk of sounding super-judgy - I went to see IM3 yesterday and there were heaps of parents in there with kids around 6, 7, 8 and I was HORRIFIED. There were scenes in it of amputation and torture and agony, and effing terrifying villains who are essentially on fire from the inside. There's scarring and bodily mutilations and heaven knows what. If a 6/7 year old saw that film and wasn't at all scared or bothered I would honestly be rather fearful for their state of mind and assume they'd been exposed by irresponsible parents to so much horrific stuff so early they've become desensitized.

Weegiemum · 29/04/2013 20:01

We went yesterday, with dc 13,11,9. 9yo dd2 is a bit of a wimp about films but she liked this one!

HauntedArmchairOfDoom · 29/04/2013 20:03

As an addendum - it's a fabulous film. I seriously considered hiding under the seats and watching it all over again.

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