To take my son and his friends to a 12A at the cinema for his 8th Birthday

[pingu2209]

Would you let your child go to a 12A when they are 8?

My DD has seen many 12A's and shes only 3... 12A is usually pretty tame. The baby screenings at the Odeon are usually 12A films (not the same I know as they arent actually for the baby). But I dont think most 12A's are any worse than PG's.

no i wouldnt and i cerntianly would try and take other peoples children

It depends on the film. I'm not sure I'd be happy taking other peoples' children but we'll happily take outs to most 12As

We took ours to see Thor last weekend and they are 7 and 9. They both loved it and there was nothing really gory in it. They've also seen both Iron Man films, Transformers, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Spiderman films. They both have a really good grasp on what's real and what's CGI but having said that, they haven't seen The Dark Knight because I found that scary and I'm 36!

ours

Certification is an odd thing. For the censors it is a matter of ticking boxes. Smoking rates highly for example - so film makers are clever in avoiding things which may alienate their main audiences. I am amazed that The Dark Knight got a 12A - the violence is very anarchic and frightening. If in doubt, you should see the film first - as some films can be disturbing and once you have seen it, then you can't unsee it.

my 9 year old saw Thor last week and liked it.

i'd be slightly wary of taking other kids only because my poor dh once took ds1 and his friends to the cinema and ended up sitting outside with one boy who cried as soon as it got dark in the cinema, before the film even started, and then proceeded to be frightened of every single thing that happened in the film (i think it was spiderman, it wasn't remotely frightening in any case)

Depends on the film.

We took DSS to see Ironman at age 8 and he loved it.

He had nightmares at Princess Mononoke though, which is an animated PG.

I would take the other kids so long as the parents were fully aware it was a 12A and knew what the film was in advance so they could Google and make an informed decision.

I wouldn't take kids to a 12a as am a total wimp and found the latest harry potter one really scary!

As a kid had nightmares for years about et and darth vader.

I'd have taken my DDs to see a 12A at 8, but only if I knew what the film was like. I'd have been very pissed off if they had been taken to see one without me being asked beforehand.

As you are asking the parents first I really can't see any problem. I'd read the link first and try and find some first hand reviews from people you know, if possible.

I'd let Ds watch Thore. He has seen all of the Spiderman movies and Star Wars etc.

One film that did have a 12a that I would warn of though is The Hole. I watched it on pay per view with dd2 (11) and ds (8) and they both found it very scary. Although oddly ds has since ased to watch it again.

The certificate 12A doesn't mean the film is unsuitable for children under 12; it means the film is unsuitable for children under 12 who are attending the cinema without an adult.

So I think you would have to discuss it with the other parents, as I assume that many of the children will not be sat next to an adult they know well, as you are taking a group.

I agree with Meditrina, both my boys (11 and just 7) have watched 12A's at home where we can fastforward, distract and talk about scary things. In the cinema however is a different matter and I would want to know if they were being taken to a film certificated above their age (whatever age they were!)

If it's the only film he fancies, and if it's only a few friends then I'd ask each parent what they think - maybe even print out a copy of the BBFC guidance for each of them to check whether they're fine with it.
It does sound like a pretty tame 12A, so unless you have an unusually sensitive 7 year old there, or parents who are very hot on violence, you may be OK.

I'd let my 8 year old, but he's the youngest of three and you get so much more slapdash the more you have I've found.

Zukie, an 8 year old is allowed to watch a 12A film, it's just a warning that it may not be suitable, and parents should read the BBFC summary and use their judgement.
Not the same as an 18 certificate at all.

Sorry but 3 is too young to watch a 12A film. I would not agree that most are tame. Violence is not something I would want a small child exposed to - their minds are very pliable at that age...

Ask the other parents what they think.

Decent films for that age group are a bit thin on the ground at the moment. Most of the current releases seem to be 12As and 15s.

What do you think, folks?

I would def. consider taking my own 8yo to see a 12a, but thats at my discretion. I def would NOT book an 8th birthday party there though, as all parents may not be OK with it, and its not fair on the kids whose parents arent happy with it if they arent allowed to go to the party. Also, its not fair on your DS as some of the people whom he invites may not be allowed to go.

Iron man is my 6 year olds fav movie!

Iron Man has some hideous scenes in, I'd rather my 5 and 8 year old didn't witness.

Id be quite annoyed if my 8 year old was invited to see a 12A, as I probably wouldn't let him go, and we'd have to do something else instead so he didn't feel left out.