Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Age for Jurassic Park?

40 replies

FlamingoBingo · 02/07/2011 20:08

How old do you reckon children should be to watch Jurassic Park?

What about the later Harry Potter films?

Doctor Who?

Avatar?

CSI?

OP posts:

Goblinchild · 02/07/2011 20:13

It depends on the child and their ability to handle what's on offer, I don't think it's possible to just do a blanket age label.
My DS was around 8-9 when he watched Jurassic Park, but he used to ff the two scenes he disliked, and the first few times he watched it with me.
It's interesting to notice the difference between watching something in the cinema in the dark on a big screen with no control and watching it on DVD with a control and the lights on.

Booandpops · 02/07/2011 20:16

Mine are 3 & 5 and love Harry potter 123. But 4 is a 12 rated so I've not shown them that yet as it's a lot darker in parts.

Jurrasic park is a Pg but I was terrified watching that at the cinema A's a twenty something so I'm not going there yet!

We don't watch the others you mentioned. I will prob wait till dd is 6.5-7 before Harry potter 4

How old r ur kids?

borderslass · 02/07/2011 20:17

DD2 who was a blood thirsty little girl used to watch Jurassic Park at 5, we also caught her sitting on the stairs watching lake placid after being put to bed at the same age

Original poster

FlamingoBingo · 02/07/2011 20:17

I wouldn't let my kids watch them, but I know someone with much younger kids who does, and I'm wondering which one of us is the strange one!

OP posts:

confuseddotcodotuk · 02/07/2011 20:17

I'm 22 and still haven't seen Jurassic Park as it scares the shit out of me...

Saying that, I saw bits of it when I was quite young which is what started my stupid fear of the movies...

Depends on the child though. I would think for films like Avatar they'd need to have a basic understanding of the backstory.

januaryjojo · 02/07/2011 20:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hugeleyoutnumbered · 02/07/2011 20:20

hiya mine are six and five, they have both seem Harry Potter 1, 2 and 3 but not the rest, as for JP they can't sit through Ice age think it depends on the child and on the time of day, not before bed etc. and wouldn't let them watch CSI, I edit the news too, (have concidered that i am an OTT parent ) they both love the spiderman films

zukiecat · 02/07/2011 20:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bambinoblue3 · 02/07/2011 22:02

My DS who's 4 an a half watched Jurassic park and loves it but we sky+ it when it was on early so all the gory bits are cut out. Don't think I'd let him watch a uncut version of it.

PossetFeatures · 02/07/2011 22:04

Went to the cinema to watch JP when I was 9 and found it enjoyably terrifying (watched-parts-through-fingers-type-of-fun-scary!)

MassagesDeclinedByNetmums · 02/07/2011 22:06

Think I was 9 too, saw it twice in the opening week

meditrina · 02/07/2011 22:06

Mine watched HP and Doctor Who from an early age - they kind of grew with them! And we've only ever watched them at home - smaller screen so less intense than in the cinema, greater chance for parental editorialising if required.

They've not seen Jurassic Park - I wouldn't fancy a nitty dinosaur hunt for door-opening predators!

CSI way too gory. Surprisingly, they all liked Poirots from an early age!

oneofthosedays · 02/07/2011 22:10

DS is 3 (4 this month) and DD is 7.5, they've been allowed to watch JP this last 6 months and are fine with it. However they cover their eyes at Charlie and the Chocolate factory (70's one) when they are on the boat and when the guy stops Charlie in that tunnel!

oneofthosedays · 02/07/2011 22:10

They've seen and enjoyed JP3 as well.

WhipMeIndiana · 02/07/2011 22:13

mine have seen the dragon flying/taming scene in avatar age 2 and 4

they watched the start of JP the brontosaurus, and the egg cracking...won't let them see the t-rex bit till age 9 ish

pointythings · 02/07/2011 22:16

My two are 8 and 10. They have seen HP 1-4 and we are reading HP 5 at the moment (well it's our bedtime book) and when we are done, they can watch the film. They know we are then taking a break because HP 6/7 are dark.

Dr Who - no, not until they are much older, their imaginations are too vivid. They have watched episodes of Merlin and been OK, so will let them watch next series. JP - I think I'll wait a bit longer, until DD1 is 11 - she is the sensitive one, DD2 has no nerves at all!

They both love the Princess Bride!

Haven't watched Avatar yet, so don't know - CSI, No, No, No.

We were talking about the 7 deadly sins today and mentioned Seven - told them they would not be watching that until they were at least 15.

Lambskin · 02/07/2011 22:59

I wondered the same thing tonight. Ds2's (age 6) class have just been doing a project on dinosaurs and I know he loves them so when I saw JP was on I knew he'd like to see it. We'd missed the beginning and just happened to catch the TRex and the Dennis Nedry moments before bed. I did think oh crap. He loved it and I've promised a full showing of it very soon. Glad others younger have watched it, don't feel so bad now!

He loves Dr Who and finds that the right level of scary, but no way CSI it's real violence as opposed to fantasy violence.

DialsMavis · 02/07/2011 23:47

DS is 8.5
-Fine with JP (but has seen it before and younger than I would have liked as twunty ex lets him watch all sorts)
-Dr Who, is pleasantly scared and occasionally a bit too scared but loves every minute
-Harry Potter- seen and loved them all but has previously read all the books anyway
Avatar- I let him watch this but covered his eyes for some bits and would not let him watch again for a while. DSIL gave me duff info on its suitability.
CSI- no way, it is an adult program.

The only film that has genuinely upset and frightened him is Coraline.

duchesse · 02/07/2011 23:54

It's got very scary bits. I wouldn't let a child younger than a mature 10 yo watch it tbh. My sister's wanker of an ex bought a JP box set for his then 3 yo son. She put it on a very high shelf for a lot of years.

bucaneve · 03/07/2011 00:04

My parents took me to see Jurassic Park at the cinema when it came out, I was 6 and their reasoning was probably something like "ooh a PG film about dinosaurs, how bad can it be, little bucaneve loves her many plastic dinosaur toys". I was terrified! For years afterwards I was scared of T-Rex's suddenly appearing at my window or stamping on me.

Apart from that I think it completely depends on the child, my brother for example used to run upstairs crying at my cartoon tape of gulliver's travels but try and sneak downstairs to see bits of x-files!

MrsReasonable · 03/07/2011 00:47

Use the BBFC website, as long as you don't mind seeing some spoilers. I always grit my teeth when people arbitrarily stick to the age certificate.

IAmATroglodyte · 03/07/2011 09:32

My wanker of an ex showed our 2 year old DD Sweeney Todd! Naturally I stopped contact immediately and he hasn't seen her for 2 years. The prick.

Goblinchild · 03/07/2011 10:32

I hope you had other reasons for making such a drastic decision other that an inappropriate film choice, troglodyte.
To cut your DD off from her father for that seems excessive, did he protest at all?

gillybean2 · 03/07/2011 10:37

Jurassic park 1 is not as gory as the other 2 though. Yes the accountant man on the loo gets eaten, and you see him in the t-rex's mouth, but that's about the worst part. Oh that and the goat landing on the roof.

It relied far more on the scare factor rather than gore.

Jurassic park 2 and 3 had far more gore in them. I didn't enjoy them as much either.
So if you're talking Jurassic park 1 then, subject to the child being able to handle the scare factor without having nightmares then I reckon 8-10.

BobbaFettBountyHunter · 03/07/2011 10:47

I'm not too fussed about the age certificates, the only films I don't let them watch (youngest is 3) are the alien films and paranormal/saw type films. They all love dinosaurs and harry potter, even lord of the rings. I suppose they know fantasy isn't real.
I wouldn't, however, play certain games infront of them and have banned dr who after the whole weeping angel debacle.
Star wars always goes down well.
I'm a lot more strict than my mum who used to watch IT and Evil Dead type films when I was 6. Depends on what you're kids are like really.

Flip

1 2