Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it would be ok to take my 4 yr old to see HP7

155 replies

Clarence15 · 10/07/2011 15:20

I'm not sure if this is normal but my 4yr old son (along with my 9yr old dd) LOVES the Harry Potter films and has watched them all so far (on DVD) Dh, dd and I really want to watch the final film at the cinema but don't really have anyone we could leave ds with. Even if we did we'd have to keep it secret!

AIBU to think I could take him too? It's a 12A so in theory I could, but although he loves the films there will undoubtably be parts where he'll be asking what's going on or wanting to go to the loo - is this likely to upset the die-hard HP fans?

OP posts:
mumonahottinroof · 11/07/2011 14:46

yabu

i've seen it, it's totally unsuitable for a 4 yo - i'd wouldn't take anyone younger than 9. Find a babysitter or wait for it to come out on dvd

SusanneLinder · 11/07/2011 14:50

I wouldn't take a 4 year old to HP for several reasons.

The plot is far too complicated for a 4 year old to get. It is very dark and scary

The film is 2 an a half hours long,far too long for an average 4 year old. Ergo bored small children will disturb other cinemagoers who have paid for expensive tickets.I know I could have cheerfully throttled a small boy at one HP film who told the whole cinema the whole effin plot cos he had read the book.

I am not even taking my 12 year old,cos she will be a PITA the first time I watch the movie. I am happy to see it twice :), so will take her at the weekend.

DH and I are off to the adult only midnight showing on Friday, so I can (Hopefully) watch it in peace. :)

SunRaysthruClouds · 11/07/2011 14:53

And there I was wondering why you wanted to take a 4yo to see the new baby Beckham.

Anyway 4 does seem rather young for this sort of thing.

BumWiper · 11/07/2011 15:41

I ended up walking out on the last HP movie cause the 7 ish your old next to me would not shut up.I asked his parents several times to quieten him down,I told him myself to be quiet but no he yakked through the whole first hour.This was at 8-40pm.

IMO 4 is too young but if you are going to bring him make sure he can sit very quietly for two and a half hours so he does not annoy any other cinema goers.

LauLauLemon · 11/07/2011 15:52

I personally wouldn't as:

  1. The age restriction is there for a reason and I'm pretty sure if the staff saw a 4 year old they have legal rights not to allow entry regardless of you being there (correct me if I'm wrong?)
  2. The themes are very dark and the final battle is supposed to be long and quite intense. Not suitable for a 4 year old.
  3. Cinemas are very dark and very very loud. It's not like he's watching it at home. Will he be ok?
keepingupwiththejoneses · 11/07/2011 16:06

I don't get the uproar this thread is creating, all the talk about violence and gore. Has anyone seen disney films like beauty and the beast, snow white or bambi for that matter? Some of the reactions on this thread are totally over the top. It's not like the OP asked should she take her ds to see chainsaw massacre! I think it depends on the child at the end of the day, we took ds2 to see star wars episode 3 at the cinema when he was about 5 and there was kids younger than that there, never had any problems in fact he loved it.

Niecie · 11/07/2011 16:14

But all the Disney films you mention are cartoons keepingupwiththejones - they aren't real, they aren't gory and most importantly they have a plot that a small child can understand. Oh and they aren't classified 12A. Completely different from HP.

Really it doesn't matter if some people have let their pre-schoolers or infant children see a film more suitable 12 yr olds. Just because they did, doesn't make it right. The problem is, you can say your child is fine but the OP could take her child along and he might not be fine but once he has seen that film, the damage is done and it is too late.

MugglesandLuna · 11/07/2011 16:15

You cannot compare Bambi with HP7 Confused

share · 11/07/2011 16:18

If you take your child to see something inappropriate for their age group - the teachers could
and if you think your 4 year old can cope with reading the book then fair enough but it's like
The speed limit is 30 for a reason they say so why do people think it's 12 for a reason?

Nagini · 11/07/2011 16:48

I'd love to meet the 4 year old that could cope with the last book :)

bruffin · 11/07/2011 16:55

"The age restriction is there for a reason and I'm pretty sure if the staff saw a 4 year old they have legal rights not to allow entry regardless of you being there (correct me if I'm wrong?)"

It's a 12A the only age restriction is that a child under the age of 12 needs to be accompanied by an adult.

Every child is different. DS was 5 when HP1 came out and saw it at the cinema. He was totally entranced and the first thing he said when it finished was "I want to see it again"

Saying that I agree the films do get darker and am glad my DCs have grown up with them ie they are now 15 and 13 and are saying their childhood has come to an end with the last HPSad

I think it's laughable about people complianing on this thread about children's behaviour at the cinema when all the bad behaviour I see nowadays is from adults ie texting during films, feet on back of the seats etc.

2shoes · 11/07/2011 16:57

good grief do people really take such young children to films like HP7
wtf will they take them to when they are 10?

bumblingbovine · 11/07/2011 17:01

MY 6 year old ds has seen the first three two HP films (all Pg) but the others are way too old for him. Children vary in what they are frightened by though, Ds was not scared during the second film at all.

He was fine with 99% of the first one, though I knew he would not like the scene where the teacher turns into Voldemort so I skipped through that scene before it even started and explained to him what had happened. He was fine with that.

I had to skip more of the thrid one so I think my judgement on whether Ds would beOk with it was a bit off. I havve therefor decided to wait until ds is at least 8/9 before I even think about him watchubng the next one.

I do think it is completely inappropriate to let a small child watch a film that is too highly rated for them without al least first seeing it yourself. There may be some combinations of films/children that would be fine but how would you know if your child would be OK with it until you have seen it.

for instance Ds would have been a combination of bored and terrified in equal measure by the Deathly hallows part 1 film

I love Harry Potter but I will need to wait until the last one is out on DVD as we too have non-one to leave ds with.

Goldensnitchberry · 11/07/2011 17:06

YABU. I'm a massive HP fan myself. I've read HP1 to dd (aged nearly 6) and she's seen the first film. I've told her we'll do one per year - that way she can grow up with it as it gets more adult.
IMO there is no way on earth a 4 year-old should be seeing no.7. Quite apart from the fact that it will be scary and violent, lots of the relationship and emotional stuff is a million miles beyond the understanding of a 4 year-old.
And whoever compared it with Bambi... WTF? You don't even see Bambi's mother die. It's not in the same league as even the first Potter film (Scary three-headed dog, creepy Voldemort face in the back of Quirrell's head etc etc.)

Punkatheart · 11/07/2011 17:14

On the first film, I took my daughter to see it at a cast and crew showing - because her father had worked on it and it felt like the right thing to do. She was five. Afterwards, I approached Christopher Columbus and told him that although I loved the film, there were some quite scary bits for a five year old.

'She's five?' he said. 'Oh no - not really appropriate for that age group.'

Now that was the first one and I did feel totally ashamed of my error, even though in retrospect the film was innocuous enough - particular compared to the later ones. After that, I watched things on DVD and made my judgements.

My daughter has always understood the pretend element of films - she has seen behind the scenes. But there are deeper emotional reasons for not taking a young mind that is still forming into an inappropriate film. Some children of course are very adjusted and will never suffer any ill effects. But once seen, you can't unsee. My daughter is now curious about why some films are 18 and I explain why, but I would never show her. She understands and respects that.

Don't get me started on vile and violent computer games. We live in a violent society. Are our games reflecting that society or are some children who are less adjusted acting out what they see? We really won't know until there are enough case histories to put together the evidence. But there is strong evidence that very young children ARE damaged by exposure to over-age films.

The thing is - why do they need to go? To be like their friends? To say that you have seen it? It seems unnecessary to me.

WillowFae · 11/07/2011 17:14

YABU. My 4 year old only wants to watch the first film. She didn't like the basilisk in the second film and leave the room if DS decides to watch it.

DS is 7 and he has watched all of the films up until now, BUT after the third one we were cautious. We checked the extended information on the BBFC website as they say exactly what makes it a 12 and not a PG. We also re-watched the films first. Finally we also insisted that he had to have read the books first. This removes the 'peril' element because he knows what is going to happen.

We (DH and I) are going to see Deathly Hallows pt2 on Sat morning. DS is on holiday with his grandparents in France at the moment so he won't be going with us. However, the chances are we will take him when he gets back, but at least we get to check it out first.

www.bbfc.co.uk/AFF279024/ - click on 'show details' for the extended classification.

exoticfruits · 11/07/2011 17:16

Number 7 is a very different film from number 1-I do think that people ought to take into account that although it is Harry Potter he has moved on a lot from his first day at Hogwarts and I feel that the DC ought to have moved on with him-before they see it.

mummytime · 11/07/2011 17:27

I'm not taking my 8 year old, she will probably watch on DVD, but that is much less engrossing. Also during the last one me and 12 year old had to pop out to the toilet, it is a long time. Actually 12 year old didn't see the first couple at the cinema as she wasn't "old enough" in my opinion.

zoe88 · 11/07/2011 21:13

my 4yo loves the harry potter films! im a diehard fan so we have all of them on dvd. he desperatley wants to go see it at the cinema but purely for selfish reasons i have said no, my OH is taking me for dinner then a late night screening (date night woooooo). Usually i would let him go as he knows and understands that its not real so doesnt get scared by it. hes more grossed out by kissing than death as well tbh.

sausagesandmarmelade · 11/07/2011 21:47

We had a 4 year old over the other week who found Scooby Doo really scary....

This seems yet another incident where the mother puts her own wants/needs first (like the post over the page where the mother wanted to take her one year old to a Rugby match!).

Virtually every other poster on that thread encouraged her to take the baby...never mind that it would be crowded (increased risk of bug catching) and noisy...

Unbelievable....and I say again...it's so selfish!

Your child might seem ok....but how do you know that what he sees may play on his mind. If he's scared...will you take him home or sit and watch the film because YOU want to see it?

sausagesandmarmelade · 11/07/2011 21:50

Sorry....it wasn't a one YEAR old (re the Rugby match) but a one MONTH old!!!

Totally unacceptable and selfish!

Nanny0gg · 11/07/2011 22:07

I don't understand what the rush is.
Why must young children watch it now? Why can't they wait until they're old enough to understand all the emotional issues in the films?
And that is one of the problems with video and DVD, so many children have watched totally unsuitable films now because parents don't seem to think twice about it.
Pretty Woman at 7 years old for a start!
[hsad]

sausagesandmarmelade · 11/07/2011 22:14

I don't either...

he may already have watched all the HP films...but may have put on a bit of bravado (during the especially scary scenes) for fear of being ridiculed by his older sibling...and others.

He shouldn't be watching a 12 certificate film at his age....

He should be watching lion king, bambi, aladdin...that sort of thing at his age....with interaction and discussion with those around him to help explain things.

Call me old fashioned....

Punkatheart · 11/07/2011 22:24

You don't sound old-fashioned, sausage. Just rational and thoughtful.

ChristinedePizan · 12/07/2011 08:02

I thought of this thread this morning when Thought for the Day was on. The speaker said that (I'm paraphrasing) too many of us force our children to grow up because we refuse to grown up ourselves.

Food for thought ...