To think its perfectly ok for under 12s watch superhero films?

[FishCanFly]

Hosted a movie day on weekend. Hellboy 1 and 2.
Ds(11) invited a few friends from school. One was not allowed. At the schoolgate i met the said kid's mother and she told me its very inappropriate to show kids films rated above their age.
Ok, i get the point. But Hellboy is a kids' film, just like Spiderman, etc.
Rating isn't a law.

As others have said, Hellboy is not a kids' film. Marvel comics is not written for children. Some of the characters warped over time to make them more 'family friendly' but many of the current films are still in the dark style the original creators intended.
it is of course your decision what your children watch. It is also a bit mean, if you want your DS to have all his friends there, to stage an event where some invitees' parents take the advice of the certificators, either because they haven't seen it themselves and are erring on the side of caution, they have seen it and deem it unsuitable, or that they know their child well enough that something so dark would be disturbing.

YouTheCat Watchmen is a fab film but I don't think its one I'll be putting on when the Nephew visits

YouTheCat

DH and I were in Canada not long after Watchmen was released. It turns out over there (and in the US) that the age ratings just mean children under that age need accompanying by an adult, like our 12A.

There were a lot of unhappy children whose parents didn't check the film's content first......

Also, hate to be nit-picky but Hellboy is Dark Horse and not Marvel.

Lets go back to common sense. GTA, porn, extreme horror -- thats a completely different kettle of fish.

No, it is the very same kettle of fish, just a difference of degree. In just a year or so, GTA and mire graphic sex and horror will be on the table.

You arent legally obligated to stick to the rating system, but ratings do simplify making choices for other peoples kids.

Are you sure your ds and some of the others arent actively trying to exclude this boy, knowing his parents or his temprement would disallow his watching Hellboy?

YABU w.r.t. what you wrote in the title of your OP.
'Superhero Films' covers an entire genre - some of them will be more suitable than others.
The other parent has her opinion. There are kids films and kids films.
I personally would tend to watch a film first to see for myself if I think its suitable, but that's just me.
The old superman films for instance do not compare with the new 'breed' of violence. They just don't. Spiderman (the Toby Maguire ones) are OK and I let my 8 year old watch it, but there is some violence I still feel a bit 'off' about. Thor not too bad. Avengers assemble - bit too much. (I'm talking about for my 8 year old now, not an 11 year old) But you can't just put them all into one 'superhero' basket and say they are equivalent.

YANBU if you want yo show your child pg13 movies but the other woman is also nbu if she doesn't want to or thinks it's inappropriate.

My 10 year old has watched some marvel films but we watch them first. I wouldn't let her watch hellboy, its not for her. Tbh the Captain America scared her, which surprised us, it was the red skull. She enjoyed the rest.

I would say yanbu as you told the parents what you were watching, so they can decided. She was not unreasonable to not allow her son.

I would also disagree that hellboy is like Spiderman. Not all comic book films are equal.

OP

How do you think the boy who wasn't allowed to come felt?
You do understand why his mum said no?
In hindsight, do you think you shouldn't have shown that film - if you wanted all his friends to come over? You should know that some parents have a "thing" about age ratings - it's common on MN - and you shouldn't think that the mum was wrong to say that it's inappropriate to show films to under age children.

This comment didn't help

Hellboy is a kids' film, just like Spiderman, etc. Rating isn't a law

Do you still think that?

I love Hellboy, but it's a "strong" 12A like the Nolan Batman films, and I'd think twice before showing it to my own 11 year olds, let alone anyone else's.
YANBU to invite 11 year olds to watch it with their parents' explicit consent I guess, but you should expect that it's the sort of film that a lot of parents will withhold that consent from.

Commonsense media says:

Parents need to know that this movie contains frightening images, a dark and at times macabre tone, and the sad death of a central character. There is a great deal of violence in the fight scenes, which are at times bloody, and characters must wrestle with the deadly consequences of their actions. A scary character is addicted to self-surgery, while one of the creatures summoned by the Nazis is a Hell-hound that will frighten younger audiences. Several characters (including one major character) die violent deaths. The inability of one of the characters to control her powers causes the off-screen death of innocents, which might frighten even the most mature of audiences.

Not sure I'd be letting other people's under 12s watch it without running it by them first. Not all under12s have the same mental / emotional maturity, I'd want the parent to make the decision for their child. So yabu - purely because it's not your decision to make for others. Yes ratings are a guide, but it's that attitude that allows a 6yo to play CoD /GTA.

Belated apologies for mistake earlier (I was looking at the trailer rating, not the actual film).

Reading the descriptions, I wouldn't want my yr6 DC watching it, even though she's watched quite a few other 12s.

Commonsense Media is a good site (usually says things are OK below their published age, so when it says something is strong that's quite a warning).

I love the Hellboy films, but I would really want to know the children in question well before deciding whether they were appropriate. My two have seen them - DD2 was 11 at the time - but I obviously know them well, DH and I discussed it and agreed that it was OK. And it was, they loved them. But they are on the very dark side of the Superhero genre, not just in terms of the violence but also in terms of the themes in the films. The second one is particularly sad - by the end, you really feel for the main villain, not at all a matter of straightforward good vs evil. If I were hosting a party, I'd pick something less controversial.

Are you sure your ds and some of the others arent actively trying to exclude this boy, knowing his parents or his temprement would disallow his watching Hellboy?

Certainly did not expect that. Not the first movie night my DS invites friends or friends invite him. And never there has been an argument, not even about James Bond or Indiana Jones. In the last place i could expect anyone kicking up a stink over innocent Hellboy.

Ps. Spiderman, Iron Man, Star Wars -- all have 12 rating.

That's not correct. You clearly need to pay more attention to the ratings. Only star wars number 3 is a 12. The others are all U or PG. My DSs are massive star wars fans and neither has been allowed to watch number three. Quite frankly the massacre of the younglings and the burning of anakin isn't suitable for any child under 12 to watch - which is why it has the 12 rating.

You can't just make decisions for other parents. All children are different and all parents are different.

In schools, on the odd times we show full films, we have to stick by the rules.
I know that this year is the first time dd has been allowed to take 12 rated films in (they're on a school residential so they're for the long coach trip). They are y8 and it's the first year all the children are ages 12 or over.

I work in an infant school - we can only show U rated films. A PG film would require express permission from every parent.

It's the same type of thing here - you shouldn't be showing a 12 rated film unless every parent agrees to it. One didn't so they either have to miss out or you have to change the films. I'd have done the latter to allow all the children to participate.

We're not massively strict with age ratings on films. If DH or I have seen the film, we make a decision on a film by film basis

There are lots of films we've been surprised by the age rating and we've been happy for our DC to watch when they've been under the age recommendation.

However, I would be very pissed off if someone else made that decision for us.

My eldest likes to have loads of friends over for a movie night/sleepover for her birthday and I always run the film choices past the parents first. For her 12th birthday she wanted the Twilight films, but she was the first to turn 12, all her friends were still 11. I wouldn't have dreamt of allowing those films without checking with parents first.

So knowing that pretty much every parent on here either dosent want their child watching films older than their age or would want their consent asked for if somone was showing a films olde than the age I can still see you are takening the same view

The dedition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting the same result op you remind me of my mates mine who was very popular with the kids round my way as she was the mum when we stayed over we could stay out late watch whatever movies w wished and let's on in our teens even gave us drink I can see now fro, ypur post she really didn't see why it was wrong to make parenting choices for others

Like I said you still don't get it please do not have any more sleepovers it's not even about the film it's about that fact you can't see what the issue with doing things under age with out express consent from the parents no end also ay I just add I was a foster carer and if this happens to one of my charges I would have to resort that to sw n more sleep overs would be allowed as its a about judgement when hosting a sleep over one caters to the youngest child not oldest so my son is 15 he has friends from 13 ranging to 16 my film choice would always be a 12a and I would still infom every parent of the plan for the evening

Your replies show your judgement is so off personally I don't think you should be in charge of others children

YABU. It's not up to you to make decisions for other people's kids.

So knowing that pretty much every parent on here either dosent want their child watching films older than their age or would want their consent asked for if somone was showing a films olde than the age I can still see you are takening the same view

Thats why i started this thread. Because in RL it was the first time ever i had this sort of situation.

Ds is 6.

His favourite films are Hellboy, indiana jones, gremlins, van helsing, real steel, Pacific rim and jaws. Oh and Rocky.

I wouldn't dream of letting anyone elses kids watch them.

Ohhh... Pacific Rim got our cat renamed...

So knowing that pretty much every parent on here either dosent want their child watching films older than their age or would want their consent asked for if somone was showing a films olde than the age I can still see you are takening the same view

Thats why i started this thread. Because in RL it was the first time ever i had this sort of situation.*really you have never heard of parents not wanting their child to wtach programmes that are not for their

You don't need to have encounted it to know that you don't make others parenting choice for the, and when having any child over you cater to the youngest and not the oldest the fact you don't know this worries me and again I think this is a clear reason to me that you don't have others children

Like I said my lad is 15 I would be happy to allow him a small class of wine or a shandy if an occasion however I would never dream of offering this to any child I'm my card ever and wouldn't even offer my son whilest they were present
the fact you don't know its not your place to make choices for others is scarey frankly

you really need other people to tell you that some parents actually think the ratings are their for a reason and stick to them really you really need others to tell do what you want with your own children but not with others clearly your child attends school you you have come across other seeking consent when wanting to do so,thing with your child