AIBU to let 5 year old DC watch the first Harry Potter film?

[Stoufer]

Any advice welcomed (and apologies for putting it in AIBU - not sure where else it should go). Am planning a family film night tonight (we haven't had one for ages) as we really need some time on the sofa with blankets, and I am having real problems working out what sort of film is good for a 5 year old, 11 year old and 13 year old... I would really love to dust off the Harry Potter DVDs and start watching those, but worry that we will have lots of nightmares ahead from the little one.

The older ones don't mind re-watching good films, but are just not interested in child-friendly animated stuff any more, so I am really struggling to find something that is good for all three. Has anyone got any suggestions? Or what age did you let your DC watch Harry Potter? And did it have any negative effects (nightmares, phobias etc)?
Thanks ;)

DS was 7 when film came out and so is grown up now

At least watching at home your. DD can go off and play or you take her off to get drinks or popcorn in frightening bits

Maybe the bit with V at end is scary part

Show her a photo of V beforehand so she sees what he looks like

2? FFS, why? Why does a 2 year old need to be watching a film at all?

Each to their own tam

We always all watch films together, she wasn't just dumped in front of it while we fucked off and ignored her. Family film night is a thing we do, and we take turns choosing the film. The telly is rarely on any other time.

IMO a couple of hours of a film with people in it once a week is no different from any other kind of story time.

Technology isn't evil

It’s not aimed at 5 year olds. I would imagine they’d be bored rigid

It's a story about children going to a school for wizards and meeting magical creatures and doing amazing things. Why on earth would a five year old find that boring?

Depends on the child. My DC2 watched all of them when she was 5 because her elder sibling was watching them. I wasn't going to allow her but she wasn't scared and is quite mature about film/book content. My DC1's 9 year-old friend thinks they are scary.

Everything but the surface level stuff goes over their heads though.

DS had read the first three books by 5 and had been watching the films for a while before that. He certainly wasn't bored rigid 😂

My 2 and 4 year old have watched all of them.

I think it's too scary (bitter because my hog warts letter still not here)

We always have a little activity out somewhere with a light when we watch something like this, my 5 year old takes herself off and colours when she's not keen on bits of the film.

It’s a story about going off to secondary school. It’s about teenage relationships, growing up. Fighting wars. Voldemort is a pretty dark basted. It’s about racism, propaganda and parental death. There are sub plots of child abuse, poverty and slavery.

There are very very few characters aged under 11.

4/5 year olds are either not understanding it or being upset by it. There are literally 1000s of other films which are actually aimed at young children.

Why ruin the joy of it for them before they get to discover at a more appropriate age.

DS1 is 24 so grew up with Harry Potter. He suffered from intermittent bouts of night terrors when he was at primary school. Eventually I realised that they coincided with the release of each new HP film. He absolutely loved HP, but also had a very vivid imagination and I think was a bit over-invested in the stories.

I'm sure most kids would be fine though. My other two certainly were.

My 4 and 6 yo DC have seen the lot, they absolutely love HP, but it clearly depends on the child if they'd be ok with watching them or not. You know your own kids OP so go for it if you know they're not the kind to get scared.

The Christmas chronicles on Netflix is brilliant