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
Films

Related: TV discussion forum.

Original poster

Zathura

36 replies

Freckle · 14/02/2006 21:27

Thought this was a very good film, but that it should not have been a PG rating. It was very scary in places and extremely loud with some revolting aliens. DS3 (7) was pretty distressed fairly early on and it didn't improve much as the film went on. Obviously all children are different, but I wouldn't recommend it for under 10s.

Other adults as we were coming out were commenting on how full-on it was and that some of the children in there should not have been there.

Thing is I've always thought that PG related to a parent's view of how their children will cope with a film, not that parents should view every PG film in advance. DS3 has seen plenty of other PG films without any problem but he was very unhappy in this one.

OP posts:
MarsOnLife · 14/02/2006 21:28

Thanks for that Freckle.

brightstar1 · 15/02/2006 13:57

just asked my ds's 10 & 7,they went to see it with friends.both agreed with you freckle! 7yr old said it was v.scary. But hasn't had any nightmares,thank goodness.

Marina · 15/02/2006 14:01

Thanks for that. I was a bit miffed that ds plumped for the dreadful Chicken Little but as he is only six (if fearless) I am glad we passed on Zathura.

Enid · 15/02/2006 14:01

oh no!

dh and dd1 were really looking forward to it (she is 6 and hasnt really seen many scary films). she loves jumanji though.

Enid · 15/02/2006 14:02

dd1 has gone to chicken little with a friend today so I have been spared. It looks terrible.

mancmum · 15/02/2006 14:05

have to say it was hell to sit through as an adult... did not think it that scary... my overwhelming feeling was one of "Get me out of here!" ... my DS and his mate aged 6 thought it was OK.. but did not really think it was anything special...

Marina · 15/02/2006 14:10

The only thing I can say in favour of Chicken Little is that it ran out at well under 90 minutes

SorenLorensen · 15/02/2006 14:11

I've never heard of it - what's it about?

Marina · 15/02/2006 14:16

Zathura? Revisit of Jumanji, where children get drawn into adventure and "mild peril" through playing an old board game...
For me the potential USP of Zathura was it was directed by the fabulous Jon Favreau of Swingers (not that sort) fame. Sounds like he hasn't got the scaring children witless angle right though.

Enid · 15/02/2006 15:47

I lurve jumanji

I think I will explain to dd1 that is is scary and beat dh round the head until he agrees to let her leave if she wants

Enid · 15/02/2006 15:48

ooh was it

did he direct swingers or was he jsut in it?

we watched that again the other day, my is it funny. Nearly as funny as Team America world police

SorenLorensen · 15/02/2006 15:49

Thanks, Marina - I like Jumanji and so do the ds's. Have just googled Zafura and I would have said it was right up ds1's street so thanks for the warning, Freckle. I'll wait 'til it's out on DVD and check it out myself first.

Marina · 15/02/2006 15:54

Doug Liman directed, but I get the impression it was a "devised piece" with much input from all involved. "You're so money enid"

Turquoise · 15/02/2006 15:59

Mine enjoyed it and dd (nearly 8) was pleasurably scared.
What surprised me was some slightly unexpected language - "dick" and "numb nuts" or similar - which made me feel a bit twitchy because I'd taken a friend of ds' along too and I don't know the mother (ie not a sweary old trucker like me).

SorenLorensen · 15/02/2006 16:08

I put ET on the other day for ds2 - I'd forgotten that Elliot's brother calls him "penis breath" right at the beginning

batters · 15/02/2006 16:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Freckle · 15/02/2006 16:17

How on earth did they manage to fall asleep?? It was incredibly loud. They must have had earplugs in!

OP posts:
Enid · 15/02/2006 18:02

tis true

I am a beautiful baby and soooooooooooo money

roisin · 15/02/2006 18:35

I didn't realise this was a potentially scary one, and had it pencilled in as a half term treat.

Freckle, Brighstar, Turquoise, Mancmum and anyone else whose children have seen it: Could you give me some comparisons. i.e. what sort of things have your children seen recently and been OK with/or not been OK with? Things like Harry Potter Azkaban/Goblet of Fire, Star Wars, Dr Who, Lion/Witch/Wardrobe, King Kong ...

I need to judge whether it will be OK for ds1 (8.5) and ds2 (nearly 7).

Original poster
Freckle · 15/02/2006 18:42

Hard to compare some of those because we have only seen them as dvds on a small screen, so their impact is less. More scary than Star Wars, I would say (although I've only see the original 3 episodes of those). I haven't seen the Goblet of Fire, but did not intend letting DS3 see this anyway until it's out on dvd. I personally am not a fan of scary films, but do enjoy action films and thrillers. However, I genuinely did jump at times in this one as did a number of adults in the row in front of me. One dad had to take his young son out (possibly 6 yo?) and they didn't return.

It really depends on the child. There are some children who would happily sit through adult horror films without batting an eyelid, where others have the heebeejeebees at Postman Pat.

DS3 has sat through some films which he said he thought were scary, but they didn't result in him curled up on the floor shaking .

OP posts:
roisin · 15/02/2006 18:53

Thanks Freckle, that's helpful.
DS1 (8.5) seems to have reached the "enjoys being scared" stage, but I prefer to take both of them or neither, but it sounds as though Zathura is a no no for ds2, who is still very sensitive. (He hasn't seen most of that list, and wouldn't have coped with them either.)

serenity · 15/02/2006 18:55

Well, it's DS1's 8th birthday tomorrow and his birthday treat is to go and see this with some friends on Sunday.....this should be interesting!

Oh well, there'll be 3 adults to 5 kids, so that's enough of us to run outside a few times.

batters · 15/02/2006 20:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Freckle · 15/02/2006 21:50

I should add that a lot of the scariness is induced by the sheer volume of the sound and the intensity of the attacks at times. It's not "ooooh, what's that behind the door" scary, as such, well, possibly in places. The Zorgons are pretty nasty. But it's more the constant bombardment of noise and rapidly moving visions which seemed to cause a lot of the worry.

OP posts:
roisin · 15/02/2006 22:04

Great - thanks - sounds awful. I always find the cinema too loud, and hate anything very noisy ... Don't I sound old and miserable?

I'll let dh take ds1 and I'll stay home with ds2