Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Films

Related: TV discussion forum.

Original poster

Star Wars Return of the Sith, WHY is it a 15 and should I try to sneak a 7yo in to see it anyway?

120 replies

WideWebWitch · 12/04/2005 22:30

Ds is a Star Wars fan and has been for ages. He has millions of Star Wars figures, all the films, light sabers (thanks Janh for some of them!) queued in Virgin to get a dvd set signed by Darth Vader etc. And he is absolutely heartbroken that the new Star Wars film is a 15. Does anyone know why? And, I think I know the answer, but would anyone attempt to sneak him in anyway? He's tall but, obviously, not 15. However, the people manning the ticket booths and taking tickets at the local cinemas are spotty youths who probably don't know the difference between a 7yo and a 15yo. Or would they? Does everyone? I am torn. I bought 2 tickets before I knew it was a 15 for the first day it's on. Happy for dp to see it first to check why it's a 15 but also would like to know what you think - if dp thinks it's Ok for ds to watch should we try to get him in?

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 13/04/2005 12:47

Oh thanks for that Janh and at the thought of the censors counting the 'fucks' as it were!

Ooh, I hate dp being right though! I think I'll let dp take him with the 2 tickets I've bought for the first Saturday after release. He hasn't seen HP or LOTR because, bizarrely, he's just absolutely not interested in them. But as he pointed out this morning, I took him to see Spiderman2 at the cinema and that's a 12A and he wasn't scared (I jumped more than he did, as usual) so I think I will let him go with dp without watching either of us watching it first. People are killed in gruesome fashion in all the SW films aren't they, I can't see it being more horrible than the battle scenes in Episode 1(if I've got that right, the 'this party's over' Samuel L Jackson scene, oft watched by ds) or Anakin's arm being cut off. He does understand that it's a film, not real so hey, post mortem afterwards, here, definitely.

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 13/04/2005 12:54

OK, I just called the BBFC and it HASN'T got a cert yet! She said cinema's absolutely shouldn't be advertising any cert and she's not even sure if they've had it in for viewing yet. So there you go, sometimes they're only given a cert 3 days before release so we may not know for a month. But apparently it'll be on their site as soon as it's announced. So that was a call worth making!

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 13/04/2005 12:55

cinemas plural with no apostrophe, sorry, don't know what came over me

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 13/04/2005 12:58

And it's revenge of the Sith, not return as I've put in the thread title, sorry.

OP posts:
noddyholder · 13/04/2005 13:04

we are in trouble if its a 15 ds has been waiting and waiting for this he is 11 soon but quite little so no chance of sneaking him in!It seems ridiculous if a large proportion of the fans are younger

Lonelymum · 13/04/2005 13:05

My 8 and 7 yos want to watch it too. Has anyone suggested you simply wait for the DVD to come out? I know it is not the same, but that is what we are going to do.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 13/04/2005 13:12

Nah, Lonelymum, if it's ok for him to see, I'm happy to let dp take him to the cinema, they'll thoroughly enjoy themselves and it is a different experience to dvd I think.

OP posts:
lilibet · 13/04/2005 17:07

Tamum - no where near as bad as LOTR, lots of killing but none graphic IYKWIM - that sounds so bad but it really wasn't.

The worst bit was when the doctor was seeing if people had a disease and she looked under their eyelids and it was disgusting

I would also say that the plot is a bit confusing and needs a bit of adult explanation.

It's very Indiana Jones!

sacha3taylor · 13/04/2005 17:13

DS will be das, he is only 5 but starwars are his favourite films

tamum · 13/04/2005 17:13

Thanks lilibet Sounds like he won't have much clue about what's going on, but will at least not be too traumatised!

MeerkatsUnite · 01/05/2005 14:44

According to Rotten Tomatoes (well respected film site) this film in the US has been given a PG-13 rating, for sci-fi violence and some intense images.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 01/05/2005 17:19

The BBFC classified this on 27th April and it IS a 12A but ds behaved so badly this afternoon I told him he couldn't go and see it (he had repeated warnings too) but I have also said he can earn it back if he's very good over the next 3 weeks

OP posts:
emsiewill · 02/05/2005 11:21

As someone who has a bit of knowledge about the behind-the-scenes working of a cinema, can I just stick up for the "spotty youths" and say that I would be amazed if you got a 7 year-old into a 15 cert film. I realise that this is no longer relevant to the conversation, but nevertheless, it is where it started.

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 02/05/2005 12:17

Emsiewill, you're right, they'd have to be v dim not to recognise the diff between a 7yo and a 15yo! Glad you feel better for sharing that!

OP posts:
Janh · 05/05/2005 00:18

"New Star Wars movie is a bloodbath"

Better think on, ladies!

roisin · 15/05/2005 20:09

We've decided that ds1 will not see this at the cinema. When it comes out on DVD he can see it at home on the small screen, where it's less shocking.

I'm surprised how difficult it was to make this decision, as I'm normally just very strict and they just accept it; but I know many of his friends will see it. But dh agrees with me, which helps. Also ds1 is very rule-bound, and if we allow him to see one 12A film, he will view it as permission to see any 12A iyswim!

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 15/05/2005 20:14

Oh no, should I make dp go on Thursday first? I have tickets for them both to go on Saturday and ds is soooo excited. Oh no, I'm in a quandary now. Shit, shit, shit. I think dp has to go before Sat tbh and I probably have to warn ds that we're now not sure. Oh buggeration and bollocks.

OP posts:
Original poster
WideWebWitch · 15/05/2005 20:15

But thanks Janh, obviously!

OP posts:
roisin · 15/05/2005 20:23

It's interesting what affects them though isn't it? I took the boys to see "Oliver" at the theatre on Friday, which was a great hit. But they were both rather shocked when Bill Sykes fairly gruesomely clobbered Nancy to death on stage, but behind a pillar iyswim!

They don't watch a lot of 'blood and guts' on TV, but this was the first time they really questioned it. I guess it seemed "more real" somehow. Ds1 turned to me, and said "What's he done? Has he really killed her?!"

emsiewill · 15/05/2005 21:32

Just to stick my nose in again...dh saw this last Wednesday, and said he wouldn't take a 7 yr old to it. Too much violence, as others have said. Www, your idea of dp seeing it first is the most sensible one, I think.

Personally I wouldn't go and see it and I'm 35, but that's more to do with my preferences than the violence.

toomanypushchairs · 15/05/2005 22:01

Can someone please post as soon as they see it? My ds 7.5yrs desperate to see this. Should I not send him? Don't worry too much with him although we are strict because he does seem to know the difference between what is real and what is fiction. We did after alot of debating let him watch pirates of the carribean(sorry about spelling!)that was also a 12A..... any comments?

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 16/05/2005 08:04

I will post when dp's seen it. We let ds watch POTC, didn't worry me or him at all.

OP posts:
romany4 · 17/05/2005 16:26

Im taking ds1 10 and ds2 7 to see the movie on Saturday. And Im not concerned that ds2 will be scared. He watched Van Helsing and that didn`t worry him

roisin · 17/05/2005 22:17

DS1 had clearly been talking about this at school today, and asked whether he would be allowed to see it at the cinema ... he was not impressed with the response

But he'll get over it!

Thanks for this thread WWW, as it enabled us to discuss it and get our story straight before he raised it.

TwoIfBySea · 19/05/2005 22:38

Just hijack the thread for a moment but what age would the first 3 films be suitable?

Dst1 (age 3 1/2) is a real sci-fi fan, he loves anything to do with spaceships and aliens and I want to turn him Jedi before DH turns him Trekkie! They are showing the films on Sky movies so I wondered if now is a good time to let him see them?

Plus I so want to buy him a Millenium Falcon, nothing to do with the fact that my mother wouldn't buy me any Star Wars stuff when I really wanted it!

Swipe left for the next trending thread