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Will you let your kids see the new Bond film?

83 replies

TheDullWitch · 16/11/2006 09:43

It's a 12A. They've seen 12As before. My 10 yr old has seen 12As before, but this has "real"-style violence. He's gagging to go: should I take him?

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Saturn74 · 18/11/2006 15:53

I can quite understand why lots of parents don't want their children to see 12A films until they are aged 12 and above, and of course they have plenty of time to see them later.

I just don't agree with Cod's post:

"also think oyu are knoingly condoingin law breaking ( well nto llaw but a recommendtaion)".

mrsflowerpot · 18/11/2006 15:56

No, but then ds is only 5. Would be very wary with any under-12, tbh. I went last night and I really think they are on a knife-edge with the 12A rating to be honest, particularly when you look at some other films that have been 12A recently - it just doesn't compare. The violence is very real and it hurts and is bloody and there is no respite from it in the scene. You also see someone drown.

Great film though, and yes, drool indeed.

curlew · 18/11/2006 16:02

Bother - I missed him! Mark Kermode's Friday afternoon film reviews on Radio 5 are the highlight of my sad, humdrum existence. I never get to see the films, you understand - I've got children (!) - but I do like to hear the reviews. A sort of vicarious film going!

JanH · 18/11/2006 16:11

It's a 12A? Blimey. DS2 has gone to see it with a friend today, he said he thought it was a 12 (he is 13 btw) and I was very doubtful because of the goolie-bashing scene (or is it - ahem - tastefully done? )

mrsflowerpot · 18/11/2006 16:15

Dunno how tastefully you can bash goolies tbh - but no, they get bashed, there's no avoiding it.

Bugsy2 · 18/11/2006 16:43

I went last night & although I really enjoyed it (reaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllly) I don't think it is at all suitable for under 15s. The violence is very "real" and the torture scenes are alarming to say the least.
But it was soooooooooooooooooooo good.

satine · 18/11/2006 17:47

I cannot believe that you took a 5 year old. laneydaye, and think it was ok.
I take it you haven't seen the film yourself? You see Bond strangling two men to death - with bodies convulsing, eyes popping, the whole thing. And then you see Bond strapped naked to a chair, being flayed with a rope, screaming and shouting with the pain. Nothing is left to the imagination.
I am completely

satine · 18/11/2006 17:48

Sorry, Laneydaye, I apologise, I know that your son's dad took him. But I am still amazed that you are happy with that, and that he thought it was appropriate.

wanderingstar · 18/11/2006 19:17

Was planning to take 11.5 yo ds2 next w/e, but not sure now...he's very keen to go, and I, err, wouldn't mind seeing Daniel Craig.

foxinsocks · 18/11/2006 19:22

ooh curlew, a bit of a diversion, but I love that Friday afternoon radio 5 show! If I'm in, I always listen to it - also like the one when they do the book reviews.

I won't take mine to see it - they've obviously made it a 12A for a reason.

swedishmum · 18/11/2006 19:41

DS went this afternoon with dh and really enjoyed it. He was 10 last week. Apparently cinema was full of dads and boys! Maybe I have a more relaxed attitude as my older children haven't been damaged by seeing 12As...
Plenty of time when you're older always reminds me of what my mum used to say. I certainly don't want my children to grow up too quickly but all children are different. Am more concerned about bratz, fighting programmes and vile TV presenters shouting bogies out loud - far more of a bad influence on my children.

JanH · 18/11/2006 19:55

I asked DS2 about the strangling - doing a fairly noisy and graphic interpretation of what satine said - and he looked a bit bemused, so I guess that for a pre-adolescent boy it's probably not that big a deal (they don't have quite the same degree of empathy we do!) And he said Bond was laughing during the goolie-bashing??? (Weird! )

He thought it was great anyway and he hasn't been interested in the Bond films before - so a hit with the 13-year-old market.

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TheDullWitch · 19/11/2006 15:46

I ve just seen this and have to say imho the violence was too real and disturbing for an under 12. The torture scene and a very nasty murder at the start were horrible. And actually since it is low on gags and gadgets, high on love interest smoochy stuff they hate, I don't think it is a Bond for children.

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NomDePlume · 19/11/2006 15:50

Both of my DSs are over 12, so yes.

DD is 4 so it's not an isue

unknownrebelbang · 19/11/2006 16:03

DH has decided against taking our 12 year old DS, because all our lads like Bond, but this film is just not suitable for the younger two at their current ages.

More akin to the way Ian Fleming wrote the books I understand.

I do allow my children to watch 12A films occasionally though. I understand 12A to mean a child must be accompanied by an adult, rather than not suitable for under 12s.

notagrannyyet · 19/11/2006 16:40

Grown up DD & BF went to see this yesterday. After reading this thread asked her if she thought it suitable viewing for DSs 13,11,& 9.
She thinks it would be OK for all 3.
The 13 year old will probably see the film with school friends.
I won't take the younger two to the cinema but will let them watch it when it comes out on DVD.

All 3 have already seen 12 certs on dvd including

Starwars Revenge of the Sith
Pirates of the Caribbean
Reign of Fire
HP & The Goblet of Fire

After visiting Bletchley Park the whole family also watched Enigma which as a 15 cert! I didn't think there was anything in this film that all 3 younger boys couldn't watch with a parent.

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TheDullWitch · 19/11/2006 17:37

Certification so unreliable. But I think this is far stronger than several 15s I ve let them see on DVD (inc Billy Elliot). Mostly 12As are fine. But this one is really pushing the boundaries. And the tone of the movie - intense and realistic ? makes the murders far more graphic than a lot of kapow, splat killings in other Bonds.

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laneydaye · 19/11/2006 19:16

I think it depends a) on the child and b) on the parents!

My son regularly watches bond films we have most of them, he also is a starwars fan and has the whole set. He also watches lord of the rings, spiderman, hulk, he is a clever, mild natured, calm, well mannered boy and i know him having seen the new bond will turn him into a monster....

Judy1234 · 19/11/2006 19:43

I was happy for my 18 year old to take his 8 year old brothers yesterday but we're a very adult home because the siblings are so much older. Apparently one of them wasn't that keen anyway (except he said it taught him poker which I don't believe)

satine · 19/11/2006 19:44

I just could not let a 5 year old watch scenes of someone being murdered, close up. Or tortured. Even if they don't appear to react on the surface, who knows how their little mind would deal with such a thing.

Piffle · 19/11/2006 19:45

my 12 yr old ds went with his 12 yr old friend yesterday.
both rported back that it was great - his first trip out to the films unparented...

satine · 19/11/2006 19:46

And Xenia, how did you know it would be ok for your 8 year olds? Did you know how much more graphic it is, in comparison to the other Bond films? Did you not think that the 12A rating might be a clue as to the film's content?

Judy1234 · 19/11/2006 20:16

I've read quite a few reviews of it. We have the other Bond films which they enjoy and they're very mature 8 year olds. You're bound to be if your siblings are so much older. I also tend to favour letting them see things, it's a kind of libertarian view hopefully with enough responsibility thrown in too. Anyway they are unscathed.

notagrannyyet · 19/11/2006 21:34

Think Xenia is correct on this one. My youngest DS age 9 who has 5 older siblings is bound to watch things, hear things that some 9 year olds don't. I think it's always been the case in larger families the younger ones are more 'street wise' than their peers. I was the eldest and had very restricted teenage years. My youngest sister seemed to do has she pleased! Both of us turned out OK.

curlew · 19/11/2006 23:21

It doesn't matter how mature your 8 year olda are -they are still 8 and this film has images and concepts which are innapropriate for that age group.
It doesn't matter if they have older siblings - it is up to the parents to decide whiat is suitable for them. I have a 10 year old and a 5 year old - there are some television progeamms they watch together and some that the little one is not allowed to watch. I deal with his outrage - that's my job. I also deal with the 10 year old's outrage that she is not allowed to watch things that her friends watch - that's my job too. And she is a very mature 10 year old - I just don't measure her maturity by the film classifications she has seen.