men with facial deformities, killing numerous people, guys on obsessive vigilante missions, dead parents-doen't sound like a kiddie flick to me. keep em out of the movie! there are plenty of more palatable versions of the character.
Facial deformity? Killing? Vigilantes? Dead parents? Hm. Sounds like a movie I watched when I was six years old. 1992. What was it? Ah, yes:
Batman Returns.
As usual, children are underestimated. If you explain to a child the nature of fiction as opposed to the nature of reality, film is not frightening. Gore in particular is easy for children to shrug off, because they lack the real-life knowledge to connect it to anything meaningful. I'm 21 now, and I've been watching Robocop--one of my favourite movies--since I was five years old. The graphic murder of Murphy disturbs me more now than it did then. Either way, I never shot my friends in the face, because my parents were smart enough to teach me about
reality.
The problem, often, is not that a film is unsuitable for children (though, Robocop certainly may have been), but that parents are
stupid. The rating system exists for a reason: if a film is PG-13, it means the film will require
PARENTAL GUIDANCE for those under thirteen. Naturally, parents--being stupid, as I mentioned--think anything not rated R is suitable for everyone, so they walk their children into the theaters without any
GUIDANCE before hand. It's easier for them to ***** and moan after watching the film than it is for them to
guide the child.
It is a simple matter: you explain to the child what fiction is. You explain the elements that relate to reality, and those that do not. Is a murdering clown going to laughing gas you at home? No. Do people really fight crime in batsuits? No. You explain the fantasy of some elements, and the danger of others. Unless your child is especially stupid, he or she will understand.
Nevertheless, there
are some children who may not yet be ready to watch some films. It is up to the parent to judge. Of course, putting yet another decision upon the head of the parent is risky business, since presently they seem unable to see a PG-13 rating and realize "Hm, I should be prepared to explain things to my child if I bring him to see this movie, instead of running my mouth like a moron afterwards."
take care everyone
.
