Monday, July 28, 2008

Too evil for PG-13?

I was torn.

On one hand, the little boy looked so cute in his Batman mask and cape, waiting at the movie theater for a showing of “The Dark Knight.” He’s the kind of boy who makes you say, “awwww ... ”

On the other hand — what was he, about 5 years old? What was a child so young doing at a movie so violent?

And he wasn’t the only one at the matinee showing I attended on the opening weekend of the blockbuster movie. The audience included more than one child who looked way too young to handle the movie’s depiction of torture, murder and mass destruction. To my eyes, anyway.

The amazing success of the movie — it earned more than $150 million in its first days of release — has ignited a debate about the appropriateness of letting children see it. No matter that its PG-13 rating means they can, if accompanied by an adult.

For some adults, the answer is a resounding “no.”

Sarah Mabe was outside the Market Fair 15 cinema recently with her husband, Jake, and 1½ year-old son, Myles.

Sarah Mabe said there’s no way she would take her son to “The Dark Knight.”

“Even though it looks like a little kids’ movie, it’s more than just comic-book violence,” Mabe said.

Mabe said she and her husband love movies and have taken Myles to see action films such as “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Iron Man.” But the visceral violence of “The Dark Knight,” and Heath Ledger’s intense portrayal of the demented Joker, would make the movie too much for their son, she believes.

“We would probably see it without him, but not with him,” Mabe said. “We’ll probably wait for the DVD and see it after he goes to sleep.”

Allen McWhorter, manager of Market Fair 15 theater, said many families are apparently making the same choice as the Mabes. He said he has seen few children at “The Dark Knight.” The average age of the audience seems to be 20s and 30s.

Perhaps that’s because the movie was so well publicized that parents knew it might not be appropriate for younger viewers, McWhorter said.

“We haven’t heard any complaints,” McWhorter said. “We figured the parents knew what they were getting into, based on the previews.”

Kelly McKnight, a Cumberland County school psychologist, said whether a child under 13 should see a PG-13 movie depends on the maturity level of the individual child.

McKnight said she believes that, in general, 13 is a good cut-off age. Changes in a child’s brain around that age make him more able to handle simulated violence and intensity.

“It’s the parents’ decision, is what it comes down to,” McKnight said.

A couple of children I talked to didn’t seem affected by the violence in “The Dark Knight.” Austin Jordan and Johnathan Winston, both 11-year-old sixth-graders at Anne Chesnutt Middle School, gave the movie a thumbs-up rating.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid about except the Joker, how he had that scar,” Austin said.

As for younger viewers, Austin said, “They might think it was a little bit scary if they’re easily scared or haven’t seen that many movies.”

Johnathan rated the movie “awesome.”

“It’s better than the last two Batman movies I’ve seen,” Johnathan said. “The Joker came to life like he was actually real.”

But Johnathan admitted the movie might not be for audiences younger than he. In fact, he said “The Dark Knight” “creeped out” his 6-year-old brother, who saw it with him.

“He thought that the Joker was going to pop out and start attacking him,” he said.

That’s understandable, Johnathan. Some of us who are way older than 6 kind of felt the same way.

people who bring young kids to this movie are just dumb, it's PG-13 for a reason lol . . .so durr they will get scared . . .

a little bit of horror is good to help a child grow up :D No just Kidding, prolly most young children shouldn't watch it!