Can I take my 4 year old to Star Trek?

[java]

He is the youngest of 4 children - meaning while I wouldn't have ever taken my oldest alone at that age this child sadly has been exposed to more as a result of being the youngest. He has seen Star wars and Batman and spiderman. So is this grossly inappropriate for him and should I just let dh take the older 3 and he and I go see Night at the Museum(which I really don't want to see but I will if it's too much for him)
Or do you think it's ok for him.
I know it is PG 13. That alone doesn't make me say no- I would love to hear from some people that have seen it. thanks.

 

[WDWBarb]

He is the youngest of 4 children - meaning while I wouldn't have ever taken my oldest alone at that age this child sadly has been exposed to more as a result of being the youngest. He has seen Star wars and Batman and spiderman. So is this grossly inappropriate for him and should I just let dh take the older 3 and he and I go see Night at the Museum(which I really don't want to see but I will if it's too much for him)
Or do you think it's ok for him.
I know it is PG 13. That alone doesn't make me say no- I would love to hear from some people that have seen it. thanks.

Star Trek ranks right there with Batman and Spiderman, in my opinion. If your 4-year-old had no issues with those movies, he should be fine at Star Trek. There is one bad word and one very brief sexual situation scene and random violence (nothing gross).

I would take my child to see it.

 

[disneynikon]

I found it very loud and a lot of fighting. If your child can sit for 2 hours then go ahead. But it was a long movie sitting for me.

 

[Liberty Belle]

We took our six year old and it was fine.

I wouldn't think many 4 year olds would be interested enough to sit through it, but if yours is into that kind of thing, I think it would be fine (especially if he's seen the others you mentioned).

 

[Toot Sweet]

I think it's okay for him to see. If he has that kind of attention span!

I teach Pre-K students ages 4 - 5 and I think that while they would enjoy the movie for a while, they'd get bored halfway through.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

That's one movie I'm waiting for it to come on DVD before I let DS(who recently turned 5) see it. He loves ST: TNG and has seen nearly all the original series episodes but I don't know if he can sit through an entire movie and not get up, wiggle, etc.

 

[kristilew]

It's not too bad. Mostly cartoon violence. He's probably too young to "get" the sex scene.

One place I always check is kidsinmind dot com. They give a rating on sex, violence, and profanity in films, then describe the scenes you might question.

 

[daisax]

Did he see those other movies in a movie theatre? Because there's a big difference between a 4 year old "watching" a DVD of a movie in his livingroom while coloring or playing with his action figures and a 4 year old sitting in a room full of adults who have laid out $30 for a few hours' entertainment.

If he hasn't watched a grownup movie in a movie theatre while sitting calmly and silently for 2 hours, it's probably a bad idea to test it on a very hot new release movie - matinee or not.

 

[Ohiodislover]

I'd take him. My girls have been going to movies like that for years and years. I remember taking my youngest to a Harry Potter movie at age 4. Star trek doesn't have near the dark themes of those movies.

 

[cltk78]

I'd take him.

My 4 year old sat through it last weekend.

 

[java]

Well we went. And we were at the Rave- with those big comfy seats and sure enough he fell asleep! So the rest of us enjoyed the movie very much and he got a good nap! (although he'll tell you he liked it and it wasn't scary at all and his favorite part- which he slept through but heard his brother talking about)

 

[okeydokey]

What gave it a PG-13 rating if it's appropriate for 4 year olds?

 

[minkydog]

I'm really surprised at how many people are content to allow a 4yo to see a movie rated PG-13. A 9yo maybe, depending on the movie. My kids are 22, 16 and 14 now and I still wouldn't think of taking a preschooler to a movie meant for 13 year olds.

 

[Angelhalo]

I'm really surprised at how many people are content to allow a 4yo to see a movie rated PG-13. A 9yo maybe, depending on the movie. My kids are 22, 16 and 14 now and I still wouldn't think of taking a preschooler to a movie meant for 13 year olds.

Thank God I am not the only one who thought that!!!!

 

[turkeymama]

Thank God I am not the only one who thought that!!!!

I read a review on The Common Sense Media website, which has ratings from parents as well as kids. Even the kids rated it okay for ages 10 and up. The reality is, PG 13 movies aren't intended for very young kids. To each his own, though.

OP- I'm glad he made it through just fine.

 

[KSchwagg86]

Yea definitely...I think the worst parts in movies are usually the sexual stuff and this one was surprisingly really great in this aspect

 

[bgirl29]

WhileI do understand the whole the youngest being able to see things sooner than the older children, I still wouldn't take my youngest to see it. She is almost 9 and I briefly thought about it and then I questioned my own sanity. And decided to leave her home if I take the older 2 to see it. I have already seen the movie and my older 2 are 14 and 17.

 

[EthansMom]

I didn't find too much material that would keep me from letting my DS7 see Star Trek (a little more violent than he likes). However, a 4 year-old wouldn't "get" most of the movie (which has some advanced concepts) and it is just over 2 hours long (not including previews). I doubt you can keep a 4 year old content considering the length of the movie and content.

 

[MossMan]

There seems to me, 3 main areas of concern when evaluating the suitability of movies for children.

1. Violence
2. Sex
3. Language

If you were to look at the impact on children, which one of these three areas do you consider most important. Put another way: Imagine 3 movies. One has extreme and realistic violence, one has plenty of realistic sex and one is full of course language. Which of these movies has the most potential to negatively impact a child?

I'm not suggesting that children be allowed to see any of these movies. But if I had to choose, I would let my children see the movie with lots of course language before the movie with lots of sex. But I would let my children see the movie with lots of sex before they saw the movie with lots of violence.

Yet when this issue is discussed, it seems to me that violence worries many parents the least.


****SPOILER ALERT******
There is a scene in the movie where a character's mother dies in front of his eyes. I can't imagine ever letting a young child see that scene.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I am glad that he had no issues, but I admit it, I hate seeing little kids in PG 13 or R rated movies. In my experience, more often than not the kid ends up talking loudly or crying when the violence gets to be too much for them (and I would have definitely considered the violence of Star Trek to be too much for a young child). And then the parents get mad at the kid and won't take them out so the rest of the theatre gets to listen to their child crying for the rest of the movie.

When the 3rd Harry Potter came out, my friends and I went to the midnight showing at Downtown Disney after work. People had dragged infants and toddlers to the movie. Imagine our surprise when the manager came out onto the stage before the movie to hand out prizes and to announce the rules. He practically got a standing ovation when he announced that all crying children were to be immediately taken to the lobby!

In my opinion, you never know how a child that young will react to a movie in the theatre and the best thing to do is wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it so they can watch it in teh comfort of their own home and if they freak out they do not disturb everybody else.