When Do You Let Your Kids watch SW?

[Scott]

My son(s) is far to young to start watching anything from the Galaxy Far, Far Away right now.  He still gets scared by the Grasshoppers in A Bug's Life and the Sharks in Nemo and SW is a big leap from there.  But what age is appropriate?  

I remember I personally was 5 and I saw SW a few weeks before Empire in the theater.  I think that's about right...

[Morgbug]

I think it depends on the movie. My daughter has watched both TPM and AOTC with no problems at all.  She quite enjoys the majority of AOTC, particularly the latter half and adores the arena battle.  No, I don't believe she grasps what is going on.  

The OT she does not enjoy so much.  She finds Vader to be quite frightening, though enjoys the droids and finds them funny.  

I can't remember how old JediMax is, but he might be going through the same phase we had with Sydney.  She was pretty much fearless for the first couple of years, almost all the way to 3.  Then all of a sudden she started recognizing things as scary.  It took a while, but she got through that and is pretty much fearless again, except for witches.  Gotta hand it to Disney, the witch from Snow White scared the crap out of me too.  

Five is probably reasonable, if only because I assume by then they can better handle the dialogue (i.e. boring parts) rather than strictly action.  

[Mainland05]

I agree, five is more appropriate.  Although, my four year old cousin, loves Star Wars as much as I do.  He watched all the Clone Wars series with me, and the films, when I watch them, and amazingly understands most of it too?  So, I guess it just depends on your child?

[JediMAC]

Personally, I'd think sharks, even animated ones, were scarier than anything in the Saga.  I saw Star Wars when I was 6, and could've easily handled it a year or two prior to that.  I'd probably say 4 myself (not that I've got kids, mind you).

I'd think that the lopping off of Jango's head, and slicing Maul in half might be a little more traumatic than stuff in the OT.  In the OT, Luke's chopped off hand could be scary, and other things like the Tusken Raider attack and Trash Compactor scene possibly.  But I think the OT's a pretty safe place for a youngin'.  5 for sure, if not 4.

So hurry up with the movie, and stop denying the poor kid!

[SPIDERLEGS]

I let my kid watch it when he was 4. He loves it and is actually watching the Special Edition of E. IV at this very moment and begging me to duel him with lightsabers. He's 6 now.

[Becky]

I got my niece hooked on the Star Wars movies when she was 4.  She really loves them.  We watched them together.  So, she could ask lots of questions.  I think, she has a good grasp between reality and fantasy.  

[Force Guy]

I'd say 4 is a safe age, but it all depends on the child.  When my daughter watched the OT for the first time (at 4 yrs. old), the only creatures that scared her were the Wampa, Rancor, & Gammorean Guards.  There were a few scenes that troubled her, particularly when Vader choked Antilles, the death and gutting of the Tauntaun, Han getting tortured and frozen, & Luke losing his hand.  Parents really have to play it by ear.            

[Scott]

I've said it before but I remember crying profusely in the theater when Han was frozen in Carbonite and running and sitting on my mom's lap

[Morgbug]

I'd say 4 is a safe age, but it all depends on the child.  When my daughter watched the OT for the first time (at 4 yrs. old), the only creatures that scared her were the Wampa, Rancor, & Gammorean Guards.  There were a few scenes that troubled her, particularly when Vader choked Antilles, the death and gutting of the Tauntaun, Han getting tortured and frozen, & Luke losing his hand.  Parents really have to play it by ear.            

Interesting.  My daughter started snuggling in closer and clinging as soon as Vader stepped onto the ship.  Very ominous presence.  I fast forwarded through the Antilles scene.  Playing it by ear indeed.

[JediMAC]

I've said it before but I remember crying profusely in the theater when Han was frozen in Carbonite and running and sitting on my mom's lap

Wuss.

[Scott]

Agreed, but I wasn't 21 like some of you when ESB came out

[JediMAC]

Watch it kiddo.  You should speak to Brent and Dale with a little more respect than that...  

[C]

I've let my daughter watch the movies since she was two. She is nearly five now, and still likes watching them, no fear at all. Perhaps because she is literally surrounded by four-inch versions of all the characters, she isn't too worried about their on-screen presences. I don't know if she'll be quite ready to see ep. III in theatres, but I'll see how it goes in a year. At home is pretty different than a dark theatre.

However, I was three when I saw ROTJ in theatres, and it's one of my earliest and best memories. I remember dozens of kids holding up stuffed Ewok dolls and running around with lightsabers.

[SPIDERLEGS]

Force Guy brought up a good point about which creatures are scary. When my son was 4, we went and saw AOTC in the theater. He was good until the arena battle. The beasts that were attacking the jedi and Amidala made him crawl up into my lap and tell me he was scared. He saw it again before he turned 5, though, and they didn't bother him. Of course, then it was on video.

[Morgbug]

Agreed, but I wasn't 21 like some of you when ESB came out

Sorry, only 19.  And drunk.  No wait, that was ROTJ.  I was only 16 for ESB.  And drunk.