I Am Legend

[dancinghomer]

Why would you want to let your kids see that? It's a rather depressing movie, you have a lot that you're going to have to explain to your kids, and there are things they do to startle you in the movie (I jumped a couple times), why would you want to take your kids to that? A 5 year old can't tell if that's real or not. How sad.

This made me recall when something like this happened to me when I was younger. I don't know if any ever saw the movie "Eraser" starring the Governator, which came out in 1996. I was ten at the time and my brother was 12. We were staying at our Aunt and Uncle's house while my parents were both away. Well, my Aunt and Uncle decided they wanted to see the movie, so they brought us with them. Why they didn't leave us at home, I have no idea since they already had a sitter for their kids.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well for a week. My parents wanted to kill them when they found out what they did.

Another big one that comes to my mind along this topic is the movie "Backdraft." I was only 5 when this movie came out. I didn't have any issues with this when I saw it in theaters, in fact I thought it was a good movie (I'm not sure if I would say the same thing now, well, because I was 5 then). Ironically, when we made a trip to Cali in the following year and was at Universal, I completely freaked out on the Backdraft attraction.

Just remember -- it's all about the parents' needs. If they want to see a movie and don't want to get a sitter, who cares if it traumatizes the little one?

Maybe next they can find a Saw or Hannibal marathon for the kiddies. :mad:

Personally, I love the Saw movies and it doesn't really surprise me that parents took their kids to them. The original Saw and Saw 2 weren't that bad gore-wise, so I don't think most kids (at least 10ish) wouldn't have an issue with them. Saw 3 and now Saw 4 have ramped up the gore levels and I even cringed during scenes of them.

One thing that really irks me is the parents who will buy their kids the tickets and then go see a different movie than their kids who are now in a 'R' rated movie. I wish movie theaters would station someone outside the theaters showing the 'R' movies checking ids (when appropriate) before they can go inside and take a seat. Or even do what some theaters around me do, they have infra-red headsets so they can walk throughout the theaters almost undetected to look for people recording the movies, but while they are scanning the audience for that, they can do a quick sweep for kids sitting alone and yank them out.


One amusing side note: As you can prolly guess by my Saw response, I'm a huge lover of horror films. There is nothing funnier than seeing people double take when they ask what type of films you like and you response "well, I love Disney movies, but also give a good horror flick and I'll be content."

[svickersart]

I loved "I Am Legend" Will Smith was great. The Omega Man is one of my all time favorite movies and I have the book just need to find the tiem to read it. I am Legend is the 3rd movie based on this book, the first is "The Last Man on Earth" Starring Vincent Price. My GF really though about letting her son see this and hes 12. Hes chomping at the bit to see some good, bloody slasher films but she doesnt really let him see R rated yet. I am Legend is really to intence for a younger kid, they really wont understand it. When JP came out there were warning that it was not a kiddie film but an intence, sci-fi horror film and not suitable for younger children. My big No-No film was Apocolypse Now, I was 11 or 12 and my mom said I couldnt see it, we were able to get a relitive to get us in while my mom was out of town. I didnt understand it at all, mom as right and right pissed off when she found out I went.

[Princess Susi]

You should read Stephen King's The Stand. Don't bother with the TV movie by the same name.

The Walkin' Dude gets his in the last book of The Dark Tower series.

Loved The Stand, Read it first when I was about 13, used to read everything
Stephen King did, up to when I went into labor with the first kid reading The Tommyknockers....No time after that! Maybe now that they are grown, I could get into the Dark Tower Series.....
I agree, what are those parents thinking?????!!!!!! :mad:

The Stand is one of my all time fave books. I did not know that The Walking Dude gets it in the Dark Tower series, have not read the series. Now I guess I have to to see how old Mr. Clicky Clacky Boots gets his! :twisted:
For the Best read of an End of the World scenario, read "Earth Abides" by George R Stewart. I believe it was written in the 1940's and was way ahead of it's time. It is an amazing book. Probably my all time favorite read along with Daphne Du Maurier's "House On The Strand"!
Cool reading!
sues

[hobie16]

If you're into football read The Franchise by Peter Gent. It's more about the seedy underbelly of behind the scenes activities rather than the game.

For the Best read of an End of the World scenario, read "Earth Abides" by George R Stewart.

The Dude abides.

[Euterpe]

While I wouldn't rush my 5-year-old out to see I Am Legend, mostly because I don't think they'd really have the attention span for it... it's just silly to think that they couldn't tell if it were real or not. I don't remember a time when I couldn't tell the difference between what was on the tv screen and what was happening in real life. Also, I saw Jurassic Park in theaters when I was 8, and while I was scared, I knew it wasn't real.

I think it's poor parenting if your kid reaches elementary school and can't tell the difference between real life and a movie...

[Randy B]

I think it's poor parenting if your kid reaches elementary school and can't tell the difference between real life and a movie...

True, but children reach that revelation at a different age. Also, tho the intellectual part of the mind may recognize that it isn't real, the emotional side frequently lags behind. So even when the child will know something is fake, the emotions will allow nightmares and even phobias for some time to come (and in some cases for life). And with less "learned knowledge" it is harder to come up with reasons to override the emotions before they become so deeply ingrained that they hold on even after the logic side learns the "truth". Heck, this disconnect between emotion and logic can even effect adults. How many people have an unreasoning fear of something that they will fully admit is unreasoning. Logic says that clowns or snakes or spiders or deep water or whatever is not "out to get them" but the emotions won't listen.

Randy

[hobie16]

True, but children reach that revelation at a different age. Also, tho the intellectual part of the mind may recognize that it isn't real, the emotional side frequently lags behind. So even when the child will know something is fake, the emotions will allow nightmares and even phobias for some time to come (and in some cases for life). And with less "learned knowledge" it is harder to come up with reasons to override the emotions before they become so deeply ingrained that they hold on even after the logic side learns the "truth". Heck, this disconnect between emotion and logic can even effect adults. How many people have an unreasoning fear of something that they will fully admit is unreasoning. Logic says that clowns or snakes or spiders or deep water or whatever is not "out to get them" but the emotions won't listen.

Randy

Very true. My son will be 21 this year but, because of his disabilities, will probably never be more than twelve emotionally. He truly believes the big snake in Indy is real and refuses to ever ride it again but he also still believes in Santa Claus. Overall, that sounds pretty good to me.

[AngelEyes]

I took my ten year old son to see I Am Legend and he loved it. I think it all depends on the child. He also went to Disney for the first time at the tender age of 2, and he did GREAT.

[DisneyMom]

It DOES depend on the child.....
Eldest son, Autistic, LOVED Disneyland coasters, the scarier the better, from age 4.....
Younger son....BIG SCAREDY CAT on coasters until maybe a few years ago.
I LOVED monster movies when I was a kid, but then in the middle of the night
would wake up and would be SCARED...slept with the covers over my head!
(total monster protection!) :p:

[lady ulrike]

You know, I hate parents who take kids to inappropriate movies. My daughter is 7 months and I have taken her to several movies, but I am careful about which ones. Yes, I know she doesn't really watch them but I won't take her to ones that I think might have lots of loud, startling noises. I waited almost a month to see Sweeney Todd and that's a movie that before I had my daughter I probably would've seen at the opening midnight show. Parenting means that you have to make sacrifices and can't always do what you want to do when you want to do it.