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Parents’ Guide: Can I take my kids to X-Men: Days of Future Past

Parents’ Guide: Can I take my kids to X-Men: Days of Future Past

Hey there!  This is going to be a quick summary, as I’ve already had a few email requests for my opinion on the age-appropriateness of this one and I want to bang it out in case anyone is considering going this weekend.

As usual, I had no qualms about taking my own kids.  Thirteen year old Nate and seven year old Kitty really enjoyed it, though there were some moments that were a bit hard for Kitty.

Here were the moments that stood out to me being a tad harsh for sensitive kiddos or stricter parents:

  • A totally unnecessary (but not totally unwelcome 🙂 ) shot of Wolverine totally nude from the back .
  • An instance of the word “shit’ and “fuck”, but only minor swearing “damn” and “hell” besides that.
  • Autopsy photos of some deformed and stitched up mutants (Kitty looked away from the screen).
  • References to drug use.
  • A character who is a “good guy” but steals and shows a general lack of regard for police.
  • Lots of violence, including a mutant exploding and one getting his face burned off.
In addition, I am always worried that time-travel plots are confusing for kids.  I asked Kitty to summarize the plot in the video posted below (no real spoilers) and she seemed to get it, though as usual, she had a hard time following the many characters inherent in these ensemble action movies.

 Here are some of the things we talked about after the movie:

  • Do you think you could really change the past?
  • Why was Mystique so intent on carrying out her plan?
  • Why do you think people wanted to kill the mutants?
  • How did people with differences come together to work towards a common goal?

So my verdict? This one earns its PG-13 rating.  Even my seven year old had some hard moments.  13 year old Nate did just fine, and I would imagine most kids over 11 would be okay.  Really sensitive kids and younger kids might want to skip this one or at least wait until it can be viewed at home.

Pentagon confused by their place in world with S.H.E.I.L.D.

Pentagon confused by their place in world with S.H.E.I.L.D.

“We couldn’t reconcile the unreality of this international organization and our place in it,” Phil Strub, the Defense Department’s Hollywood liaison, tells [Wired’s] Danger Room. “To whom did S.H.I.E.L.D. answer? Did we work for S.H.I.E.L.D.? We hit that roadblock and decided we couldn’t do anything” with the film.

That is a real quote, from a real person in U.S. Government.  The Avengers was too out there for them, the people who have provided personnel for such realistic films as Transformers.

Click on over to Wired to read more, and then head over to Parenting Geekly’s Facebook page and let us know what you think about this story.

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