We went to see it last night and in the packed theatre, We were two of perhaps 12 adults. Our “just turned 8 y.o.” was with us for his second viewing. The age of the kids in there ranged from about 3 to 12. I never heard a single shriek. It was one of the few movies where there was applause several times throughout the movie. Our sons favorite part of the movie, besides Quiddich and the flying car, was the snake.
Only you can determine what is and isn’t appropriate for Kate. Each kid is different. To apply appropriateness based on age, especially if they fall into the rating category, is pretty ridiculous. The Rule of Thumb mentioned earlier… When they can read it, they can see it… is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard all week. Once a kid learns how to read, it is appropriate for them to see any movie? Or, if a kid can’t read, any movie is inappropriate? I’m missing something on that rule.
If in doubt, go with the suggestions of sneaking out for a bit and watch it yourself first. I didn’t think the final battle was especially scary in itself, but the noise during it was pretty intense. If Kate can handle very sudden and very loud noises, I think she’d do okay. The sounds are what made people jump the most.
I promised an update after we saw the film, and here it is…
We took all three girls; ages 9, 7, and 2. Our nine-year-old absolutely loved it. She said the basilisk scene was her favorite one. Our seven-year-old also loved it – she wanted to see it again, right away. She said that she was “freaked out” by the spider scene, but she said it with a big smile on her face, so I gather she enjoyed herself as well. The two-year-old was transfixed for the first hour or so, got a little restless during the slower middle act, and then dozed off until the last 15 minutes or so. The only hint of fear we had from any of them was when the two-year-old got a little clingy during the Whomping Willow scene. She was still watching, though, and the only time she cried at all was when she wanted to walk around and we wouldn’t let her (quickly solved by a piece of cheese, her favorite food).
I agree completely with Turbo Dog. Only a child’s parents can decide what’s appropriate for their child, no matter the age. I can understand that some kids (and some parents) would be uncomfortable with seeing Harry Potter nd the Chamber of Secrets, especially in a theatre, in the dark, and with the booming sound. The basilisk is big and scary, and some kids probably wouldn’t handle it well. Ours did, though, as did all of the other kids in the theatre (about a 50/50 mix of kids and adults at the showing we saw.
Parents should use their best judgment, as always. However, for Jonathan Chance (if you haven’t already seen for yourself), I would say that you’ll most likely be fine. If your Kate is anything like our youngest, and it seems she might be, then the biggest problem you’ll have to worry about is her getting a bit restless during the slower parts of the film.