# Should I take my kids to see Avatar? (possible spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456 "2010-02-10T18:42:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/1 "2010-02-10T18:42:36Z")
**Attacklass** is 12, **Attacklad** is 10. All the kids in their classes (they claim) have seen _Avatar_. Rating is PG-13. Are we talking sad? Are we talking nightmares? Are we talking hearing from my 25 year old kids how I never let them see _Avatar_ when they were young, and how that made them strangers within their generation? Any advice is appreciated. I don’t care about having the movie spoiled for myself, so be frank, but you probably want to spoilerbox things for others. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/2 "2010-02-10T18:47:04Z")
I would say let them see it. There’s no serious gore–it’s mostly rated PG-13 for some adultish themes and (mostly bloodless) violence. I think a 10 year old and a 12 year old would love it–especially in 3-D. It’s a gorgeous movie, visually speaking, and the plot is good. It is kind of an “event” picture, and I don’t think it will look nearly as good on a TV screen as on a big screen. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/3 "2010-02-10T18:50:44Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > **Attacklass** is 12, **Attacklad** is 10. All the kids in their classes (they claim) have seen _Avatar_. Rating is PG-13. > > Are we talking sad? Are we talking nightmares? Are we talking hearing from my 25 year old kids how I never let them see _Avatar_ when they were young, and how that made them strangers within their generation? > > Any advice is appreciated. I don’t care about having the movie spoiled for myself, so be frank, but you probably want to spoilerbox things for others. There is a fair amount of violence. But it isn’t horribly explicit. We see major characters die, usually far off. There is a love scene, but it is very, very tame with the camera panning off them. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that the film paints a corporation as bad and natives as the good guys. I think that’s a simplistic view, but if you’re a hard-core ditto-head the film might make you angry. I’d take them to see it, this is a big step in cinema and seeing it at home won’t be the same. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/4 "2010-02-10T18:51:47Z")
My 9 & 7 year olds saw it. No nightmares. There are some sad parts, and a small amount of gore. Some “shits” and other lesser profanity. Some blue people about to have sex, and the morning after, but nothing graphic on screen. Final fight between the 2 main characters is definitely PG-13 brutal, but not actually much blood. At some point you wind up rooting for the blue people and against the humans, which actually took some discussions with the kids afterwards. On preview - I fully agree with **Lobohan**. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/5 "2010-02-10T18:57:56Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > There is a fair amount of violence. But it isn’t horribly explicit. We see major characters die, usually far off. There is a love scene, but it is very, very tame with the camera panning off them. > > The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that the film paints a corporation as bad and natives as the good guys. I think that’s a simplistic view, but if you’re a hard-core ditto-head the film might make you angry. > > I’d take them to see it, this is a big step in cinema and seeing it at home won’t be the same. We’re in Canada, so the kids are pretty much leftists from the get go. I worry more about them taking off to live in the trees and protest old growth forest cutting. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/6 "2010-02-10T20:50:04Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > **Attacklass** is 12, **Attacklad** is 10. All the kids in their classes (they claim) have seen _Avatar_. Rating is PG-13. > > Are we talking sad? Are we talking nightmares? Are we talking hearing from my 25 year old kids how I never let them see _Avatar_ when they were young, and how that made them strangers within their generation? > > Any advice is appreciated. I don’t care about having the movie spoiled for myself, so be frank, but you probably want to spoilerbox things for others. I took my eight year-old daughter to see it, but we’re on the outlier portion of the bell curve - she also saw _War of the Worlds_ when she was 6, the LOTR full editions when she was 7, etc. Worst part about _Avatar_ was the Tree scene. That, and some cursing. You might want to try [www.kids-in-mind.com](http://www.kids-in-mind.com), which is a great site for questions like these. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/7 "2010-02-10T20:55:01Z")
My 13-year-old and I saw it and really liked it, despite some quibbles. I wouldn’t and haven’t taken my 10-year-old, but he’s prone to nightmares. There are some intense action scenes, profanity, implied sex and it’s looooooong. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/8 "2010-02-10T20:58:26Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Are we talking sad? Are we talking nightmares? Are we talking hearing from my 25 year old kids how I never let them see _Avatar_ when they were young, and how that made them strangers within their generation? As everyone else said it’s really pretty tame. Some military type stuff but nothing gory or scary. It’s certainly not straddling the line of “R rating” like some action movies tend to do. Mostly I wanted to say that your third concern is a very apt one. The movie is a once in a lifetime event. They have to see it in the theater, IMAX 3D. This will be remembered and discussed for the rest of their lives for better or worse. It’s possible that this movie will be their _Star Wars_, especially with 2 sequels on their way. Take them to see it and just be ready to talk to them after if anything bumps you. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/9 "2010-02-10T21:14:11Z")
Unless you’re the sort who would never take your kids to any PG-13 film whatsoever (in which case you wouldn’t be asking this question), it should be OK. There’s one sex scene, of the “kissing and then disappear behind the bushes” variety, and Sigourney Weaver’s naked in one scene in a non-sexual context, but you never actually see anything. There’s violence, of course, but the worst gore is probably seeing a person getting a spear through the chest, and the blood isn’t played up. And there might have been a couple of "shit"s, but no language stronger than that. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/10 "2010-02-11T01:40:31Z")
One sex scene, which is very mild. I doubt your children will be shocked. No nudity and very brief(rather touching, actually). Violence was mainly tame. I would take a kid, unless they are very sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/11 "2010-02-11T06:15:55Z")
Assuming you don’t mind being spoiled yourself, imdb generally has a thorough parental guide for each film, including [Avatar](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/parentalguide). Rated PG-13 for _intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking_. I would have handled it fine at 10 years old. Might be a little intense for overly sensitive kids. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-my-kids-to-see-avatar-possible-spoilers/528456/12 "2010-02-21T20:40:10Z")
Movie went fine. We went on the night of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, so we had the place to ourselves. Thanks for all the help. A3D