Chances are, if you grew up in the late 70s,Star Warswas the first time you ever saw severed limbs on screen. If you grew up a child in the 90s, you endured the slow crippling burnt flesh that saw Anakin Skywalker forever confided to a suit of black armor, turning him into a totalitarian monster inRevenge of the Sith.Star Warshas always beena dark place to inhabit, especially for kids. But the franchise has always been in inclusive affair, and was meant for youngsters first and foremost by child at heart George Lucas. With some recent official news breaking in terms ofStar Wars: The Last Jediand the story it tells, many parents are wondering if the next sequel in the Skywalker saga is too dark for younger children. Director Rian Johnson has answered that question.
We live in different times. No less scary than the 70s or 80s in terms of what is happening in the real world, the MPAA has changed a lot sinceA New Hopewas slapped with a PG rating back in 1977. Now, theStar Warsmovies get rated PG-13. And in the last big screen outing, the spin-offRogue One, all of the main characters and most of the new villains met an honorable yet no less horrible death. It is perhaps thedarkest Star Wars movie to date. But it sounds likeLast Jedigoes a bit darker. So, can your 7 year old safely see it without waking up, screaming from nightmares after you bring them home? Well, sounds like that all depends on you and your parenting skills.
Director Rian Johnson was asked by one concerned Dad in Australia just what we can expect from this sequel, which will be a bit less lighthearted thanThe Force Awakens. His concerns seem genuine. He asks if the movie is appropriate for the under teen set. Here’s Johnson’s open answer.
“It really depends on the 7 year old. There areintense things in the movie, but I don’t think anything worse than in the OT or prequels.”
Thinking back, there is plenty of dark, cruel things in the first 7Star Warsmovies build around the Skywalker saga. But so far, we’ve also seen a healthy does of kids only material forThe Last Jedithat make it way more kid friendly on the surface than the previous movies. Like Joe Camel selling a pack of cigarettes. The recently introduced Porgs look like they were made specifically for the preschool set. And theJedi caregiversthat inhabitLuke’s exile planet of Ahch-Toappear as a beginners course for any child wondering exactly what a Nun is and does in this day and age, where we don’t see too many on the street any more. Especially with their cute fish faces.
Chances are, there is not anything in the movie that will go darker than Anakin getting burnt alive, Obi-Wan severing all four of his limbs off. The first two movies innocently hint at incest between a brother and sister, twins no less. And the movies have always been full of death, kicking off with the gruesome charred remains of Luke’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, perhaps one of the most nightmarish images in anyStar Warsmovie, and it comes early in the series. But that was a different time. WhenJawswas sold as a family movie and a lot of PG rated movies contained full frontal nudity. Yes, they did. Don’t argue. So, willThe Last Jedibe too dark for your kid? It all depends on the kid and how s/he/it was raised.
