Copyright ©1997-2008 Glenn Fleishman except as noted otherwise. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact Glenn Fleishman at glenn at glennf.com. Photo © 2008 Laurence Chen; used with permission.
Copyright ©1997-2008 Glenn Fleishman except as noted otherwise. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact Glenn Fleishman at glenn at glennf.com. Photo © 2008 Laurence Chen; used with permission.
Turning technology from mumbo-jumbo into rich tasty gumbo
� Dooom doo doo doom dah! Doom doo doo doom dah! | Main | Pushback on Spider-Man Warning �I noted that fellow blogger Robert Scoble was talking about going to see Spider-Man tonight. I sent him an urgent email: don't take your kid! His son about eight, I think. The movie is an adult film, and, for instance, the PG-13 rating refers more to Clockwork Orange-style adult situations than the typical cartoony violence that kids are used to from video games and crappy films.
No, Spider-Man has terrifying existential moments. It's no spoiler since the origin myth is well known, but good people die, and not in a cartoony or overwrought fashion. As I note in my previous post, I cried several times in the film, but it was more about the pain of what people were going through.
Several single-digit and slightly older children had to leave the theater crying in the early part of the film. One child behind me, probably between 8 and 10, begged his mother to take him out of the theater. Those parents (and kids) did not return later!
The rating system is really a joke, but I wouldn't want a sub-13-year-old to see this movie. If you do, well, you're going to be dealing with nightmares, and, mommy, daddy, are you going to die, too? Is the Green Goblin going to come for you? For some time. The cross of realism and comic book further crossed with New York City makes it all too present.
Posted by Glennf at May 4, 2002 4:06 PM
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I took my 10 and 12 year old to Spiderman yesterday. I think you are underestimating what they understand as "real" and what is "just a movie" I did see some smaller children (under 5) leaving, but I think that it would be O.K. for most children over 7. I thought it was a great movie- and my kids loved it.- And they did remember that the board members AND the uncle and the goblin died-was there anyone else ?
Posted by: Kim at May 6, 2002 10:24 AM
My son and I saw Spiderman last night, he is eleven. After reading your review I find it very interesting that I only remember two people dying in the film, the green goblin and the uncle. I asked my son and he too could only name the uncle and the goblin, but since we were familiar with the comic book, we were expecting both. Maybe we are both desensitized by violence on tv and movies. Or is it simply that we realize that movies are just fake?
Posted by: Eva Campbell at May 5, 2002 7:54 PM
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