Is Marvel’s newest superhero flick Guardians of the Galaxy appropriate for kids? Oh man, that’s a tough call for any superhero loving family. Superheroes, and their movies, have gotten darker over the years and parents can no longer rely on what a film is rated when deciding whether to take their kids. It boils down to what parents believe is appropriate for their child. I have written reviews where I said kids shouldn’t see something and parents disagreed. I have also written reviews where I said the movie was fine to see with the kids and parents have gotten angry with me after taking their child.
So here is what I will tell you about Guardians. There is quite a bit of swearing for a comic book movie, but as my son pointed out, they never yell the swear words in anger, only to be funny. (Take that for what it’s worth, if anything. It obviously stood out to my son.) There are at least two sexual references, one of which will probably go over most kid’s heads, but that’s about it in the sex department. And violence, well it is a superhero movie, so there is plenty of it. Most of the deaths are of faceless aliens, but there are a few gruesome close-ups of recognizable faces. As in most sci-fi films, the violence in it is more cartoonish than realistic.
Putting aside any misgivings I may have about the swearing and over the top violence, I really liked this movie. It is as exciting and funny as any comedy or action movie you will see this summer. My ten year old son and I both left the theater feeling happy. You can’t ask for much more than that. When my wife asked me how it was when I returned home, I said, “It was really, really good. Way beyond what I expected it to be.” I had expected a hokey, over the top film reminiscent of Flash Gordon. What I got was a clever and surprisingly complex movie that never took itself too seriously, yet kept me on the edge of my seat, even as I laughed out loud.
If you are looking to bring your family out for a fun-loving movie that is not aimed at children, then Guardians would be a good choice. Especially if your kids are 10 and up.
Guardians of the Galaxy is rated PG-13 for violence, sci-fi action, and language and stars Chris Pratt from Parks and Recreation fame, Zoe Saldana from Avatar, former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista, and the voices of action star Vin Diesel, and 2012’s Sexiest Man Alive Bradley Cooper. (Yes, I know he’s done a lot of films.)
What can we expect in terms of cussing? I want to take my little brother (10), but I don’t want him to subjected to anything too bad. No F-words or “S” words in particular. I honestly would rather have the characters cuss in anger than to be funny, but that’s just me.
There weren’t any “F” words, but plenty of “B and S.”
Not for the wee ones. My boys can watch the classic “Superman” movies already, but I wouldn’t want them to see most new superhero films. “Guardians” has some aggressive violence, and the language is a bit raw. I think over 10 may be a good age range. And I know exactly what naughty line you’re referring to. Please, please let most kids not get that one!
The movie was fine for my 10 year old, but I think it would be too much for my 8 year old.
I read on another site that Gamora’s breast are exposed. Is this true or can you explain to what extent.
No breasts, only swearing and a lot of aliens getting killed.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! Now I’m comfortable with my son seeing it today.
I’m glad your son liked it. My 11 year old daughter liked it even more than I did. (except for the swearing)
Thanks, I am going to watch it soon and I wasn’t sure if it would be okay.
We are a HUGE Marvel family. My daughter is 6 and LOVED the movie. I did hear her whisper a few times “awww” when she heard the bad words. But she knows better than to repeat them. Otherwise she found the movie hilarious and has already asked to go back and see it again. Her favorite was Rocket!
I came for the blanket-feeding, but this is actually very useful as we’re having an argument in our house at the moment. I said no. You say no for eight and down, so you agree with me! So I will now start hailing you as an expert on these things as I continue my argument. Nobody could resist a guy who feeds his kids under blankets as all proper parents should.
Thanks for stopping the GotG post. Yes, I agree with you. I would not take my 8 year old. There’s a lot of bad language and a couple of the bad guys would probably scare her. My 10 year old was fine though.
Well, I got it for christmas, But I haven’t watched it yet. I think the age might be ok for 8 year olds, because I’m an 8 year old.-Mariofan24