Last weekend we took the kids to see Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This movie is from Disney and rated PG, like the original. It was not as good and had much more gratuitous violence. My kids loved the first one, we saw it on DVD, and were looking forward to this installment. Both of them enjoyed the movie, in general but both voiced concern about the violence. My daughter felt that there was more killing of good and bad guys, than the first one and my son said, “Too Much Killing!!” He did hide his face during the movie and when I asked if he wanted to leave, several times, he refused.

I tend to research my kids movies much more than my own. For this one however, I only read reviews and based my decision on past experience. So I take the blame but I want to know why the reviewers did not mention the violence. They went on and on about bad acting, Christianity and faith, or lack there of, but nothing about excessive killing. Also the movie felt more PG-13 than PG and what is the threshold that needs to be crossed to get the 13 added? I am wondering if the PG envelope is being pushed with this and other movies. Is this because of children’s exposure to more violence today, than in the past? Or are the powers that be focused on the bottom line and want more of our dollars, as well as a new group of movie goers in the process? What do you think about this subject and have you experienced this before.

Definition of Ratings-MPAA Ratings

Boston Globe article-Ratings game