Hunger Games - Fort Smith,AR

Well, a lot of the themes may be over his head and not age appropriate, and it can be pretty slow too. It isn't gory in the sense that it dwells on say a large flesh wound, but it is definitely too violent for 9 year old. I have read the books and seen the movie, and I think the content is better suited for those over the age of 13 or so. The books are actually more graphic than the movie in my opinion. But then again, some parents let their kids watch really gruesome horror movies so...

If the 9yo hasn't read it, then he's probably too young to see it. The subject matter is very dark and rather deep. It seems more than most 9 yos can grasp.

My 17 yr old read all the books and saw the movie. She said it was pretty violent but she is emotionally mature enough to get it.

According her my daughter, it is not for young children.

I loved the book and I thought the movie was really good too, however it IS violent, and graphic.
It's an intense story that was written with a teen/young adult audience in mind. IMO it's NOT for children. Besides, most children won't even "get" the story, it has to do with the politics of an oppressive government and the sacrifices individuals must make to overturn it. Again, not kid stuff!

I've read the first two and want to start the third. I've enjoyed them so far, and they weren't really that scary (like I feared they would be). But you just can't get around the fact that there are 24 kids put in an arena and only one is to come out alive. That just sends chills up my spine.

I asked a middle school English teacher about the books, because I was still just so shocked that the audience is tweens and teens. She said she has had her 7th and 8th graders read it and discuss, but she felt the 6th graders are too young.

My 12 year old niece is reading the first book, and I was talking to her dad about it (he wasn't so sure this was a good book for her to read). One thing we agreed on was that reading a book and imagining it are very different from seeing it on screen. Some kids just can't comprehend it, so they just kind of skip that part in their minds. If it's on screen, they know.

I haven't seen the movie (and my kids are very young), but I really don't think I would let anyone younger than high school see it.

Has your son read the books? The entire story is extremely intense and very violent. If the books are too much for him, the movie will be too. Check out this review: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/the-reel-breakdown/mom-eye-...

I haven't seen it yet, but I've read the trilogy. I've heard that they did a good job with not having gratuitous violence, but I wouldn't take a 9 year old simply because of the plot (my youngest is 8). I think that's too young for a movie about kids killing kids. JMO.

I took my 14 yr old to see the movie, but I wouldn't take my 11 or 9 yr old to see it.

Read the book first, then decide to see the movie. There is not much gore, but I am not sure it is suitable for a 9 year old either. It's PG13 for a reason - no gore but a mature subject none the less.

In addition, the movie does not explain as well as the book the reason for The Hungar Games. It discusses it but not what it means to people and the deeper meaning behind it all. Honestly - it's just too mature of any 9year old I know.

If he's a "regular" 9 year old boy who isn't easily scared and has probably been exposed to a fair amount of PG type movie violence and video games, I would probably take him -particularly if he's read the books. The book was a lot more tense, gory and graphic than the movie. Honestly, if you would let him see Jurassic Park, I don't think the Hunger Games movie is any scarier or more gory. If he hasn't read the book, I think I would make him wait until he read it. I'm a big believer in books before movies!

You know your kid. If he hasn't been exposed to much more than G movies or scares easily -has nightmares -that sort of thing, of if he's seen movies like Jurassic Park or Pirates of the Caribbean and gotten upset or scared -wait a few years.

I didn't read the books before seeing (I will read 2 and 3 now), but my 17 year old did and I had a good idea of the "blood bath" scene and of course the plot (24 in but only one winner and a fight to the death and all that). They do show teens killing each other, blood, vicious death killer looks in their eyes and the callous attitude of some of these "killer kids".

At 9, my daughter, who reads any and everything and always has, likely would have read the books, but the graphic in your face movie screen version...nope, we would not have done that unless she was at least a few years older.

Aside from that, I loved it, did not want it to end (and its 2 1/2 hours long), and need to go buy the other books once I finish the book I have right now!

My husband and I went to see it and left the theater commenting that there is no way we would let young children see it. I appreciate the themes in the book and can see why tweens would be impressed by it (the book). However, seeing kids killing kids is much different than reading and using ones own imagination. I absolutely wouldn't take a child that had not read the book and even then it would depend on the maturity of the child. I can't imagine taking anyone less than 13-14 yrs old. By the way, I did read an article by a child psychologist who definitely said it was entirely too violent and even desensitizing for children who get entirely too much violence put before them. She did interviews and one boy said that he would "probably have nightmares". Even without the nightmares, I think it's just too much for anyone who hasn't read the book AND is a more mature 13 or 14 year old. Good luck! You are a good mom for caring enough to ask!

Updated

My husband and I went to see it and left the theater commenting that there is no way we would let young children see it. I appreciate the themes in the book and can see why tweens would be impressed by it. However, seeing kids killing kids is much different than reading and using ones own imagination. I absolutely wouldn't take a child that had not read the book and even then it would depend on the maturity of the child. I can't imagine taking anyone less than 13-14 yrs old. By the way, I did read an article by a child psychologist who definitely said it was entirely too violent and even desensitizing for children who get entirely too much violence put before them. She did interviews and one boy said that he would "probably have nightmares". Even without the nightmares, I think it's just too much for anyone who hasn't read the book AND is a more mature 13 or 14 year old. Good luck! You are a good mom for caring enough to ask!

Unless he has read the books I would say No.

Too much violence.

I saw maybe one younger child in the theater when I saw the movie. And there were still gasps all around me when one child broke another child's neck onscreen. No, I would not let children under 13 see the movie. Like other people mentioned, most younger children wouldn't even understand what it is about, so all they will see is a bunch of kids killing each other.

That said, as an adult, I loved the movie, and they did a great job with it (I read the book first).

My thriteen year old daughter just saw it and her verdict is: "absolutely not." According to her, she and her best friend screamed throughout the movie. In her words "...it was really intense."

If you don't normally watch movies where people are killing each other, than this is not the movie for him.

http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2012/03/23/what-age-can-see-...

My daughter is 9 and in 4th grade.
I will not let her see it.
She does not care to see it. Although all the kids in her grade level talk about it, not necessarily having read the book.
They are just going by the commercials and what they hear about it.
And it is the media frenzy, about it.