Alright, so yesterday, my kid really wanted to watch this superhero movie everyone was buzzing about – b4. Sounded fun, right? But before hitting play, figured I better check if it’s actually okay for his age. You know how it is.
The “Oh Crap” Moment
Fired up my usual go-to movie rating site first thing. Typed in b4… and nothing useful popped up. Weird. Tried a couple more sites. Same deal. Either super vague descriptions or ratings that felt off. Ended up on some forum where folks were arguing about how intense the final battle was. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.
Digging Deeper (The Hard Way)
Got stubborn. Decided to piece it together myself, parent-detective style:
- Checked the Big Official Rating: Okay, PG-13. That means “some stuff” probably, but doesn’t tell me what stuff, or if it’s the non-stop action kind or the disturbing imagery kind.
- Scrolled Through User Reviews: Spent ages filtering parent reviews. Found some gold: “Lots of loud explosions.” “Kid hid during the monster bits.” “My ten-year-old loved it, felt the fights were okay.” Mixed bag, honestly.
- Zeroed in on Content Details: Finally found one site breaking down why it got PG-13. Jackpot: “Intense sequences of sci-fi action/violence,” “brief language,” and, crucially, “some intense thematic elements around loss.” That last one got me thinking.
- Common Sense Check: Remembered my kid hates sudden, loud noises and gets upset with sad animal scenes. The “loss” theme plus big battles? Could be a problem.
It took flipping between like, three different sites and reading way too many conflicting opinions before I felt like I had a half-decent picture.
Decision Time
Looked at my kid, then thought about those “intense thematic elements” and non-stop action. He’s a bit sensitive sometimes. Even though other 10-year-olds might handle it, decided b4 wasn’t the best pick for him right now. Saved it for later years.
Found some animated flick rated PG instead. Kid loved it, no nightmares. Win. But man, checking that one movie rating properly took way longer and needed way more legwork than it should’ve. Those rating summaries alone? Completely useless.
