The following contains minor spoilers for Captain Marvel**.**
Marvel's newest comic book superhero is here and you can be sure that some pretty big crowds will be checking it out this weekend. With the character being based on popular comic books, one can also be sure that fans of all ages will want to check out Captain Marvel, but does the new film really work for all ages? We'll break it down so you can make a knowledgeable decision.
First and foremost, Captain Marvel, like all other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is rated PG-13. That shouldn't be one's only determining factor in whether the movie is ok for kids, but as the guide it's meant to be, it certainly helps set up the scene. If we look at the different elements that usually add up to create a film's rating we can see how Captain Marvel handles each one.
In the realm of sex and nudity, parents need not worry about anything in any possible way. There's nothing that even hints at such things in Captain Marvel. There isn't so much as an overtly romantic relationship in the film. The relationship between the two main leads, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), is of the "buddy cop" variety only. There isn't even a platonic kiss on the cheek that I recall.
When it comes to language, there isn't a great deal to report there either. While the PG-13 rating allows for one, non-sexual, F-bomb, the film decides against using it. There is some language that probably isn't appropriate around the average family dinner table, but if your kids have been exposed to other PG-13 movies, it's nothing they haven't heard before.
When it comes to violence, as you likely could have guessed, things are a little different. There is a lot of action that largely means people getting punched in the face or shot at. Of course, since Captain Marvel is very focused on a couple different races of space alien, most of the action is of the sci-fi ray gun variety. Captain Marvel shoots photon blasts from her and space ships fire lasers at each other.
This certainly takes the action out of the realm of reality by quite bit. There is a minor amount of blood as a result of some of the violence, but not all of it is even red, making it that much more surreal and less likely to be scary to the more impressionable.
Captain Marvel is a bit more "comic book" than some of Marvel's more recent films, everything is a bit more over the top and while the added bit of cartoonishness might not work for every viewer, kids will probably love it.
If there's any reason Captain Marvel could be a problem for kids of any age it may be a couple other elements that cause that.
First off, the story of Captain Marvel is told in a nonlinear fashion. Our lead character deals with repressed memories and flashbacks that aren't explicitly explained as such. This means the youngest kids could potentially have trouble following the story, meaning somebody older might need to be there to whisper what's going on.
Secondly, and this is a very minor issue, the movie takes place during the 1990s. As such there's a lot of jokes and references made at the expense of the decade. Jokes will be lost on younger viewers and, assuming you understand, you might need to justify the 90s after the movie is over. Good luck with that.
All kids are different and each parent will have to decide what is acceptable for each kid. Having said that, nearly all kids will probably be fine with Captain Marvel. It opens Friday
