four kinds of lies? (lies, damned lies, statistics, and film ratings)

Suitable for kids? That’s just a G-up – www.smh.com.au

The other day I took a preschool child to see the first 20 minutes of Nemo, which was as much as she could bear before I had to remove her from the cinema, shaking with terror and begging to get away. As I carried her up the stairs I could see the rest of the audience.

Everybody over the age of maybe seven or eight was enjoying it hugely. However, almost every child under that age, about a quarter of the audience, was more or less paralysed with fear. They knew something was up when Nemo’s mother and siblings were eaten in the opening minutes, but the chase through the sunken submarine by a giant, murderous shark in a feeding frenzy sealed the deal.

Fortunately, I heard about nightmare potential before it got popular, so I have been able to avoid dealing the aftermath. Still, it would useful if the ratings really reflected the content of the movie.