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What parents should know about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
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Should I or should I not take my kids to the new Star Wars? While it may be a foregone conclusion that you are taking your kids to "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," here is a helpful guide to help you decide. - photo by David Clyde
THE MOVIE THEATER Should I or should I not take my kids to the new Star Wars? While it may be a foregone conclusion that you are taking your kids to "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," here is a helpful guide to help you decide.

Violence/gore

I think if we were to tally the death toll in all of the Star Wars movies combined, we would easily be in the millions, considering entire planets have been blown up during the series. Despite these staggering statistics, the Star Wars franchise manages to stay pretty tame in the gore department.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi depicts very little, if any, blood throughout the film, despite non-stop fighting and explosions. There is one scene in particular where a character suffers a rather intense death, but director Rian Johnson manages to keep it blood and gutless.

However, just because there isn't a lot of blood, don't think this film is not violent this movie is non-stop violence but I guess you probably knew that. If your kids have seen any of the previous Star Wars movies, you know how to judge their sensitivity to it. There are a lot of explosions, a lot of loud and intense fight scenes and more than one death that could generate some questions from younger children.

Intensity

There are few scenes where things get intense and may elicit a jump or two, but nothing too bad. There is a strong sense of urgency running throughout the film which sets the scene for some effective dramatic tension. This element is used to good effect by creating a feeling in the movie that, for the most part, makes every minute matter, so if your kids get nervous about seeing people in life or death situations without a moment to lose, they will definitely feel it on this one.

Sexuality/nudity

As far as sexuality goes in this film, there is none to speak of and nothing even slightly hinted at. As far as nudity goes, I cant really say there was any, but I also cant say there wasnt some. Let me explain: there is one scene where we see a main character milk a strange lactating beast sitting on a rocky beach. In theory, this is no different than what we do with cows, but this scene was just so weird and not like what we do with cows. It didn't seem offensive, I just knew I was going to have a hard time explaining it later.

Language

The language in Star Wars: The Last Jedi is very tame with maybe four or five swear words uttered throughout. The offending potty mouth is owned by Poe Dameron, as he is often agitated in the film and lets a few words fly when things get heated.

Conclusion

There should be little doubt that you will see a lot of violence in this film, but for the most part, it is fun, action-based violence between the light and dark side that you have come to love from the Star Wars franchise. Though Star Wars: The Last Jedi gets intense at times, it is nothing more than what most kids even as young as eight years old cant understand. Be prepared to possibly answer some questions from your children about good/bad and right/wrong and maybe about what kind of milk is appropriate to drink.

Overall, this movie is fun and easy to enjoy.
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