As Justice League makes its way into theaters this weekend, more than a few parents will be wondering if they can bring their kids along to see the highly anticipated team-up of DC Comics’ best. Like most superhero movies these days, the film is rated PG-13, for “sequences of sci-fi violence and action”. Most Marvel films are released with the same rating and a similar designation, and the four previous entries in the DCEU (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman) all shared a similar PG-13 label. But if you’re looking to decide whether or not the shared universe’s latest outing is appropriate for your little ones, it may actually be best to compare Justice League to the other four DCEU films.
Despite the fact that our heroes are faced with an apocalyptic scenario, Justice League really isn’t all that violent, either. The villains of the film, however, are a bit of a mixed bag in terms of kid-friendliness. Frankly, the main villain of the film, Steppenwolf, isn’t all that intimidating. Parents needn’t worry about the kiddies having nightmares about the warmongering baddie from Apokolips – unless they’re terrified of subpar CGI, that is. Truth be told, the most frightening things in Justice League are probably Steppenwolf’s legion of foot soldiers, which you can check out for yourself below.
Those guys are called Parademons, the minions of Apokolips that have come to aid Steppenwolf in his conquest of Earth.They have one or two somewhat intense moments in the film, and they actually have a pretty nightmare fuel-y design, so if your kids are scared of the creatures in the photo above, it might be wise to consider having them sit this one out.
All around, Justice League is neither a particularly scary film, nor one that’s all that complicated. The little ones should have no trouble keeping up with the action. Of course, whether or not you choose to bring them along is entirely up to you, because hey, we’re here to talk about movies, not tell you how to parent your children. You’ll make the right call; we believe in you!
