Movies with my son

Grim/Don

Grim/Don

Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
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My boy's 7 years old. Couple weeks ago I got to thinking that there's a bunch of cool movies he hasn't seen. So I started in with some of my favorites... Escape from New York and Big Trouble in Little China. Had a wild idea on the way home tonight, Enter the Dragon! Soon is going to be the Star Wars movies and the Lord of the Rings movies. (just hooked up a new surround sound system and it's awesome.)

He wants to see Hellraiser (I've got a pinhead statue), but I've told him that's got to wait 5-6 years yet for that one.

So... Any ideas? Has to be a movie that has lots of action (we picked up the Incredibles this weekend and (he's) watched it 5 times so far...) can't be too scary/gross, but he watched some of 13 Ghosts on Sci-Fi with me and it didn't seem to bother him (I specifically asked, and gave him the open of sleeping at the foot of our bed that night). He's a Samurai Jack and TMNT fan, so movies with/about martial arts should score good. (we went to the theater to see Hero together!)

Thanks!
 
The Goonies...ya' gotta watch The Goonies. :D
 
yeah, definitely the goonies. how about Stand by Me? there are tons i would recommend but can't think of atm.
 
I've always watched horror movies even as a child (6-7 years old) 'cos my mom used to bring back some video nasties for me to watch. I even remember watching Zombie Flesheaters then.

I love Bruce Lee and even studied Jeet Kune Do but i never really enjoyed Enter the Dragon as much as Way of the Dragon.

However, there are certain sorta children and action movies that i enjoy even till now.

1) Willow
2) Goonies
3) Labyrinth (i remember jennifer connelly being so hot in it)

4) Ghostbusters
5) Old Jackie Chan movies. They're the best and funniest.
6) If you want to let him watch some horror, let him watch Army of Darkness.

7) All 3 Indiana Jones movies
8) Terminator 2
9) Back to the Future
10) If you think it won't mess him up, let him watch a couple of action movies like Leon and Aliens.
 
We LOVE Jackie Chan movies! Whenever a new one comes out, he wants to go to the theater to see it.

Willow is one I've never seen all of myself, so that's on the list. Caught 'some' of Goonies and didn't care for it. Saw Labyrinth yeaaaaars ago, Don't remember much about it.

We've already seen Army of Darkness. I pointed out Evil Dead 1 & 2 at the movie store and told him that AoD was a sequel. He wanted to know if we could see the 1st two... Nope 5-6 more years on those,too.

He's seen some of Alien (my wife left the room, and it it was on broadcast!). By Leon, do you mean The Professional? If so, that's one of my favorite movies, but the family getting offed near the begining makes it a 5-6 movie.

Stand By me is great, but I think it's more of an adult movie than a kids type movie.
 
I'd recommend the Thunderbirds TV series fromthe 60's (They're available in DVD sets.) He also enjoyed the Thunderbirds movie from last year.

How about the old Johnny Quest cartoon series? My son loves them as well. The first season is available on DVD.

I'll try to think of some others...
 
The animated Castle in the Sky, by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, is a good kid's movie. There is a version distributed by Disney that has English voices dubbed in.
 
"Stand by Me" is a bit vulgar for a 7 IMO.

I reccomend "The Princess Bride" and "Labyrinth".
 
heh, sheesh i saw that movie when i was pretty young. The Never Ending Story and the karate kid movies, but you've probably seen them. The Sandlot. that movie where the baseball player kid goes back in time, something knight.
 
It really depends on the maturity level of your son, I would expect that Big Trouble in Little China would be scary, it scared the crap out of me when I was around your sons age.
 
Several of the films in this thread are really very scary for a 7 year old. Any of the Terminator films would be overload for a child of that age, I should think. "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal", both by the late and great Jim Henson, are superb, but dark, fantasies that are best watched with an articulate and sympathetic parent at that age. "Willow" is a bit more of an action adventure sort of movie, but it still has some rather scary moments if your child is given to that, as do any of the Jurassic Park films. All of these need parental care in the showing to a 7 year old.

Some that I recommend heartily are the Disney version of "Johnny Tremain" if you can find it, as well as the Disney "Rob Roy", both from the 1950s and once out in VHS. They are both exciting and well-done films. Pretty much any John Wayne film, especially the westerns, would be good. Try "Rio Bravo" and "The Alamo". You might want to match that up with the recent version of "The Alamo". The two "Ghostbusters" films MIGHT be fun for him since much of the adult humor will go over his head and the ghosts are not all that scary in the context. "2001, A Space Oddyssey" might get boring for him, but then again it might not. The Star Wars original trilogy are always good. The recent "The Mask of Zorro" with Banderas and Hopkins is lousy history but a good flick. "ET" is always a good one, as are the first and third Indiana Jones films. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is not really appropriate for a 7 year old, IMO.

Actually, any of the older live action Disney films can be fun and you would be surprised how enjoyable they can be for you. I still get a kick out of a younger Angela Lansbury in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and it gives you a good place from which to discuss the difference between fantasy and reality as well as the history of World War II, should you so desire.
 
How about The Princess Bride? It features pirates, giants (Andre the giant), lots of sword fighting, and Rodents of Unusual Size. Despite the title it isn't "mushy" either.
 
old Davey Crockett films, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea with Kirk Douglas, Goonies, Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back and the new Revenge of the Sith would be too scary for a little kid, I had nightmares for a month once I saw Han Solo get frozen in carbonite), there are a lot of other movies, take your son to the local rental store and see whatever he picks out. My father raised me on cowboy and scifi movies and hopes that the Orioles would win the Series!
 
Big Trouble didn't scare him at all. He's pretty wise for someone his age. Like I said, he watched some of 13 Ghosts and it's didn't seem to bother him (and I asked him more than once about it).

I'm not too sure on how he would do on Westerns... I'll have to get a good Clint movie and see (Outlaw Josy Wales would work, GBU would be too long; he'd get bored.)

I've already suggested the Star Wars movies to him, but he thinks he won't like them (I think he thinking about the cartoon on Cartoon Network)

I'm not looking for "kids" movies we can see, he's got enough of those. I'm looking for adult movies that a boy would enjoy. No nudity (girls are still icky), no excessive gore, some swearing, but not a lot (I won't let him watch South park with me). Movies that are mildly horror would be okay (no Exorcist or Hellraiser). We watched I, Robot last night (after I bitched about it stealing the book's title!), and there was mild swearing in that, but we both (and the wife) liked it.

Thanks for the tips, guys... I've got some to add to the list (even some I haven't seen yet!)
 
Peter Sellers' Pink Panther movies.
Watching your child's sense of humor grow is way cool.
 
Get him into the bond series.

Great movies.

Also take him to see Robots. You'll enjoy it too (hell me and 5 other 19 year olds went to see it and it was awesome.)
 
Either of the Shrek films are just funny as can be for parents and kids, the adult humor being pretty subtle goes over the kids' heads. "Shrek 2" is just about the funniest film that I have ever seen.* Another one that is similarly funny is "The Incredibles". And all of that pust me in mind of seeing "Men In Black" on its openning day. The theater was, as you can imagine, mobbed, and there was this little kid, perhaps 7 or 8 years old abot 2 rows back from me who would shriek loudly at each one of the alien monsters and them burst out into laughter. It would have been irritating as Hell except that he was so obviously having the time of his life. Try him on the two "MiB" films, but I suggest you be there to support him if they get too much.

* The assassin as drawn and then voiced by Antonio Banderas was an absolute stitch!
 
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