Appropriate Age to Start Watching Bond?

PDJamesBond

Hey everyone,

First, as always I apologize if there is a thread on this somewhere else in the forum. I did a search but couldn’t find anything.

I have a question for my fellow Bond fanatics: Do you have an opinion on an appropriate age to start watching Bond films? I started very young – around four or five. The only movie I can recall watching before 007 was Star Wars. My wife and I now have a four-month-old baby, and I’m wondering when I should start him (naturally, if he doesn't love Bond, he will be put up for adoption :-) ). I think four or five is a little young, but I don’t know – I started at that age and I’m (reasonably) normal.

I think it might depend on his maturity level, and also on the film itself – I won’t be letting him watch LTK for a VERY long time, for example, but DN seems fairly harmless in comparison.

What do you all think?

Scott

doubleoego

There's no guide book to parenting advice on these things. I think you'll instinctively know when the time's right. You're kid's only 4 months old, let him get past iggle piggle and pepper pig first.

PDJamesBond

I love Peppa Pig! I won't be springing Bond on my son anytime soon...I'm just wondering as a general guideline in the future :)

doubleoego

Haha! I guess around 5/6 ish perhaps. It's a bit hard to tell. Kids these days are either more mature than kids from 20/30 years ago or are extremely babyish. I think Dr.No and perhaps GF maybe good starting points but you'll know your kid best and what he may be able to handle. There's a lot of trial and error in parenting but in these sorts of situations I think you'll be able to determine when the time's right. But yeah, Dr.No and GF seem ok...I think :-SS

OnlyManWhoCan

My favourite Bond movie as a kid was The Spy Who Loved Me as it is kinda a greatest hits package. Any Roger Moore movie is a pretty good bet TBH as they are more cartoonish* and contain just enough set-pieces and larger-than-life characters to maintain interest.

Saying that I also adored the underwater stuff in Thunderball as a child but find it a little overlong as an adult!

As much as I love the modern Bond movies (and I really do) I think they might be a bit too brutal for younger viewers. They are skewing more towards adult audiences to I would wait until early teens for those.

*FYI there is nothing wrong with a cartoonish Bond now and again!

ThomasCrown76

My kids love bond, they're seven and four. They're smart and mature

Goldenball

You can start playing the soundtracks, now. Trust me, he'll thank you later.

Murdock

I think 6/7 is a good age to start. Brosnan's and Moore's films are perfect for the younger aged kids then move onto the more mature Bond films in their teen years.

PDJamesBond

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I do agree that the Craig films are a bit too "adult" for kids. Moore films are what I fell in love with growing up, so that seems like a good place to start (along with Connery, of course).

OHMSS69

I was twelve when I saw DN and GF on a double bill. I agree that the Criag films are too "adult" as is LTK. I say start them at 10-11 and with the Moore and Brosnan films. After the onset of puberty then they can graduate to the first seven films. Then hit them with the Craig and Dalton films.

RogueAgent

I would use the edited films shown on ITV. That is what I did and they worked a treat.

Dragonpol

I probably became a Bond fan at the age of seven or thereabouts.

boldfinger

If he´s four months old I´d say you´re fairly late. You should have done intensive Bondathons with your wife while she was pregnant, as it is imperative that the foetus absorbes lots of positive influences :-B .

My earliest tv movie remembrances were of a rather crappy nature. For quite a long time, I deduced that I wasn´t old enough to understand those films then, and hence had these crappy memories. But then, some 30 years later, I happened to watch some of those same films again, and found out that it had been the films all the time that were so crappy. Which leads me personally to the suggestion that kids can at least discern well-done films from crap, despite possible changes of taste throughout life.
And starting to watch Bond films no earlier than at the age of 13 or so wasn´t a good thing for sure.

patb

We all know that the tone of Bonds has changed over the years. IMHO the comic RM Bond is lighter and therefore easier for kids than the darker Bonds. Obviouisly, its down to the parents. What does annoy me is parents who have kids round and let kids watch movies of a higher certification without checking with the parents. Thats just not fair

HASEROT

i've started showing Bond movies to my little nieces and nephews around the age of 6 or 7.... though, even though they are now 8 and 10 years old, they have yet to develop the attention span to sit through a whole movie - they tend to usually get distracted either by their toys, or one of the other siblings wanting to go play or whatever.... but they know who Bond is, and for the most part (from what they've watched) they like the movies - though they don't like it when i get in my little moods where thats all i want to watch is Bond movies lol.... but, hopefully as they get older they'll be able to sit through 'em..

i remember i didn't get into Bond movies until i was about 12 or 13.

Last_Rat_Standing

My son is 10 months and since he is an early riser, I'll wake up with him and put in a Bond film just to have on.

sunsanvil

Call me old fashioned, but I'd reserve Bond for year 13. Even something like the fight on the train (FRWL) I deem inappropriate for young children.

suavejmf

I watched my first Bond on TV (FYEO) at 6 years old. Loved it ever since.....my Parents since Bond as part of British culture so I was never deemed too young. Watched LTK on the Sky Premiere at 8 years old! I won't be censoring it for my childern either (when I have them that is).