Much has been made of this final entry in the "Star Wars" series receiving a PG-13 rating rather than PG like its predecessors. To be honest, the last film -- "Attack of the Clones" -- easily could have been rated PG-13 (especially for a boy seeing his father be decapitated -- sans any blood -- and then holding his helmet covered head). For much of this film, most of violence is on par with the last two offerings, meaning there's plenty of sci-fi based fighting and/or killing via light sabers, lasers and such, and while most of that remains bloodless, it's stepped up a notch or two in intensity.
Then the killing spree begins, with many characters -- good and bad -- meeting their demise, including some young kids (we only see their bodies), while a major good character is corrupted by evil and is then severely wounded. The repeated sight of him as a charred and bloody torso (with just one mechanical arm left on it) may be too much for some kids (and even adults).
Thus, the film may be too intense for younger viewers (depending, of course, on their level of maturity and past exposure to such material), but for those concerned about the PG-13 aged crowd, the film isn't any more violent than the "Lord of the Rings" films and isn't anywhere as intense or scary (for kids) as "Jurassic Park." That said, here's our standard content summary:
The following is a brief look at the content found in this sci-fi film that's been rated PG-13. There's no profanity, only a handful of colorful phrases, and the sex/nudity category is limited to a wife being pregnant (and later wearing a strapless nightgown) and some brief, miscellaneous cleavage.
Violence consists of all sorts of intense, sci-fi based fighting with a variety of weapons where various characters (human and otherwise) are injured or killed and all sorts of space ships are destroyed or damaged.
Most of that's bloodless, although some limbs are severed, two characters are decapitated and then a main character has his legs and one arm cut off before catching on fire (we see then see his charred and bloody torso -- with one mechanical arm). Such violence and visuals, along with other moments of peril, may be rather intense for some viewers, particularly younger kids. Other kids may be enticed to imitate the fighting and other such stunts.
All of the villains have bad attitudes, including a hero who progressively turns evil and murders various people, including kids (thus the thematic element of succumbing to evil). Before that, he worries about premonitions about his wife's death in childbirth that eventually comes true.
Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.