The spy movies which caused James Bond films to make drastic
changes.
The Bourne Identity is the first film in the Bourne
Franchise that has spawned three sequels starring Matt Damon and one with
Jeremy Renner. The films are known for their fantastic action, intriguing
internal CIA politics, and the mystery of discovering Jason Bourne’s past. When
is a good age to introduce kids to these fantastic films? The action can be
intense in the series and the story could be hard to follow for those who don’t
pay close attention. The Bourne identity is rated PG-13, and a PG-13 film is
somewhat of a grey area when it comes to the rating system. They can range from
extremely dark and gritty pushing the R boundary, to extremely kid friendly
with one or two words or situations which push the movie to the PG-13 status.
There is not much foul language in The Bourne Identity. It
does use its one allotted F word, and some other cuss words, but nothing which
would prevent me from letting my twelve year old watch, or even anyone a few
years younger than that. The film has one sexual situation, but we just see
Jason and the love interest of the film Marie start to kiss. This isn’t
anything which would prevent me from letting any age range watch. The reason
the movie gets its PG-13 rating is for its intense action. There are brutal
hand to hand fight scenes along with some gun violence. There are also a few
graphic images from some deaths. These would be the parts of the film which
would hold me back from letting younger kids watch. The two most shocking are
when we see the poor land lady shot in the head, and when the assassin jumps
out the window and we see him lying on the street. You don’t see the land lady
get shot, nor do you see the assassin hit the pavement, if so this would have
been an R movie, but it would still give me pause for anyone eight or under.
The main issue, besides the violence, I would have with
showing younger kids The Bourne Identity or any of the Bourne movies are the
complex stories the films tell. Is it complex for adults who pay attention? No,
but trying explaining amnesia to a seven year old, along with brainwashing.
They also have to understand the complex political situation going on at the
CIA during the story. A secret shadow operation within the CIA creating
programmed assassins is a fantastic concept to base a story around, but not
easy to grasp for children. When I introduce my kids to a story I want them to
be able to understand and enjoy most if not all points to the film. Yes an
eight to ten year old would enjoy the movie for the sheer action, but might
fail to grasp all of the twist and turns the story takes. The parts were they
are trying to determine who the dead body is in the morgue, and why it is there
could be hard to follow. I guess you could argue to let a child watch when they
are younger and enjoy the action, and when they get older they can enjoy the
complexity. I think doing this runs the risk of the kid being bored by the
parts with no action.
I remember going to watch the Bourne Identity for the first
time and not knowing what to expect. Matt Damon as an action star? Seriously? I
thought the trailers looked good and I was a Matt Damon fan. I loved Good Will
Hunting, Rounders and many other of his early work and this looked interesting.
I remember walking out of the theater being blown away. Wanting to read the
books the character was based on and hoping there would be more movies. It was
one of the first times I remember buying a DVD as soon as it was released.
Which now have updated to the Blu-Ray and digital versions. It is a film
franchise I want my kids to enjoy and I’m happy I can share it with my twelve
year old, if I can actually get him to sit down and watch them. All of the
films starring Damon are re-watchable, and he pulled off being an action star
remarkably well. He didn’t have to latch onto a superhero franchise, he carved
one out for himself.
The Bourne Identity is a
fantastic spy thriller, and is one which can eventually be enjoyed by all. I
think the right age range for kids to watch is anywhere between 9 to 11
depending on the child. When would you let your kids watch The Bourne Identity
if you have them. What age where you when you saw the movie originally since I’m
becoming an old man? Comment and let me know.
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