Is “The Hunger Games” to Violent for Your Children? [VIDEO]

Along with all the hype over "The Hunger Games", there's also been some hysteria about whether or not you should take your kids to see this movie. Here is what I can tell you:

It's rated PG-13, and by all accounts, that rating is well earned. The movie is about an oppressive government that pits children against each other in a battle to the death.
It's not clear how graphic the deaths are, but "Time" film critic Mary Pols says, quote, "Nearly two dozen kids aged 12 to 18 die by machete, sword, blows with a brick, a spear to the chest, arrows, having their necks snapped. All damage inflicted by each other." She adds that the tone of the book is, quote, "somber, disorienting, and permeated with an underlying sense of mourning that doesn't fade with victory."
Now I am sure that we are not going to see sword blows like those in the movie "300", but exchanges more along the lines of "Musketeers" and "Harry Potter".  So the rule of thumb may be that if Deathly Hallows: The Harry Potter finale was fine for your kids, then "The Hunger Games" should be okay.
On the other hand, it's up to YOU as a parent to decide what you think YOUR kids can handle. And every child is different. But if they're particularly young and haven't read the book, it may not be a good idea to subject them to this.

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