All the films in the following list are PG-13, PG, or older and unrated, and I went light on sexual themes in the PG-13 part (except for Austin Powers, because… it’s Austin Powers). This is just me quickly going through my own movie collection.
PG-13:
Arachnophobia (1990)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Cabin Boy (1994)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Director’s Cut, if you can
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Pirates of the Carribean (2006)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Sneakers (1992)
UHF (1989)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
PG:
*batteries not included (1987)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Dreams by Akira Kurosawa (1990)
Flow (2024)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Ghostbusters II (1985)
The Goonies (1985)
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Jewel of the Nile (1985)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Porco Rosso (1992)
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Producers (1967)
Indiana Jones original trilogy (1981-1989)
Real Genius (1985)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Spaceballs (1987)
Strange Brew (1983)
Three Amigos! (1986)
Time Bandits (1981)
Twins (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989)
War Games (1983)
The Wizard (1989)
Wizards (1977)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Unrated:
The Great Escape (1963)
Hundreds of Beavers (2024)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Nova Seed (2016)
Rashomon (1950)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Stalker (1979)
Also, special mention to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) which would be otherwise PG except for the scene where Steve Martin says “fuck” 18 times, which alone earned it it’s R rating.
FYI PG-13 seems to only be a rating in a handful of countries, such as america, Iraq, Lebanon, Singapore and Qatar (I hadn’t heard of it so did a quick search).
In Canada and Australia for example, Gremlins is rated PG
Really? I always heard/read that it was as a response to Alien getting an R rating.
And actually, Alien is not a bad answer to this question. It was my 9yo and 7yo’s first R rated movie and they absolutely loved it. Plus, it sets them up for more good sci-fi down the road. My kids just watched Interstellar at 11 and 9 and really enjoyed themselves
Showed my 10 and 9 year old boys Alien a few months back. Followed by Aliens (and then AVP). 9 year old was way more scared by Aliens and AVP than the first Alien. But I tested the water on them with Prey, which they really dug.
I thought Prey would be great for pre-teens, but my wife hasn’t seen it and was super skeptical (and she didn’t want to watch it, which was probably more of the issue), so… shrug. Next time she’s having a night out, we’ll probably do it.
Tangentially related (since this is our go to when the wife is out of town), all 3 of my kids have loved kaiju movies since the oldest was in diapers, so if you haven’t watched Pacific Rim and the modern “kaiju-verse” (or whatever it’s called), I highly recommend it, ideally from a pillow fort on the couch so you can play act being kaiju and knocking over your own city if it gets slow.
Some men are Baptists. Others, Catholic. But me? I’m a Godzilla fan. (Also, Episcopalian, but you get what I mean).
For real tho, I’ve been into kaiju films since I was about six and have introduced them to my kids. My 4 y/o daughter is probably the most obsessed of them. She really digs Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And we all had a blast with Pacific Rim. I even took my eldest to see Godzilla -0.1 in theaters.
Prey is great. It really mixes up the Predator franchise and feels super fresh. It’s pretty violent but, to me, just a smidge above typical PG-13 violence—there is animal violence, so keep that in mind if that’s a problem (you see a few animals get skinned and a wolf gets disemboweled, but it’s shown from a distance and is quick; there’s a pretty intense scene with a bear that gets kinda bloody, but honestly the animal scenes are kinda obviously CGI so it doesn’t look overly realistic). There’s also a bit in the middle that’s in untranslated French, but that’s a cinematic choice. My kids were kinda distracted because they thought the subtitles were broken lol.
Proceed with caution with the Dark Crystal. Idk if I was too young to watch when I did, or what, but it scared the bejeebus outta me; I couldn’t even look at the cover until I was an older teen
Nope. I didn’t see that movie till I was 23 and my reaction at the end was, “Your parents showed you this as a kid and thought that was ok, but TMNT was ‘too violent’‽” This was said to my girlfriend at the time. That movie was DARK. I haven’t seen it since then, so about 20 years, and IIRC genocide, slavery, and the apocalypse all feature heavily in the main plot, and almost the only redeeming character in the movie was named Fizzgig. He was a mutant Pomeranian.
Kung Fu Hustle is rated R, which was outside of the general range of ratings I went for. It’s been a while since I watched it and I couldn’t remember specifically what got it that rating.
Description from Common Sense Media:
Parents need to know that Kung Fu Hustle is a Hong Kong martial arts comedy starring Stephen Chow. It has lots of stylized and cartoonish violence and blood. Scenes show the aftermath of people dead from ax wounds (axes sticking out from bodies), gunned down by gunfire, and beaten up; bullying (kids beat up a boy and urinate on him); and people dying from fighting. A person is decapitated, and a cat is cut in half, but these are only shown in shadow. People are “comically” stabbed by knives, beaten up, threatened, and chased. One effeminate man is often called a “fairy” and made fun of. The movie also has fat jokes. A married man often flirts with other women, but this is part of an act. Characters range from naive romantics to hard-core hired killers, and the tone is wildly comic, often paying homage to previous martial arts films. The main character shows some positive values in his redemption story, eventually becoming compassionate and showing integrity. Adults drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and cigars, and one man smokes opium out of a pipe. Strong language includes “f–k,” “bulls–t,” “a–hole,” “ass,” “bitch,” “fairy,” “damn,” “hell,” and “piss.”
Seems definitely a bit more mature than Shaolin Soccer was, at least in my opinion.
I watched Gremlins 2 when I was 13, and it scarred me for life. I did not find it funny at all, and it gave me nightmares for days. I have not seen it as an adult, and currently being 40+ years old, I probably never will.
Huh, I was only 11ish watching it, I think I thought the first one was scarier or had a darker tone, the pool scene was a bit scary for one, maybe it was the music? Also they seemed much more menacing in 1 but it could have been due to the slapstick comedy it was sandwiched with in part 2 that made it feel less frightening.
All that said, I ended up watching Nightmare on Elm Street too young so that may have skewed my interpretation of scary. Yes younger than Gremlins 2, but I also quite enjoyed Nightmare on Elm Street and watched them all (well not 2 as much), so maybe just my experience.
If you’re a Star Trek fan the Voyager doctor is there for some comedy, if you’re a Smallville fan Lyonel Luthor is there…has a decent cast for the movie it is. Oh and forgot Christopher Lee too heh.
All the films in the following list are PG-13, PG, or older and unrated, and I went light on sexual themes in the PG-13 part (except for Austin Powers, because… it’s Austin Powers). This is just me quickly going through my own movie collection.
PG-13:
PG:
Unrated:
Also, special mention to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) which would be otherwise PG except for the scene where Steve Martin says “fuck” 18 times, which alone earned it it’s R rating.
If the adventures of Baron Munchausen is the movie I think it is, Uma Thurman’s nipple is on screen for a minute. Just the one nipple I believe.
You might want to switch Gremlins to the PG-13 category. The PG-13 rating was invented as a response to Gremlins being PG.
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/how-gremlins-helped-change-movie-ratings-forever-with-pg-13
FYI PG-13 seems to only be a rating in a handful of countries, such as america, Iraq, Lebanon, Singapore and Qatar (I hadn’t heard of it so did a quick search).
In Canada and Australia for example, Gremlins is rated PG
Really? I always heard/read that it was as a response to Alien getting an R rating.
And actually, Alien is not a bad answer to this question. It was my 9yo and 7yo’s first R rated movie and they absolutely loved it. Plus, it sets them up for more good sci-fi down the road. My kids just watched Interstellar at 11 and 9 and really enjoyed themselves
Showed my 10 and 9 year old boys Alien a few months back. Followed by Aliens (and then AVP). 9 year old was way more scared by Aliens and AVP than the first Alien. But I tested the water on them with Prey, which they really dug.
I thought Prey would be great for pre-teens, but my wife hasn’t seen it and was super skeptical (and she didn’t want to watch it, which was probably more of the issue), so… shrug. Next time she’s having a night out, we’ll probably do it.
Tangentially related (since this is our go to when the wife is out of town), all 3 of my kids have loved kaiju movies since the oldest was in diapers, so if you haven’t watched Pacific Rim and the modern “kaiju-verse” (or whatever it’s called), I highly recommend it, ideally from a pillow fort on the couch so you can play act being kaiju and knocking over your own city if it gets slow.
Some men are Baptists. Others, Catholic. But me? I’m a Godzilla fan. (Also, Episcopalian, but you get what I mean).
For real tho, I’ve been into kaiju films since I was about six and have introduced them to my kids. My 4 y/o daughter is probably the most obsessed of them. She really digs Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And we all had a blast with Pacific Rim. I even took my eldest to see Godzilla -0.1 in theaters.
Prey is great. It really mixes up the Predator franchise and feels super fresh. It’s pretty violent but, to me, just a smidge above typical PG-13 violence—there is animal violence, so keep that in mind if that’s a problem (you see a few animals get skinned and a wolf gets disemboweled, but it’s shown from a distance and is quick; there’s a pretty intense scene with a bear that gets kinda bloody, but honestly the animal scenes are kinda obviously CGI so it doesn’t look overly realistic). There’s also a bit in the middle that’s in untranslated French, but that’s a cinematic choice. My kids were kinda distracted because they thought the subtitles were broken lol.
Done, it was showing as PG in my collection, thanks for the tip.
Depends on what countries classification system you’re using. Most countries don’t use pg-13
Proceed with caution with the Dark Crystal. Idk if I was too young to watch when I did, or what, but it scared the bejeebus outta me; I couldn’t even look at the cover until I was an older teen
Nope. I didn’t see that movie till I was 23 and my reaction at the end was, “Your parents showed you this as a kid and thought that was ok, but TMNT was ‘too violent’‽” This was said to my girlfriend at the time. That movie was DARK. I haven’t seen it since then, so about 20 years, and IIRC genocide, slavery, and the apocalypse all feature heavily in the main plot, and almost the only redeeming character in the movie was named Fizzgig. He was a mutant Pomeranian.
I came here to offer suggestions, but damn my dude, blockbuster never would have died if they had you in charge!
You’re going to mention Shaolin Soccer but not Kung-Fu Hustle? Come on.
Kung Fu Hustle is rated R, which was outside of the general range of ratings I went for. It’s been a while since I watched it and I couldn’t remember specifically what got it that rating.
Description from Common Sense Media:
Seems definitely a bit more mature than Shaolin Soccer was, at least in my opinion.
Is it really? Probably all the violence. That’s a shame.
Meh, there’s plenty worse violence daytime anime. I think if a parent is ok with Shaolin Soccer then Kung Fu Hustle is fine.
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is better.
I assume they’re talking about the “who’s throwing handles?” scene, which is fucking hilarious.
This person movies…
…“fairy”?
Homophobic insult to an effeminate man
I watched Gremlins 2 when I was 13, and it scarred me for life. I did not find it funny at all, and it gave me nightmares for days. I have not seen it as an adult, and currently being 40+ years old, I probably never will.
Huh, I was only 11ish watching it, I think I thought the first one was scarier or had a darker tone, the pool scene was a bit scary for one, maybe it was the music? Also they seemed much more menacing in 1 but it could have been due to the slapstick comedy it was sandwiched with in part 2 that made it feel less frightening.
All that said, I ended up watching Nightmare on Elm Street too young so that may have skewed my interpretation of scary. Yes younger than Gremlins 2, but I also quite enjoyed Nightmare on Elm Street and watched them all (well not 2 as much), so maybe just my experience.
If you’re a Star Trek fan the Voyager doctor is there for some comedy, if you’re a Smallville fan Lyonel Luthor is there…has a decent cast for the movie it is. Oh and forgot Christopher Lee too heh.
Haven’t watched it in years still.