Is 'Venom' OK For Kids Under 10? Here's What Parents Can Expect

Even with summer blockbusters done and over with, there's still some feature films that almost everyone you know is bound to see — and Venom is one of them. Considering the movie's namesake isn't always involved in the most family-friendly activities, parents might be wondering if Venom is appropriate for kids under 10. Although the movie doesn't have an R rating, here's what you can expect from it.

Venom is set to be released on Oct. 5, according to IMDB, and after Venom's trailer was officially released, many outlets did expect the movie to earn an R rating. For instance, Express predicted that the movie would earn an R rating in America (and the British equivalent there), given the trailer's dark tone. It's a fair assumption to make, since Venom, the central character of the film, isn't the typical superhero — in fact, depending on who you ask, Venom isn't a hero at all.

Venom follows the story of journalist Eddie Brock, who comes into contact with an alien symbiote that gives him superpowers, as long as they share the same body, according to IMDB. Tom Hardy, who plays Brock in the film, described his character as an anti-hero that would "do whatever he has to do" in order to accomplish a goal, according to Collider.

Surprisingly, though, Venom only has a PG-13 rating. So, how appropriate is it for kids?

As a character, Venom certainly isn't a stranger to kids. He originally appeared in the Spider-Man comics in the early 1980s and made it to the big screen in Spider-Man 3, back in 2007. When you have a comic book world, people will always be fascinated by the anti-heroes or the villains, and that includes kids.

Knowing that, the goal of Venom as a movie wasn't to alienate part of the character's fanbase. Director Ruben Fleischer said, according to Polygon, "We didn't want to make a movie that excluded any fans. Venom fans are actually of all ages, and so we wanted to be inclusive to all the fans that were excited about the movie."

The Motion Picture Association of America noted, on its website, that PG-13 ratings are meant to convey some material may be inappropriate for pre-teens. When it comes to superhero movies, a big concern in that area is violence.

Although Venom's trailer does show some of the usual superhero levels of violence, the movie's executive producer Avi Arad told ComicBook.com earlier in September, "There's no reason to put in violence. To define what Venom is as violence. He's not. He's the lethal protector, which is a very different thing."

To Arad, an R rating was never an option. He went on to say, according to Comicbook.com:

Today, in CGI and stuff, we can make Venom bite your head. But we don't have to show the head going side to side like, "that actually tastes good." It's irrelevant. What's relevant is that you finally understood, is that a bad guy? Yeah.

Still, by nature of both Venom and Brock as characters, the movie will be darker than other films centered in the Marvel universe. Parents can expect violence, strong language, and lots of scares, according to Common Sense Media.

But, it seems that Venom as a movie is tip-toeing the line where it can largely be left up to the parent's discretion. Avoiding an R rating means that the violence cannot be super graphic, after all.

The movie is set to release this Friday, which means detailed reviews will come pouring in throughout the weekend. For any parents with lingering concerns, consider avoiding opening weekend and reading one of the full reviews to get a complete sense of what the movie entails.