The Marvels age rating and parents guide: Is the MCU movie suitable for kids?

The Marvels has arrived in movie theaters but is it suitable for family viewing?

Are you ready to go higher, further, and faster this weekend? The Marvels has finally made its presence felt on movie theaters around the world, and audiences are ready to reunite with some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most promising heroes!

The movie sees Brie Larson return as Captain Marvel in the character’s second headlining film, where she will be joined by Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau (who we first met the adult version of in WandaVision) and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan (who we met in her own Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel).

Their space adventure is quite literally out of this world, and if you’re hoping to join in on the fun by seeing the movie this weekend with your kids, here’s what you need to know.

Why is The Marvels rated PG-13?

According to the MPAA, The Marvels is rated PG-13 for scenes of action/violence and brief language. That’s pretty much in line for what you can expect from Marvel Studios movies, as all of the MCU outings thus far (and the vast majority of superhero movies) tend to hold that rating.

The Marvels is very much what you’d expect from an MCU film. Its trailers were incredibly fun and light-hearted and that very much translates into the finished product. The movie maintains its light-hearted tone throughout, thanks in no small part to the focus on Ms. Marvel, who is just a delight to watch.

It’s not particularly scary either, but I will say that the villain Dar-Benn (played brilliantly by Zawe Ahston) does come off as quite menacing from time-to-time. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for Marvel, and she’s not exactly Thanos or Kang levels of intimidating, but she has her moments.

A character who also has her moments is Goose, the Flerken (cat) who uses large tentacles within the pocket dimension within her stomach to eat and/or store things. And yes, those tentacles come into play a lot in The Marvels. She’s very much like she was in Captain Marvel, so as unlikely as it sounds, it’s nothing too out-of-the-ordinary here.

Now, if you’re worried about the action, it’s important to note that there is a lot of fighting in this movie. There are three major action scenes in particular, but none of them ever veer off the typical MCU fights we can expect from this franchise. If your kids are used to that fare (flying, power blasts, and occasional hand-to-hand combat), then The Marvels won’t be a problem for them on that front.

As the official rating notes, there is occasional language but that never ventures outside of the word “sh*t”, which is used on at least two occasions (once by Nick Fury and once by Monica Rambeau). There are no F bombs dropped throughout The Marvels, so if you’re wondering whether the first MCU F Bomb dropped in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was setting a precedent, then you can rest easy.

It won’t come as a surprise to learn that there is no nudity in it. The MCU movies tend to avoid more adult content like that, with the exception of Thor: Love and Thunder (which heavily publicized the scene in its trailers prior to its release).

All in all, The Marvels is a fun, light-hearted, and occasionally silly movie (with a great soundtrack) that never takes itself too seriously. It never ventures outside of the typical Marvel movie fare and steers clear of anything too mature. While Carol does have an emotional arc, it’s handled in the typical uplifting way we’re used to seeing from these movies, and it’s a formula that works.

Nobody knows your kids better than you do, but if they’re used to the typical superhero fare that Marvel delivers on time and time again, and enjoyed the first Captain Marvel movie, then they will probably enjoy this one too.

The Marvels is in theaters now.