Debunking the ‘Kids Don’t Like Old Movies’ Argument

I absolutely love classic movies. They have a certain magic to them. From the visuals to the practical effects and even the acting and stories, everything just has this charm to it! I could rewatch movies from the 50s to the 80s on and on for years!

Sorry, 90s. I do like some of your movies! But they haven’t aged as well.

But not everyone agrees with that opinion. Some people prefer to stick to modern movies. Which, I mean… you do you. But I just can’t agree with that. People who do that are missing out on some truly incredible things. Worse yet: their kids are missing out on some things.

Why am I bringing their children into this argument? Because I noticed that they tend to do the same. Often times, they’ll argue that kids don’t like older movies to try and justify why they don’t watch any themselves. As a parent, the child comes first, after all.

Except here’s the thing: that argument doesn’t make any sense. Like, none. At all.

Sure, old movies don’t look as technically good as modern movies (I’d argue they look better but that’s just me). But if it’s a good movie, why should kids care? They aren’t as critical as adults like you and I. So long as they’re entertained, they don’t care!

Just look at Star Wars! No, not the prequels or the sequels! I’m talking the original Star Wars! Why not clarify by calling it A New Hope? Because I fucking hate that title and I’ll never do so!

The original Star Wars came out in the late 70s and it kinda shows. The lightsaber effect is clunky, all the space ships are clearly miniatures on a blue screen (which still look great, don’t get me wrong), and the production struggles are clear. For god’s sake, you can see smudges and fingerprints on Vader’s helmet! It is an old as hell movie!

And I’d like you to point out a single kid who doesn’t love it! Go on! Try it! You can’t do it!

That’s the charm of being a kid! You don’t care about the quality of the story or the acting because you’re too young to understand it! Thus, you can fully enjoy the magic of a movie without a care in the world! It doesn’t matter how old it is! So long as they’re having fun, they won’t even notice! Fuck, they might not notice regardless!

I sure as hell didn’t. Granted, I was a very stupid four-year-old. But my point still stands!

This isn’t to say that kids are dumb. They’re not. At all. In fact, I think that kids are smarter than most adults give them credit for! My point isn’t that kids will enjoy anything. My point is that they’re smart enough to know what they enjoy, regardless of the film’s age.

Ultimately, the ‘new is better than old’ mentality isn’t just stupid. It’s selfish. Kids deserve to decide for themselves what they like. Do they not like older movies? Or do they love them? That should be up to them to discover and decide. Why should the parent’s personal tastes have to dictate the child’s?

This is one thing that I’m super grateful to my own parents for. They exposed me to all kinds of movies growing up. Most of the tastes that you’ve seen are because of them! My love of classic movies being the main one. They didn’t enforce their tastes on me. They often bought movies that they themselves hated and let me and my siblings watch them because they knew we’d enjoy it!

Granted, I enjoyed anything. Again: I wasn’t a very smart kid. I unironically loved some pretty bad movies. And to be honest: I still kinda do.

I know it isn’t my place to give parents any advice. I’m a twenty-one-year-old dude living with three friends, writing this between games of Halo multiplayer. Parenting advice is hardly the thing people come to me for. And honestly, I don’t mind. I hate kids and I don’t’ want to deal with them.

But I do feel that kids deserve to enjoy media, regardless of its age. Sure, you might end up creating a hipster. But the point is that its up to the kid to decide that, not you. If they seem interested in a movie, whether it be from the 70s or from this year, let them take a chance on it. Just let them enjoy what they enjoy.

Just… don’t raise them on shitty modern comedies. You’ll never hear the end of it.