Surely this is an efficient and humane policy, along the lines of the winery in the Okanagan which boasts an “Unattended children will be given their own marmot” sign.

Is that they are almost always written by adults.

Take, for example, the current release Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smthsonian. On the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, it has a “Tomatometer” rating of only forty-four percent. The consensus being that it pretty much reeks.

I saw the movie this weekend with the Munchkin and one of his buddies. Was I magically transported, transfixed by every frame? No. Was this a masterwork which would be the recipient of multiple Oscars? No.

However, it was entertaining. It moved along enough for me not to be bored, and the fabulous Hank Azaria chewed the scenery every frame he was in.

The kids? They thought it was great. Not once did they squirm in their seat. In fact they were doing that whole “not able to look down at the popcorn” thing as they couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. Resulting in much spilled popcorn, but hey, we like to keep theater people employed.

Seriously though, too many movie critics view kid’s movies through an adult lens, and thus wind up judging them harshly. To be sure, there are plenty of cruddy movies for kids out there, but remember when we were young? Many of us adored shows and movies that were absolute dreck, but for whatever reason resonated with us.

For example, have you watched any old Land of the Lost reruns lately? Talk about a bad show in every way, from the sets (fake!) to the acting (even more fake!) to the embarassment to cavemen that was Chaka. There wasn’t even any redeeming educational value in it, as it purported that men-like creatures were alive at the time of dinosaurs. And yet, this show is a cult classic. Even if Land of the Lost wasn’t in your time, I gaurantee you it was some other equally horrid one that as a kid you thought was great. Power Puff Girls? The Smurfs? There was at least one.

So let’s not be so hard on kid’s movies. As long as the primary audience is entertained, the adults should simply view it as a good time to have some delicious junk food. Or even better, a nap!