3-D Violence Is Too Much for Some at New Universal Show

Sophie Johnson came all the way from Nottingham, England, only to be scared witless by the Terminator.

The 8-year-old with freckles on her face and hearts on her sandals emerged from “Terminator 2: 3D,” which opened Thursday at Universal Studios Hollywood, clutching her father’s hand and ready to cry.

“It was horrible, Mummy,” Sophie told her mother, who was waiting at the exit. “That thing blew up in my face and felt like it was going to hurt me.”

The Johnsons were among the throng of families drawn to Universal’s theme park for the opening of the attraction, which blends a three-dimensional movie with a live stunt show.

Before entering, the Johnsons asked a park attendant if the attraction would be appropriate for Sophie and her 3-year-old sister. The attendant told them it wasn’t scary, the family said.

But after watching scenes of point-blank shotgun killings, thundering explosions and an actress getting choked onstage, the Johnsons left regretting they had come.

“T-2” is opening 2 1/2 weeks after the school shooting in Littleton, Colo., and amid heightened concerns about violent entertainment.

But Universal executives say the attraction is not too violent for most guests, although they concede that it may be inappropriate for children under 8.

Even so, attendants on Thursday encouraged parents to take toddlers into the attraction.

There were no warning signs posted Thursday, although Universal said the signs were posted earlier and will be brought back.

Universal executives also say they are sensitive to the Littleton shooting, and as a result are reevaluating the tone of the Terminator radio advertising campaign.

“We want to be responsible here,” said Eliot Sekuler, the theme park’s spokesman.

Make no mistake about it--”T-2: 3D” is no more violent or intense than a typical action movie. It is essentially a continuation of the “Terminator” films, featuring the same cast, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The attraction begins in the “lobby” of the evil Cyberdyne Corp., which is trying to take over the world.

After a short video, guests slip on 3-D glasses and are ushered into a 700-seat theater. There they watch a choreographed show that blends 3-D effects on film with live shoot-em-up action onstage.

Many people came out of the show dazzled, saying the 3-D effects were the best they had ever seen. Teenagers, especially, liked the action sequences in the film, directed by James Cameron.

Some parents said the show was fine for their kids.

“It may be a little loud, but it wasn’t too violent,” said Sal Gomez of La Puente, who took his 3-year-old daughter through the attraction.

Other parents said they knew exactly what they were getting into.

“We’ve all seen ‘T-2,’ ” said Chris Sommers of Salt Lake City, motioning to the five children with him. “We all knew there was going to be a lot of shooting.”

Even so, Sommers conceded that the part of the film showing Schwarzenegger sticking a shotgun in the face of an adversary and blowing his head off went too far.

“My son grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go,” he said.

Psychologists say children are impressionable when it comes to images of violence and can copy what they see in movies. After the school shooting in Littleton left 15 dead, many people were quick to lay blame on stylized images of violence in popular entertainment.

Myron Dembo, an educational psychologist at USC who has written about parenting, suggests that parents use a three-step process when exposing their child to questionable content.

First, Dembo says, parents should learn about the movie, game, attraction or TV show before allowing their children to watch. Second, they should gauge from experience how the children will react.

“Many tests show that kids run around punching each other after watching violent movies,” said Dembo.

Third, if the parent is going to expose the child to violence on screen or stage, a discussion should follow.

“It’s very important to discuss the difference between fantasy and reality,” he said. Most kids coming out of T-2 seemed to know the difference.

“Shooting people is a bad thing and you could go to jail real easily,” said 9-year-old Mitch Sommers.

Universal says it understands its responsibility.

“We think T-2 is extremely safe and entertaining,” said Bob Brisco, president of Universal Studios Hollywood. He said he hasn’t heard any complaints.

But as the Johnson family stepped out from the attraction, Janice Johnson couldn’t hide her dismay.

“Shooting off someone else’s head is not my idea of entertainment,” she said.