The PG 13 debacle in films

[WellHung83]

I was wondering if any of you film buffs here are also confused and a tad pissed off as to why so many studios still want to make nearly all their films PG 13 these days, even PG in some cases like the soon to be released Harry Potter 6 and with Terminator Salvation being given a PG 13 when the previous three were rated R.

To me, I know that the companies seek out this rating because it will open up the films to a wider audience and thus more money in the bank, but to me it is not helping a film but hampering it when the subject matter or the source material is anything but kid or family worthy viewing. Terminator for example is just loaded with swearing, violence, nudity and bleak future scenes in the previous films, the books and the comics and yet they still want Salvation to be a FAMILY film when the world it is set in is anything but ?! The PG 13 rating in this case just boggles my mind as much as it did when they gave the sixth Harry Potter film a PG rating when if you read the book you will be surprised at how the film version could even warrant that even though HP is by definition an all ages demographic.

The violence factor is also one that is something perplexing to me for years with this rating, as it seems you can show just about anything being blown off, mauled or smattered all over the pavement as long as there is no blood and so on, but if you show a naked woman's breasts or a guys dick or balls or even his buttocks and you somehow will be seen as immoral and wrong and either get it demanded to be cut or risk getting an R rating off the bat.

I understand that an R rating is also limiting a film's audience and in some cases can kill it as was the case with Watchman and other movies that exist in the horror genre such as SAW and the recent Halloween remake, but the horror genre lends itself more to that R rating and so it has more room to movie imo and so is not such a deterrent for those who want to see those type of films.

Thoughts and ideas ?

Also, for a more interesting in depth look at this subject I suggest you check out a great podcast called The Hollywood Saloon that recently did a podcast on this subject matter titled DOWN RATED. You can find it at their website or on itunes. They are an excellent show and I highly recommend it for any film buff or geek of films in general.

The Hollywood Saloon

 

[Skull Mason]

I was sooped as hell for Terminator Salvation until I saw the PG-13 rating.

 

[WellHung83]

I was sooped as hell for Terminator Salvation until I saw the PG-13 rating.

And that is a key point as to how a lower rating for what is supposed to be an R rated film does to some fans - it changes their expectations sometimes so much to the point that they do not want to see the film anymore when before they were so hyped for it because they were fans of the other films.

 

[Wish-4-8]

I remember when the Mortal Kombat movie came out. I was so dissapointed. Even in the end scene when Shang Tsung falls to the sworded pit, everyone was like, "Where is the blood?".

 

[D_Selmus_Swallow]

The economic rationale is that it in so doing (lowering the rating) it will allow that 13-18 year-old age demographic, which is known for it's relative propensity to have access to easy disposable income for entertainment, to get in to see a movie that they would not otherwise be able (unless with parental accompaniment).

Where this hurts really is with franchises that were made and geared originally for an R-rating crowd. The first Aliens vs. Predator movie being a case in point; aside from everything else that was wrong in it, it was toned down to meet a PG-13 rating, when those two franchises were the basic embodiment originally of everything an R-rated movie is, and the movie suffered.

 

[D_Jurgen Klitgaard]

I'm still pissed about Terminator! Christian Bale has quickly become one of my favorite actors, and I've been super pumped to see him play John Connor on top of a very impressive looking trailer. I think it's safe to say that the subject matter of Salvation is what many fans have been waiting for a long ass time. I just hope the studio didn't fuck themselves by sacrificing for the PG-13. I heard it was mainly done because of a marketing deal with Pizza Hut.

 

[HazelGod]

I know that the companies seek out this rating because it will open up the films to a wider audience and thus more money in the bank

You answered your own question.

The only concern movie producers have is the almighty dollar.

 

[Lex]

PG-13 started after Gremlins was made (and rated PG) and the amount of terror and violence caused a national uproar.

Since that time, studios have used the PG-13 rating as a way to get the broadest audience possible.

Please note that not all PG-13 movies are built the same. For example:

• Spiderman Trilogy: Violent, no cursing.
• Lord of the Rings: violent, scary (At parts), no cursing
• The Dark Knight: Violent, dark, scary, a few curse words
• Star Trek: Some sexual scenes, violence, some cursing
• Wolverine: extremely violent (Without blood), tons of cursing, some sensuality

R rated movies rarely make the kind of money needed to recoup from the studio budget that a "summer blockbuster" demands. So, studios continue to push content that would have been Rated R 15 years ago into the PG-13 genre.

 

[BlackIsKingSize]

So, studios continue to push content that would have been Rated R 15 years ago into the PG-13 genre.

You beat me to it. I think the fact the ratings board seems to get more lenient over time has a lot to do with it. The line between what's R and PG is as blurry and inconsistent as the line between R and NC-17. But I do agree that for some movies its a bad idea but when handled well you can make a movie people would think was R-rated.