The End of the Big Budget R rated movie?

[Hotwire]

An R-rating sometimes goes beyond nudity/gore/cursing. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark had little-to-none of those, and yet it still receiving an R-rating - because it was deemed "too intense."

Fair point. I actually just watch The Matrix a few hours ago. No F-bombs, no nudity, and in my opinion, PG-13 level violence. Yet, it's a R.

Also, one of the best horror films of all time, as it's on just about everyone's list, was rated PG!!!! Can anyone think of which film that would be?

Spoiler

It's Poltergeist!

For those who say the MPAA is going by outdated standards, take a look at what PG movie got away with 20-30 years ago, and what's in them now. It's basically what used to be a PG, is now a PG-13. Don't believe me, go watch Ghostbusters (several uses of the word "s***), The Toy (nudity), or even The Goonies (that whole scene with a statue's penis).

 

[Bruce Malone]

^^^

Good point. Not only are pg-13 films replacing a lot of r rated films but the pg-13 we have now is actually more strict than the one from twenty years ago. I remember watching "airplane" a little while ago rated pg-13 and there were actually bare breasts. The indiana jones movies also had more blood and gore than any pg-13 today.

On a sidenote aside from blockbusters i think the MPAA's regulations now are ridiculous. More than 1 f-word automatic R. Look at what they did to the film Bully. A documentary showcasing the effects of bullying on children yet the MPAA rates it R because it had a few f-words. So it's entire target audience they're trying to affect is locked out from seeing it. Ridiculous.

And my final point about the loss of a lot of mass marketed R-rated films is there is nothing wrong with saying "hey this is a film for adults what's wrong with that?" There are more 17-99 year olds than under 17's. So my should directors have to narrow their marketing and ideas for that smaller market?

I'm only in my mid 20's myself but there is nothing more irritating then a group of teenagers in a movie theater with you. Not everything has to be for everyone. As a kid being able to see an R rated film was a privilege now most films are just made for kids anyways.

 

[dude stannis]

Well let's look at it this way, which big budget films absolutely needed an R? Conversely which R rated films needed a bigger budget?

Terminator Salvation and Die Hard 4 are the only ones I can think of in the former. In the latter? Expendables 1. And the issues with Terminator and Expendables are being rectified in the sequels.

 

[The Morningstar]

Terminator is getting a sequel?

 

[dude stannis]

Yep, an R rated one.

 

[The Morningstar]

Hmm. Well, Salvation not being R rated was the least of it's problems really.

 

[dude stannis]

On the contrary. They had to build a future war Terminator film around the fact that they couldn't include any war stuff (mass genocide doesn't sell toys you see), hence a meandering, pointless and inconsequential plot.

 

[The Morningstar]

Hmmm fair point. But still, there were more problems. But then i guess you could say if it wasn't restricted to PG-13 it would have actually made more opportunities for a better plot.

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

^^^

Good point. Not only are pg-13 films replacing a lot of r rated films but the pg-13 we have now is actually more strict than the one from twenty years ago. I remember watching "airplane" a little while ago rated pg-13 and there were actually bare breasts. The indiana jones movies also had more blood and gore than any pg-13 today.

On a sidenote aside from blockbusters i think the MPAA's regulations now are ridiculous. More than 1 f-word automatic R. Look at what they did to the film Bully. A documentary showcasing the effects of bullying on children yet the MPAA rates it R because it had a few f-words. So it's entire target audience they're trying to affect is locked out from seeing it. Ridiculous.

And my final point about the loss of a lot of mass marketed R-rated films is there is nothing wrong with saying "hey this is a film for adults what's wrong with that?" There are more 17-99 year olds than under 17's. So my should directors have to narrow their marketing and ideas for that smaller market?

I'm only in my mid 20's myself but there is nothing more irritating then a group of teenagers in a movie theater with you. Not everything has to be for everyone. As a kid being able to see an R rated film was a privilege now most films are just made for kids anyways.

Airplane was pg originally, a few years before pg-13 was even created, don't know it they have changed it now... I'd say in the last 10 years pg-13 has gotten really wimpy and more strict in its content.

 

[The Morningstar]

I think amazingly enough the last pg-13 film that pushed the boundaries was Captain America. I mean, it had Paul Verhoeven style blood squibs! And a guy getting splattered by a propeller!

 

[def28]

Hanna was a film I thought pushed the rating. Was surprised when I found out it wasnt R.

 

[The Morningstar]

Wait what, Hanna was pg-13?!

 

[def28]

Yeah. I thought it was R till I checked after I saw it.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

My big problem is with the MPAA and how they rate the films. Most movies get a higher rating than they really deserve, IMO. Everything has skewed upwards since the 80s. There is no reason teenagers shouldn't be able to handle an R Rated film like Die Hard and the like. Those should be the PG-13 movies. Not that there aren't harder R films, but they are rarer. Similarly, most PG-13 movies should really be PG and most PG movies should really be G.

But instead of judging films based on tone and material, they have a bunch of silly arbitrary rules about the amount of language, blood, nudity, etc can be allowed. A film like The King's Speech being R Rated is a bloody joke.

 

[matrix_ghost]

Reminds me of the scene near the end of Watchmen. Instead of showing closeup all the bodies of people who died in New York to make the scene a bit more emotional as you put it, they just make a huge crater.

The movie was already R rated but that was one of the few changes I was surprised about.

Just purely focusing on Watchmen here.
Studios tend to about international audiences too. Often a movi is rated R in the states but rated much lower in outside the states meaning that more people can see the movie. However there is also the fine line of making a R rated movie for the start and venturing into NC-17. I mean watchmen already has brutal fight scenes , sex scenes . Seeing people with their heads blown open and bleeding could've been too much.....

 

[dark_b]

we had this debate in the last 5 years many times. i already know who has a problem with R rating and who doesnt. for example Hunter Rider doesnt have a problem. and in every rating thread someoen writtes Indiana Jones and Poltergeist. then me or soeone else shows them a link when PG13 was created and why it was created.

for example the action and full contact fighting. they can not show everything in a PG13 movie. then of course knifes and swords. impossible to show everything. then of course we have the tone. if in Fincher's Dragon Tattoo move there was no blood or nudity it woudl still get a r rating. the tone .

 

[dark_b]

Fox will find a way to make Prometheus PG-13. I am certain of this.

i had a problems with FOX the last 5 years. but with Prometheus everythign was clear from day one.

Scott wanted to direct a big budget full R rated alien prequel . Fox said no to the rating. so the compromise with fox snd Scott was: that they will make a big budget pg13 movie with an alien connection. and this is prometheus. prometheus the whole movie is a compromise that Scott agreed. i beg you all dont belive any news that it was meant to be R rated. the movie is what it was supposed to be. Scott gets a lot money to make a big scale movie if its nto r rated. its being realesed in summer. its meant to be a summer blockbuster.

 

[Bruce Malone]

Well Fox should know that a lot if not most of the sequels/prequels to R rated films that were pg-13 under-performed. Someone posted a list in this thread here.

It's pretty much wide out in the open now that prometheus is a part of the aliens franchise a franchise that is over 30 years old and has always been an adult franchise. So why go after the kiddie market now?

That was the thinking of the last terminator film. If this was purely an original film that's one thing, but this film is obviously tied into the aliens series.

-edit- fox should also look at the pg-13 AVP film.

 

[dark_b]

Well Fox should know that a lot if not most of the sequels/prequels to R rated films that were pg-13 under-performed. Someone posted a list in this thread here.

It's pretty much wide out in the open now that prometheus is a part of the aliens franchise a franchise that is over 30 years old and has always been an adult franchise. So why go after the kiddie market now?

That was the thinking of the last terminator film. If this was purely an original film that's one thing, but this film is obviously tied into the aliens series.

-edit- fox should also look at the pg-13 AVP film.

its a 150+ ( if not 200) big budget movie realesed in summer june. boom

 

[Bruce Malone]

^^^

What's your point so was terminator salvation?


I'm just saying show me pg-13 sequels/prequels to r rated films that worked?

 

[dark_b]

^^^

What's your point so was terminator salvation?


I'm just saying show me pg-13 sequels/prequels to r rated films that worked?

you ask me whats my point and then writte terminator salvation but TS was PG13 . and it was meant to be pg13 from the beginning.

those are different times compared to the 90's and 80's.

 

[Bruce Malone]

My point was based on the history of pg-13 sequels to r-rated films the track record is not great. I was wondering why Fox would jump on the revival of the aliens franchise only to ensure that it would be pg-13?

The whole thing is that nobody wants to take the risks anymore so pg-13 now is the standard rating for anything over a certain budget. I think it's more a fear perception than a reality that larger budget r-rated movies can't make money. Even when you have big budget pg-13 movies tanking left and right.

For every watchmen you have 3 john carters or Green lanterns.

 

[jmc]

Is there any movement by studios to try and get the rating system altered over there? What happened in the early 90's down here in Australia is that we had a similar situation to what's happening in America now, before then films were either getting an M rating (the PG-13 equivalent) or an R18 (Restricted to over 18's) and more often than not films that had only a moderate amount more language or violence were being given harsh R18 ratings. Films like Goodfellas were laughably off limits to people under 18 even though the language and violence is nothing to write home about. The solution was a middle ground MA15 rating that catered to the films that were considered too adult for persons under 15 but not so mature as to prohibit persons 15 years and over, that sorted a lot of problems out and now the R18 rating is rarely used, even films like Dragon Tattoo avoided it. Every time I read some film having issues with the US rating system it baffles me because the solution seems simple yet no-one seems to bring up the idea. Is there something preventing a new rating being implemented? Coz I'm betting a 15+ rating would solve a lot of problems, it would give studios the opportunity to push the boundaries a bit more and and give the US ratings board an out instead of copping endless criticism for giving films undeserved higher ratings.

 

[The Morningstar]

Yea there should be something between PG-13 and Rated R.

It seems Rated R encompasses both 15 and 18 of the BBFC. Which is stupid. Rated R should either be downgraded to the equivalent of 15. Or there should be something in between PG-13 and R.

 

[dark_b]

Yea there should be something between PG-13 and Rated R.

It seems Rated R encompasses both 15 and 18 of the BBFC. Which is stupid. Rated R should either be downgraded to the equivalent of 15. Or there should be something in between PG-13 and R.

PG is for kids. PG13 is for kids and adults. and R is for adults. in general of course.

what would be between pg13 and R?