Today we want to know what you feel about the general move over the past decade towards more sanitised PG-13 movie fare… chiefly so that the film – usually a big budget blockbuster – can be watched by the highly profitable teenage boy demographic. Recent case in point: the bloodless, “just one boob shot” remake of 1990’s very R-rated Total Recall.
Do you think this move to tween and teen-safe fare is ruining movies? Does it bother you at all? And are there any PG-13 movies you’d love to see remade for adults, with restrictions?
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: October 3, 2012
Gavin Mannion
October 3, 2012 at 10:52
I don’t know if my memory is faulty or not but I’m sure comedy’s in the old days contained far more nudity with lower ratings? Or was I just watching bad movies from a young age?
I’m not happy that Total Recall was turned into a PG13 movie though.. I was looking forward to a gritty, sexy sci-fi thriller
Andre116
October 3, 2012 at 13:32
You are right. Take Police Academy. First one had lots of nudity, but after that they all went PG13.
Rincethis
October 3, 2012 at 10:57
I have to say that is does annoy me. Not because I want to get my kicks on by seeing girls boobs (I have the internet for that) but because I am an adult. I don’t go to children’s movies because the content is not what I want. When I want to go watch a remake of Total Recall and the only swear word is ‘shit’ then I may as well go with my nephews… Bring back tripple boob shots! 🙂
Kervyn Cloete
October 3, 2012 at 11:34
Oh, just wait until you guys read my Taken 2 review on Friday…
James Francis
October 3, 2012 at 13:26
I think it hurts the medium. There is this great story about how Scorcese nearly shot someone because they wanted him to edit the violence in Taxi Driver (Tarantino tells it well over here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CI8b1X413c). And I am with him on this – the small touches matter. Would Takeshi Kitano or Tarantino’s movies be as effective if not for their flashes of intense violence? Would 300 have worked without all the slow-mo gore? Robocop 3 and AVP already showed what happens when you neuter a franchise.
But there is a wider conspiracy here. The ratings system is largely voluntary and administered by the large studios. It is an open secret that independent films particularly struggle to get a good rating, whereas many studio films often got ratings far below their actual content.