Considering Watchmen (no spoilers)

[rodneyscat]

Behind the cut is one of my regularly unscheduled outrages about the US movie rating system vs the Dutch one. For those not familiar with my journal, let me give you a hint where it's going; I prefer the Dutch one.

Consider yourselves warned, because here I go:

Do I understand this correctly: 'Watchmen' got an R rating and this means that if people take these warnings seriously or even notice them at all they're advised to not not take children along, but they're allowed to do so if they wish to ignore those warnings or don't even take them into consideration?

Over here movies like that get a 16+ warning, which means that no kids under the age of 16 are allowed in not even with their parents present or giving permission, and theaters risk a 12.000 Euro fine if they don't follow that rule. Theaters get checked for that often enough that most of 'm don't run the risk of even letting a 14 or 15 year old in.

What I hear about 'Watchmen' I'd say children should be protected against irresponsible parenting and not be allowed in.

Oh, and another thing; parents who say their 8 year old can handle movies like that without a problem should be very worried.

I just saw that Sin City also got an R rating in the USA. Seriously folks, what does it take to give a movie an NC-17 rating?

Comments

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

Hello, USian here! And no way would I defend our system; it's ridiculous, as you rightly point out. As far as the NC-17 rating; it's my understanding that producers and studios fight hugely to avoid getting that rating because some newspapers won't advertise NC-17 movies, some theatres won't show them, and in general they earn a lot less money than an R rated movie.

Your point about children attending such movies is well taken. I have many times been astonished to see kids in the seats. I think it's bad parenting; if it isn't, I'd like to hear someone who is a parent explain it.

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

I was actually wondering why makers of movies would make such a big deal of a NC-17 rating, because those movies usually don't depend on kids anyway. But if it affects advertising and some theatres won't even show it then I can how that should be a problem yeah.

That's not so much a problem over here (for some movies it's almost considered extra advertising to get a 16 rating). But there have been protests when movies like Troy and Kingdom of Heaven got a 16 rating here, because theaters were hoping for lots of Orlando Bloom fans, a lot of whom were 14 or 15 at the time, so yeah, when money is involved business-people everywhere lose their principles.

[hobbitlove83.livejournal.com]

...what does it take to give a movie an NC-17 rating?

How about just a hint of sex??
Silly folk, those Americans!
(tok tok tok)

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

Well actually, it looks like sex and then especially gay sex will get a higher rating in the USA than in The Netherlands, but not necessarily a NC-17.

There are lots of movies with (gay)sex that will get a 12 or even PG-6 rating here that will get an R rating in the USA. I haven't found any NC-17 rated movies yet that would have kids allowed over here.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Word.

[plain-as-jane.livejournal.com]

The more I hear about Watchmen, the less sure I am that I want to see it.

What gets to me is the unfairness the gay themed films get rated! It's all just seems really biased and wrong!

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

I read someone complaining about kids being allowed to Watchmen, but then she appeared to have a problem with a scene where two murdered women lie on a bloody bed, because she now had to explain the word 'lesbian' (which was written in blood over the bodies) to her kid.

Whatever sympathy I may have felt for her point, she lost it there.

I think I may go see the movie myself. It looks damn awesome, and I'm well prepared for the violence. On the other hand it desturbs me that apparently I qualify some highly violent movies as awesome. I don't know if I like that development.

[(Anonymous)]

I hope you go see it because it is a good movie. My friends and I went to see it last night and afterwords, while watching groups of parents escort their tiny six and seven year olds into the theater, we discussed how inappropriate it was for children. I was more annoyed that the R rating did not deter these people from bringing their children and from the looks of most of the parents they were not comic geeks who knew the graphic novel; they looked like people that thought this was a kid friendly film (which I don't understand if you've seen the preview).
The scene that you referred to above is in the opening montage of the movie and it only gets worse from there. The movie is VERY graphic and we adults were cringing-I can't imagine taking a small child to see that movie for a multitude of reasons.

sorry

[amenaspointyhat.livejournal.com]

That reply was from me, Amenaspointyhat

Re: sorry

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

Some children clearly need to be protected from their stupid parents. Maybe some children can take it, but I doubt it's a good sign if they do.

Yeah, I've seen a clip of the opening-credits which that scene is a part of, and I expected the movie to get more graphic. It looks stunning, it's just that sometimes I can handle movies like this, and sometimes I don't. I may wait until it comes out on dvd.

Re: sorry

[amenaspointyhat.livejournal.com]

I will say that it was an amazingly filmed movie and it will be worth the watch whether in a theater or at home.

[colonel-kernel.livejournal.com]

It's stuped. What the stupid things they do?

[msilverstar]

It's a stupid system, and allows bad parents to be really awful to their kids in public.

And it's much more permissive about violence than sex. Mumbai Wedding got an "R" rating, wtf?

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

I will never get used to that either. Some movies with happy, consensual, not even all that explicit sex will get the same rating as movies in which there's extreme violence, rape, child abuse and whatnot.