The R-Rating
Fox Assures Hitman Will Be Rated "R"
Films buffs and video-game enthusiasts have been outspoken on the web about the rumor that Hitman, the latest game-turned-movie was being edited, or "watered-down", for a PG-13 rating. Heaven forbid they would get another Live Free or Die Hard. Fox released a statement assuring the concerned folks that Hitman will be rated "R".
This is probably a bad example, since Hitman is a gruesome game for which a film adaption should deserve an R-rating. Still, call me old-fashioned, but I think the real artistic challenge is creating a film that can engage the audience without resorting to the "R-rated material".
I don't want to sound hypocritical - my "favorites" list of films does include many R's. Sometimes to convey the story in the best possible way, disturbing or graphic material might be necessary. But more often than not, I find the material that warrants the R-rating is actually a film's greatest weakness.
Great "PG" movies:
- Chariots of Fire
- Hoosiers
- The Princess Bride
- Apollo 13
- Star Wars
- Jaws
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- E.T.
- The Sting
October 17th, 2007 at 7:27 am
I like your list of PG favorites. A few of them (Chariots of Fire, Princess Bride, etc) are among my own favorites.
I agree that at times the material that gains a film it’s “R” rating weakens the plot. At times, perhaps, it is necessary (such as in war movies, when the material itself is “R” rated), but often it is not.