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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > May > 06 > Entry
Are you interested in a PG-13 Terminator movie?
If you can block out the din of daily life around here, that wailing you can hear in the distance is the sci-fi geek crowd crying foul over the new Terminator movie.
Specifically, they’re upset that Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (kind of a mouthful, innit it?) due out May of next year, will be rated PG-13.
This is similar to the hue and cry that was raised when Live Free or Die Hard came out with a PG-13 last year, but I thought that “controversy” was overblown. I liked the movie, but I didn’t sit there thinking, “Man, this would be SO much better if there were more blood and McClane said “f—-” a lot.” Instead, I was thinking, “Man, this would be SO much better if the villain were stronger and if the action weren’t so derivative.”
With the Terminator franchise, I think the complaints are more valid because the new movie is set during the big future war between man and machine, and rating a war movie PG-13 seems, well - stupid.
UPDATE: Commenter “Ronster” made an excellent point when he said: “To me, the diff on R and PG13 is whether the filmmaker intends the movie for an adult or non-adult audience, primarily, and in marketing, surprise/shock value, themes and approach. Ratings are about age-appropriateness, not about filmic quality… or at least, that’s what they USED to be about… “
One of the ratings boards’ failings, in my view, is that they tend to be lax on violence. If last year’s Beowulf had been a live action movie it would have been rated R without a doubt, and yet, because the violence was “digitized,” that makes it less impactful. Um … sure.
When it comes to Terminator that makes me wonder. The first Terminator would still clearly be an R now. But I have to wonder whether Terminator 2 would be rated R by today’s board since it doesn’t have a lot of graphic violence and there’s no sex. Yesterday’s R may be today’s PG-13.
That said, I have a bigger problem with the new movie, and I can boil it down to three letters: McG.
II”mm aallrreeaaddyyy ggettiinngg ttrreemmoorrss at the idea of that director bringing his ultra ADD style to this franchise. His Charlie’s Angels movies shot my optic and auditory nerves for weeks, with the sequel being so bad it made me think the second Legally Blonde was nearly a great movie. I wish the geeks would cry about McG more.
And I don’t know what possessed Christian Bale (who will play John Connor) to star in this movie with McG directing. I’m hoping he’ll snap and direct the movie himself when he realizes that McG’s takes only last four seconds max.
Do we need a PG-13 Terminator? Or another Terminator movie period, for that matter?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By SRCputt
May 7, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
The rating doesn’t concern me as much as the talent. While McG did a decent job with We Are Marshall, I still haven’t seen him direct an action scene correctly. So as long as he is the director, I am concerned.By Sir Critic
May 7, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
It sure was, Chuck, thank you for the catch. My memory slipped and named the sequel I actually thought was the weak link of the series. (Unlike a lot of people, I liked “Live Free” better than “Vengeance.”) I corrected the entry.By Chuck
May 7, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
Wasn’t the Die Hard movie that came out last year called “Live Free or Die Hard”?By ronster
May 7, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
Hmmm… agree with you on the pg13 die hard, both on “controversy” and outcome, though i will add that at the end, it was far less memorable than the others, for what that’s worth. To me, the diff on R and PG13 is whether the filmmaker intends the movie for an adult or non-adult audience, primarily, and in marketing, surprise/shock value, themes and approach. Ratings are about age-appropriateness, not about filmic quality… or at least, that’s what they USED to be about… The first Terminator movie was clearly adult in theme, idea and inspiration; the next two were basically cartoons, esp the third. This one will be made with the intent of luring a young teen crowd. Can it be PG?By Steve
May 6, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this
It seems you can’t have a movie about killer robots invasions, revolutions, and time travel without dropping a few F bombs here and there. Plus this movie is set up to have some epic battle scenes that I hope don’t get tamed down too much just so they can sell terminator merchandise to 13 year olds.. I mean look at the first movie, I’ve seen the tv safe edits and it’s awful, hardly even the same movie anymore. So no, I’d rather it not be pg-13 but I’ll still go see it either way.By Sir Critic
May 6, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
Alas, she is not. This is not a continuation of TV’s “Sarah Connor Chronicles” but what happens beyond “Terminator 3.” Do you care what the rating is now? ;)By Steve
May 6, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
If Summer Glau is in it, I don’t care what the rating is.