Last summer one of the big stories was the trend of PG-13 over R-Rated action movies. Live Free or Die Hard opted for teenage friendly over intense action and graphic language, and the film went on to gross over $380 million worldwide, the highest for the series. And in 2008, things have not changed. Cloverfield opened huge proving a PG-13 monster movie could make big bucks. Even Eli Roth is now talking about making a PG-13 mass-destruction film. But now word comes in from Anne Thompson that the Halcyon Company are aiming for a PG-13 rating for Terminator 4.
The Terminator series is one of the highest-grossing R-Rated franchises of all time, with over $1.03 billion in worldwide box office receipts. I’ve been one of the few supporters of the film since it was first announced, while most have been scared off by the announcement of McG as director. And I feel like I should be angry about this announcement, but for some reason I’m not. And I think the reason why is that I feel that Terminator won’t suffer from a PG-13 rating. None of the things that made T2: Judgement Day a great film would have been effected by a ratings bump from R to PG-13. Let’s face it, this isn’t Rambo - large quantities of gore aren’t required. And Terminators aren’t programed to be foul mouthed.
Besides, Halcyon co-founder and co-CEO Victor Kubicek claims that the ratings have changed over the years and that “PG-13 has increased in intensity.” and it allows them to sell more toys, of course. The fourth film will offer the largest merchandising program to date for The Terminator series.
Terminator 4 begins production today, and is scheduled to hit theaters on on May 22nd 2009.
Discuss: Can a Terminator movie still be fun with a PG-13 rating?
source: Variety
May 5th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Ordinarily I would be really opposed to something like this, but found myself not really missing the R rating with Live Free or Die Hard. They still got in their one Yippee Kayay, but it was just a little bit less profanity, which I didn’t really notice and a touch less blood. You can basically kill 200 people and have tons of destruction in a PG13 as long as the blood is minimal and there isn’t much in terms of closeups on graphic wounds.
I still think that the hardest PG13 in terms of violence and tone was Minority Report.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Continuing to furthur ruin another great franchise.
Alien and Predator already have their tombstones. Why not add a third?
May 5th, 2008 at 12:37 am
I didn’t notice a huge difference in Die Hard per say, though looking back Die Hard 3 did have a LOT of cursing, but it seemed to fit more because of the banter between Sam and Bruce, it was less necessary in the scope of the story for Die Hard 4. I’m sure a PG-13 rating won’t hurt T4. The series was excellent and that was TV rated.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:45 am
“I’m sure a PG-13 rating won’t hurt T4″
Did people have a coma when they announced MCG is directing 4?
May 5th, 2008 at 1:08 am
They better be REALLY cool toys.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:21 am
i’m thinking a movie about machines who’s sole purpose is to murder humans…should be R. then again, as i typed those words i remembered that currently battlestar galactica has the same theme of human murder and genocide, and they do fine without the R. the act of the kill is never as important as the reason/story behind it - unless of course its a slasher flick, and this is not.
i guess what i’m most worried about is mcg, and that rumor that conner is merely a supporting character. after a 20 year buildup to conner’s rise, we get christian fucking bale in the role (!!!) and he’s merely a side player?!?! that upsets me more than the pg-13. but no matter how much i bitch, i know i’ll be there opening night.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Christian Bale! GET OUT OF THIS MOVIE NOW
May 5th, 2008 at 1:51 am
PG-13 is the death rattle of the franchise…the reason the show doesn’t work is because it’s toned down
May 5th, 2008 at 3:40 am
I was able to take it with die hard. But still after watching it knew it would have been even better if it was are.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:41 am
I was able to take it with die hard. But still after watching it I knew it would have been even better if it was R. Not seeing T4.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:04 am
THEY HAVE BEEN GOING PG 13 FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN. MORE MONEY. DUH!
May 5th, 2008 at 5:21 am
At first I was pissed off, yelling ‘bullshit!’, but the Die Hard point was very true. I loved that movie and didn’t feel ripped off by the lower rating. Still kinda strange though.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Don’t think it would hurt it. I can’t really think of anything that mature in any of the other Terminator movies beside the cursing. Sure, there is violence, but it’s never gore-tastic. I’m willing to give it a shot.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Lets face it, T3 ruined the franchise. It was a needless abortion of a film. So, anything after that is just bonus excrement. Without high or even tolerable expectations, maybe it will not be as bad as 3
May 5th, 2008 at 7:44 am
…and it will suck, hard.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Actually I think it was established in the first movie that the Terminator is programmed to be foul mouthed. Or am I the only person who remembers the scene where the manager of the apartment Arnie’s T-800 is staying in banging on the door complaining about the smell to which the Terminator’s chosen reply is drop an f-bomb and call him an asshole?
May 5th, 2008 at 8:28 am
TERRIBLE NEWS. This is why I’m beginning to respect Grand Theft Auto IV more and more. Rockstar Games has effing balls the likes of which we no longer see in Hollywood.
The one bad thing about The Dark Knight is that every major Hollywood director and every major action/sci-fi film can use it as an example of why “our PG-13 rating is not reaching.”
A PG-13 Terminator is for girly men, plain and simple. You can’t Terminate something and make it safe for an entire little league team to watch. Remember Bad News Bears, the original? Compare it to the remake and Kubicek’s entire “times have changed” argument equates to SELL OUT skywritten across my ass.
May 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
And anyone who says Live Free or Die Hard was perfectly fine probably takes bananas in their pancakes every morning when they don’t really like bananas but don’t want to offend their mom. Shut up. It’s called Die Hard. At least set the action in a mall if you’re going to rate it PG-13 for the Fall Out Boy demographic.
Teens are like the Gremlins of American Culture now and we just keep throwing water on them.
May 5th, 2008 at 8:50 am
And isn’t the fourth film essentially a war film? Is there a good PG-13 war film?
May 5th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I’d rather play laser tag.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
i wouldnt care if a film is PG-13 or R. as long its incredibly action packed and intense story, it’ll make up all the flying limbs and language.
but personally, its freakin terminator! if im planning to watch a PG-13 terminator, i gather go watch the sarah conner chronicles.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:11 am
When I heard Bale was gonna be in this, I was excited. But with McG, and a PG13 rating? Fuck that. That’s not a Terminator movie. Christian, if you read /film, heed these words: You need to jump off this sinking piece of shit while you have the chance.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:50 am
are you kidding me?!
May 5th, 2008 at 11:21 am
A PG-13 Terminator… yeah that will probably work… NOT!
May 5th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
lol, I agree with your Die Hard 4 assessment. Hated it with every fiber of my being.
And you’re right, they do use Batman as a platform I think. But they forget that Nolan is amazing at his craft. And not everyone is Nolan.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
@ CA
Yeah. Remember when this exact same thing happened with T3 and finally the studio went for the R-rating b/c the fanboys were so outraged? The studio thought that a hot female Terminator villain would cool them down. Hahha. This time, they’ve got Batman himself, and it seems to be working for the most part. Thing is, T3 sucked ass b/c it was originally supposed to be PG-13. They tacked on the R late in the game when they thought they’d lose money by going softer.
Terminator 1 was a classic b/c it was R-rated, T2 kept that F ‘em spirit. When people talk about R-rated films, they play up the guts, cursing and nudity, but an R-rating locks in a certain tone that is often looked over. It tones down the gloss/jumpy hormone humor and gets down to business.
An R-rated T4 could have made $200+ million easy if it delivered the goods. By going PG-13, the film simply doesn’t have to be as good to rake similar dough, and with McG behind the camera, oy vey. Bring on the toys!!! The sad part of this news is that the PG-13 decision was released straight to the trades, so it’s a sealed deal, fans be damned. Fans should be more vocal about these things like they used to be.
Pretty soon there won’t be a longstanding R-rated sci-fi franchise that we can hold others up to. That’s pathetic. Sci-fi is the place for effed up, scary, adult visions of the future. Star Trek is a PG-13 franchise, Batman is PG-13, the teens already have Twilight. Terminator is the 500 pound dark horse gorilla, that’s why the series has grossed one billy. Respect your friggin’ roots > $10 figurines, babysitters.
May 5th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Christ, they might as well can the R rating all-together now, as far as im concerned. The only R rated movies left are pathetic torture-porn crap, no-one else seems to have the balls (or is it the greed thats driving them?) to create a decent R rated movie. T2 wasnt that gory, only a couple of moments, but it was scarey as hell for its time.
This sucks.
May 5th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Hunter, I fully agree with your latest post.
This is what bothers me the most. PG-13 in the last 10 years has been used as a “seat-filler” rating. I’m still amazed that people would even think of putting DH4 with the others from the series. Constantine and Ghost Rider come to mind when I think of projects that could have been great if they had capable directors who respected the material and made the films R. Ghost Rider a PG-13 film? reeeeeaaally?
I’m tired of people “softening” all the good stuff that has had this great laid out ground work years before these other directors came along and spiked them into the ground without prejudice. T3 was pretty much the first MTV-fying of a great and even smart sci-fi series. There’s nothing in that film that wasn’t done before or attempted in the other films. It was an expensive sci-fi channel movie. Great, a female Terminator, with “blue” lights.
They should get the “Apple” guy to be in T4 too. Might as well complete this films mediocrity.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Someday, the pendulum will swing back. Unfortunately, and ironically, it will be when you/we all have impressionable kids. Life sucks sometimes.
McG sucks all the time.