Wednesday 30 April 2008
movie certification and targetting [Shedir]
OK, my kids love superheroes. Comics, games, toys and movies. Lub it. Yet while they're aimed at directly in marketing, the main movie isn't really OK for them to view.
12a for Iron Man. F F S.
In this digital age is it TOO much for the movie companies to have different versions for the cinema and on DVD. As a parent I'd love to be able to pop in the U version of spidey3, for example, knowing that the dodgier bits are missing and it's OK for them to view.
After all we have a board of certification who check each scene of the movie, if they can identify 3 or 4 scenes which push from U to PG, 4 from PG to 12, then thats a pathetic 8 changes required to broaden it's market. Once thats budgeted in at the start, for a film AIMED at kids, it would become the norm and make folk like me much much happier.
Then the cinema could have a morning version which is more family friendly, cut rate for families and a post midday screening of the regular version. Everyone wins!
Now I've got the prospect of taking my youngest (at 4) to a 12A, I'm not thrilled about it but he loves the character and I reckon I'll do it. But take him out if he's scared, cover eyes/ears during more suspect moments. Sit at the back of the hall so it's not filling his FOV.
But it's very very annoying that we are expected to shell out for all the associated toys for these franchises, but they won't customise the actual main event for the actual buyers!
Spiderman and superman have really been ok for the kids, only dodgy bit was venom taking over Peter Parker in his sleep. But batman, the new batman stuff is a headfuck. I can only imagine the one due out will be worse. Yet batman and robin suits are aimed at pre12s, bloody double standard shite.
I'm sure I'll burn in hell for taking him, but he can build a pan dimensional suit of armour and come rescue me.
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ReplyDeleteYeah, I've been in the same situation with my nippers (now 5 & 9). e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean (Also 12a iirc).
In my case they haven't even seen the DVD yet. They were younger when it came out obviously. As of now I'd let the 9yo watch it, but 12A really does mean 12, unless you have a reason to think that your kid would be OK with it. 8 is often banded about as an absolute minimum. But four...hmmm.
Personally, I'd like a 18 Iron Man who's an alcoholic like the comics :)
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I posted a vaguely similar comment on a forum this morning. My son is 5 and a half, and has seen the Ironman trailer on TV. He's really keen to see it, but it's a 12A. That in itself isn't a problem. He's watched other 12A films (for example, Spider-Man was a 12A at the cinema, and is a 12 on DVD IIRC). The problem I have here is that I don't know the content of the film. When my son saw Spider-Man, I knew the content in advance, since I'd seen it. He's seen all the Harry Potter films as well, but I knew the stories and had seen the films before him in some cases. With Ironman, that's not the case, so I'm facing either taking him in "blind", or going to see it once on my own, then again with him if it's suitable. It's irritating, since as you say these films - the merchandise at least - are pitched at young kids.
ReplyDeleteThe pbbfc provides more info than the regular bbfc site
http://www.pbbfc.co.uk/filmDetail.asp?filmID=923
Having seen Iron Man at the cinema now, I'd say this: there is no way a four year old should be allowed to watch this film the first half of the movie has some very strong issues for a seven year old tooThe first half of the film has regular violence, frequent death, several scenes of torture, pain, heart surgery, one scene of Stark bedding a blonde, images of injuries, scenes of graphic paralysis, and lots of guns, explosions and destruction. This stuff just isn't right for young kids. No question.The second half of the film is superhero-movie-by-numbers, and wouldn't be too much beyond a wide-eyed 7-year-old.Multiple versions of the same film or franchise dilutes the art. Why should good material be wasted on the lowest common denominator? Screw your kids, I want decent material turned into a decent film!
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