Multiple sources are reporting that the upcoming ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has been officially rated PG-13 for the usual mayhem and fighty-fighty, but also for “some sensuality and language.” Given that Catwoman is in the film, one might presume that this means a little Bruce/Selina shipping going on, but I’m hoping for a full-fledged curse-word-laden blow-up from Michael Caine as Alfred. (“What do you BLOODY mean you’ve blown up the mansion again??”) I’ve searched for information on the plot online, but I’m pretty sure that all of the stuff I found is false, mostly because I can’t see Bruce Wayne as a Huey Lewis fan, but also because they keep calling him “Patrick Batman.”
Regardless of all that, today’s MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is this: Are you satisfied with another PG-13 Batman film, or is it time for some Rated-R Dark Knight action?
11 Comments
I’m afraid that if Batman strays too far into R territory we’ll just get more “I’m the goddamm Batman” and, though this wouldn’t be so bad, I am afraid there’s too many grandparents who might expect the Adam West Batman (or parents who, thinking of Tim Burton’s Batman) take little Johnny to see “The Batman: Longer, Harder and Uncut” and then have to answer little Johnny’s questions about “Why is Batman rubbing up against Catwoman’s butt all the time?” Nope, let’s keep old Bats PG-13.
I want to see Talia/Alfred action in this one.
While I ache for a shot-for-shot redo of the infamous “Do Ya Like Huey Lewis And The News?” scene from American Psycho with Bale in the Batsuit, I’m pretty much of the mind that I’d prefer that those in charge worry about making a good Batman movie first and worry about the rating second.
That being said, I think that while it’s possible to make a good Batman movie regardless of the rating, going the “G” or “R” route might be a bit extreme (and, no I’m not gonna even let “NC17” and “XXX” in the discussion).
Unless by “XXX” you’re talking about bringing in Vin Diesel. Then we can talk.
Dark Knight was pretty good at making me forget that I was watching a PG-13 movie, so I trust this one to do the same.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a Batman story that absolutely had to be rated “R”. Even as intense as parts of “Dark Knight Returns” and “Killing Joke” are, they are more psychological than visceral. I agree with oldcomicfan that an “R” rating will probably play like the first couple issues of “All-Star Batman and Robin”, and I also agree with @lantis that “Dark Knight” is about as hard as PG-13 can get.
Killing Joke, Dark Knight Returns, and The Cult would all get R ratings if made as a true adaptation. Remember, it’s not only killing that gets you the R, but the extreme themes that will appear.
This will be the last succesfull “dark” comic book movie we will see in a long time.
The “new dark age” is commin to an end. Blood and gore doesn’t have the effekt it used to have, and more often than not, it makes the movie looks cheap.
Keep on PG-13’ing my Batman movie pleace.
I don’t see the point of an R-rated Batman film. The PG-13 films are already pretty intense and thematically mature. What would an R-rated Batman film give us that wasn’t in The Dark Knight? Language? More blood? Nudity?
I think the issue is money. If they ever get a R rating they will not get family dollars. In fact, I think there was probably some bribing going on to make Dark Knight PG13.
The Ratings Board doesn’t get bribed. They are anonymous so tracking them down to bribe them would be a pretty difficult task. Not to mention the kind of people who would rate movies the way they do tend to have pretty strong morals.