Poll: The Dark Knight - Age Rating/certificate

[Relgaro]

Recently in the UK and across the nation people have been complaining that the latest Batman film (Which is completely stunning) should be a higher rating than it is.
Now since i am coming from the UK our certificate for The Dark Knight is a 12A which means anyone younger than twelve years old must be accompanied by an adult.

I also wanted to know what it was rated out in america and anywhere else in certain countries or wether you thought it was too violent to be a 12.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Honestly, I'm not sure what it was here in the states. PG or PG13. I know it wasn't R which means pretty much anyone older than 13 could see it.

I wouldn't have changed that. The Joker wasn't all that scary really. I thought he was brilliant, and he played his character better than I could have imagined but scary he was not. Honestly, I found him kind of funny.

So yeah, I voted no.

 

[Fangface74]

The UK rating in no way reflects the tone of the movie. It's so nitty-gritty that it's not actually that much of a super hero flick, more of a psychological crime thriller where the two main characters have a penchant for dressing up and a flare for the dramatic.

I wouldn't want a 12 year old to see the pencil scene.

A definite vote for 'Yes', anyone voting 'No' doesn't have child empathy.

 

[Relgaro]

Heath Ledgers performance of the Joker was fantastic, completely blows Jack Nicholson out of the water even though he was good to. Although i have to admit when i saw him dressed up as that nurse i actually couldnt stop laughing for a while, and i liked the part with the pencil to but i didnt laugh at that it was kind of a laugh then "holy shit". And yeh when i was watching it wasnt much like a superhero movie at all, it was just like a crime thriller.... much like how "The Watchmen" is going to be when that movie comes out.

 

[Lord Krunk]

It's M15+ over in Oz, and it isn't that bad. As vigilante superheroes go, there wasn't much violence going on, although The Joker is scary in his own right.
I voted "NO" as well.

 

[Relgaro]

I personally find violence much more effective if you dont see whats going on , leaves the imagination to do all the dirty work, but its when you watch movies like hostel which is a complete gore fest, its so violent you kind of remember that your watching a movie, theres no bond between you and the character. If its a good movie and you truely love it, you are shocked when you find out one of the main characters have died, in horror movies you know everyones gonna die anyway.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

I'm in Australia so you have to be 15, so it's good over here.

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

I would vote no. I don't think it was that scary. The pencil scene and the "Why so serious?" scene with that black guy are over and done with so quick that there's no need for it to stay in your mind before things continue. Those scenes are highly suggestive but you'd have to be pretty stupid not to know what happened in them, and even then, again they're not that scary or shocking.

 

[Jamash]

Apologies as this is a little bit off topic, I haven't seen the new Batman film but I can understand the points raised.

Personally I think the age rating in the UK for violence in films is too low, and hypocritical compared to the flack video games get.

I remember I got a pirate copy of Silent Hill (before it was released proper) and before watching it I thought it would be "weak", since the certificate on the cover was only 12.

Imagine my surprise when Pyramid Head ripped that woman's skin off her body by her tits! I didn't see that coming in a 12 rated film.

I was a little bit re-assured when I bought the official realease & saw the age rating was bumped up to 15, but that's still a bit low in my opinion considering the some of content of the film, i.e rape, torture, a woman graphically being burned alive, sexual violation with barbed wire, evil supernatural revenge.

Considering the game itself is rated 18, why would the film be 15, since naive logic dictates a 15 year old would have to wait 3 years to play the game to understand the back story of the film?

Admittedly there's not much swearing or nudity in the film, which seems to be what censors are really bothered about these days.

Is there a lot of swearing or nudity in the new Batman film?

 

[Typecast]

I have no "child empathy" having been one, and amazingly, remembering being one, on top of that, knowing several children.

Ergo: No vote, our rating over here is M15+, people under 15 can't see this(oh dear I actually said that...sigh too late to change it now) without an adult.

(edit): Thanks Heath that was a brilliant performance, I'm sorry I was skeptical before I saw the movie.

 

[Fangface74]

Typecast, do you still think the way you did when you were a child?, has your outlook on the world altered a little? Can you remember what drove you as a person? My point is you've changed, developed & grown, how you process information now is radically different to then. I know I'm pointing out the obvious but analysing how children think is not as easy as just remembering what it was like to be one, we wouldn't need child therapists or child psychologists, we could just 'remember', it takes years of professional training to understand anyone's mind, not just the kiddies.

Regarding exposing minors to The Dark Knight, and adult themes in general, the jury is still out on the Nature vs Nurture debate, is a violent person born, or made?. Regardless of this, one thing that IS known is that the younger you are, the more impressionable you are, and until we know how it works, films that contain scenes of mentally ill criminals with explosives implanted in their chest, who have been reassured that the white light will make the voices go away....I can't remember exactly how it go's but it wasn't just the pencil scene that was 'eerie', anyway, I hope I've expanded the point a little, I wasn't trying to belittle anyone who voted No.

 

[NeedAUserName]

I should be higher really but I'm not to bothered. And in response to Fangface I think its either way, I think some people are born Bastards, and others where nice but because of bullying/abuse are now Violent people

 

[Zombies]

I'm in Australia so you have to be 15, so it's good over here.

if a movie is M15+ you don't have to be 15 and over to go and see it. i saw a ten year old walk in by him self into the movie and just sit there. what your thinking of is MA15+

 

[sneakypenguin]

I don't think it should have been rated higher, yeah it was a semi dark theme but the pencil scene or interrogation scene where not too violent or erie rather a bit laughable. I personally think it would be nice to see a batman flick cut to an M rating with actual violence rather than implied. TDK was a nice step away from such intolerable movies like spiderman and others in the marvel fold.

 

[Relgaro]

I think it depends on peoples views to things wether some if they have a child want their childs safety, or if someone dosnt take things that seriously thus the Joker asking... "Why are you laughing?"

 

[metagaia]

One of the main things ratings are concerned with is whether the violence is real or fantasy, and this seems to be the main sticking point. The BBFC (guys in charge of rating in the UK) decided that all the violence was classed as fantasy, so it's less liekly to be replicated.

I disagree through, in that Christopher Nolan has created a very realistic Batman and Gotham. The pencil trick especially would be a dangerous one for little kids to act out, ditto for the knife scene with the Joker. Before the 12A rating was made (adults must accompany kids under 12), I would have been happy with a 12, but now I feel it doesn't justify a 15, but nor is it a 12A either.

 

[CrazyBerk]

No 'cos then i wouldn't of been able to see it unless i managed to pass off as a 15 year old again. And it was an awesome film.