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Prometheus May Be Watered Down For A PG-13 Rating

Date: Mar 29, 2012 | Author: David Wharton | Category: Sci-Fi

Prometheus is one of the most anticipated films of the year, but those of us expecting it to pull no punches when it comes to gore or horror may need to prepare for disappointment. Speaking to Empire Online, director Ridley Scott has revealed that the violence may have been toned down a bit in order to land a PG-13 rating.

Scott laid out the conundrum facing the film when it comes to ratings: “The question is, do you go for the PG-13, [which] financially makes quite a difference, or do you go for what it should be, which is R? Essentially, it’s kinda R.” For those of you already clenching your teeth, don’t rush too much to judgment just yet. Scott continued, saying, “It’s not just about the blood, it’s about ideas that are very stressful. I’m not an idiot, but I’ll do everything I can to get the most aggressive film I can.” That’s a fair point. While the chestburster sequence in the original Alien was unforgettable, it wasn’t necessarily the scariest. Most of that film’s most intense moments came without a hint of gore, so PG-13 rating isn’t necessarily a crippling blow. Would everyone except for studio accountants prefer an R rating? Sure, but I’m willing to give Scott the benefit of the doubt.

The director also talked more about the infamous “Space Jockey,” and why it seems to be central to Prometheus‘ storyline. It turns out, it’s a story Scott has wanted to tell for a long time.

I always wondered when they did [Aliens] 2, 3 and 4 why they hadn’t touched upon that, instead of evolving into some other fantastic story. They missed the biggest question of them all: who’s the big guy? And where were they going? And with what? Why that cargo? There’s all kinds of questions.

Prometheus will — hopefully — provide some answers to those questions when it opens in theaters on June 1st.

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Comments

  • Jphren

    What the frak. I could understand a younger director doing this, but Ridley Scott?! I mean the original Alien was bashed by critics at the time for being “pornographic” in it’s use of blood and gore – but a movie like that could get away with a PG-13 rating by today’s standards. So maybe I just contradicted myself and Prometheus will still kick plenty of ass. Let’s hope for the latter.

    • http://www.facebook.com/christopher.paris1 Chris Paris

      Ridley Scott has repeatedly and unabashedly described himself as a “commercial director” — meaning he puts the commercial viability of his films in the forefront above the content. He has said this so many times in interviews, I am surprised he still has this reputation as a hard hitting maverick,especially when one compares the actual content of his films. the original Alien was a violent film for its day because of the era, but would be a PG-13 film now easily. Ridley has no problem rejiggering his films to suit the studios, or to maximize what he sees as a film’s viability. Whether you think this is bad or not is up to you, but it is reality and he 100% agrees with it. Having him water a film down for a rating to maximize its audience is not at all unlike Ridley Scott, but it does appear to be contrary to fans’ fictional, mythological reimagining of him.

      • Stygian Scribe

         No, “Alien” would still be rated R by today’s standard.  It is violent and bloody, has strong profanity, and while there’s no outright nudity, Ripley’s attire at the end of the movie is close enough.

        • http://www.facebook.com/christopher.paris1 Chris Paris

          No. THE FIFTH ELEMENT featured Milla Jovavich in far more skimpier, revealing clothing (remember the masking tape bikini?) and was rated PG-13. The blood in ALIEN is on par with many, many PG-13 films. The only thing that might garner an R rating for ALIEN is whether or not TWO F-bombs were dropped, since one F-bomb is allowed under PG-13 (see RON BURGUNDY.) I don’t remember the profanity in ALIEN, so can’t be sure on that point.

          • JT

            Actually Milla was straight up naked in that movie. But only briefly. Same for Titanic. You used to be able to get away with very brief nudity in PG-13s but you can’t really anymore, the MPAA is pretty lax when it comes to violence but very strict on sex and nudity (which is kind of messed up if you really think about it).

  • http://www.wix.com/winteroud/chronos-productions Dante D’Anthony

    IMO some of the most frightening aspects of the first film were derived from it’s believably gritty spaceship interiors on the Nostromo and the claustrophobic camera work. It looked real, felt like you were there, in a big machine in deep space. No other Science Fiction film I ever experienced gave me quite the sensation of being there. Far from help. Then, when Ridley Scott revealed Giger’s ship…and finally Giger’s Alien-it was all the more terrifying. First, however, he put you there. With very ordinary people (the crew), in the cold dark distances where no one can hear you scream.   

    • Jphren

      I’ll agree with that. The “violence” was more implied, with just enough visual violence to keep you cringing. It’s all about atmosphere, and from what the trailers have shown so far – Prometheus looks to have plenty of it. 

      • http://www.facebook.com/christopher.paris1 Chris Paris

        I was a kid at my first job in a movie theater when Alien came out. The movie was running for about a week before I ever got to see it, but I was working that week. I saw grown men walk out of the film visibly shaking and pale, and one guy walked out midway through to sit in the lobby because he couldn’t get through it. it got so us kids on the theater staff were afraid to go in the cinema to do our “no smoking” rounds. It’s amazing because now it would be different, but it goes to show how much of an impact the film had back then, on the audiences of that time.

  • Alex

    I think Ridley Scott knows what he is doing, besides, most movies today are all about making money.

    Alex
    http://www.themodernman.com.au

  • Brian White

    This movie judging by the trailers is going to be visually stunning, just looking at the use of color in the space suits gives the whole thing something more tangible and believable than the shades of gray everything usually has.

  • Stygian Scribe

    PG-13 would allow teenagers (and their almighty spending ability) to see the movie without their parents having to take them, but is it worth the cost to the movie?  Of course, they’ll just released the R-rated or unrated version on DVD anyway.  The problem is that the impact of a film is felt in the theater, so the irony is to get the full experience of the movie, you must see it at home instead of where it works the best.