Joker Movie Gets an Official Hard R Rating
The Todd Phillips-directed Joker is rated R for “strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images,” according to a rating displayed on the official movie website.
Star Marc Maron earlier characterized the Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker as a “character study of a mentally ill person that becomes the Joker,” calling the standalone “an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope.”
Anybody who thinks the general audience cares about the pissing contest between Marvel and DC aside from a few jokes on Twitter needs to go outside.
I’m pretty excited about the Joker film even though I know it’s going to be controversial.
"I love mankind...it's people I can't stand!!"
- Charles Schultz.
I think the Joker will easily beat The Watchmen's domestic and total gross. FYI I enjoyed The Watchmen and it's on my repeat list of CBM.
Now that Fox has been devoured by the Mighty all-too-powerful Mouse there’s little room now for R-rated comic book movies to be made. With the exception of DP, Logan, and 300 there haven’t been any really successful R-rated comic book films.
So I’m thankful that Warner Bros/DC exist to fill the void left by the demise of Fox, and give us R-rated comic book films that are a little more experimental. I want these movies to branch out more outside the family friendly PG-13 fare.
"I love mankind...it's people I can't stand!!"
- Charles Schultz.
"R rated makes things better" is weak logic and ends up just filling movies with cursing and blood instead of actually better storytelling.
Not saying that at all, my point is I would like to see the genre expand beyond the typical PG-13 fare and continue to vary in the types of stories it can tell. The comics have stories in them that would suit an R-rating more than a PG-13 so I’d be down with exploring those type of stories on the big screen without the need to sanitize them.
Last edited by Amadeus Arkham; 08-23-2019 at 12:00 PM.
"I love mankind...it's people I can't stand!!"
- Charles Schultz.
Some stories need to be R rated. Imagine Game of Thrones being PG 13. Not the same. Some stories are so violent and crude that can only be seen by adults. Some people really like to see things as realistic as possible. Personally, I like a mix of many things in my entertainment. Not every story is Disney like about happy endings.
CLASSIFICATION AND RATING RULES
Section 3. Rating Classifications
(3) PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.
A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.
(4) R - Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.
It's The Joker. I think an R rating in this instance is warranted.
It would be hard to edit it for a PG-13 rating and keep the story that they want to tell. Any nudity woulld have to be brief and non-sexual, they could only use one F bomb and in a non-sexual context, any drug use would have to be very mild, the violence couldn't be realistic and couldn't have a lot of blood splatter, and any mature activity could end up getting them an R rating anyhow.
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does? - Gaff Blade Runner
"In a short time, this will be a long time ago." - Werner Slow West
"One of the biggest problems in the industry is apathy right now." - Dan Didio Co-Publisher of I Wonder Why That Is Comics
Grace did give up on reviewing Supergirl when Alex Danvers came out as a lesbian. She seemed rather angry they did this. She seems to have some sort of phobia about homosexuals.
The whole point of a Supergirl movie is to keep a Kryptonian in public view. Yes there is a Supergirl TV show, but a movie reaches more people and gets a lot more publicity. Not having a Nightwing movie because they are
doing The Batman doesn't keep the Bat family out of public view. Having Supergirl movie while they figure out what to do with Superman serves as a placeholder.
Or Orange is the New Black. It just seems more realistic to have convicts constantly dropping the F-bomb. Plus of course women confined together are eventually going to form lesbian relationships and aren't going to
engage in sex with their clothes on.