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Star Wars Prequels Sci-Fi Media Movies

Revenge of the Sith Officially Rated PG-13 445

Posted by Zonk from the power-of-the-dark-side dept.
Bobert@flixnjoystix.com writes "On May 19th, fans of all ages will see the final installment of the Star Wars saga with Revenge of the Sith. However, for the first time ever a Star Wars film will be officially rated PG-13. Over the weekend the Daily Herald newspaper confirmed that George Lucas' conclusion to his nearly 30 year epic Space Opera received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA is expected to release an official statement or press release sometime this week." This confirms the rumor we reported on back in March.
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Revenge of the Sith Officially Rated PG-13 More

Revenge of the Sith Officially Rated PG-13

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  • Of course the film is going to be PG-13... because only people above the age of 13 will be able to truly appreciate Jar Jar's evisceration.

    I can imagine it now. Darth Vader ripping that demon Jamaican dinosaur Wino from limb to limb. With each limb being severed, hearing the beast shouting out, "Meesa in Pain! Meesa in Pain!" Vader points his finger, and throws the battered, lifeless carcass against the wall.

    "Only two there are," says Yoda, "a master and an apprentice. Killed, Palpatine's apprentice, Vader did he!"

    Along with Jar Jar, in the abyss, floats the souls of Saddam Hussein, Oprah, Geraldo Rivera, Dick Clark and New Kids on the Block. Jar Jar shall be reborn in another realm. In a galaxy far far away from the one he was in, way in the future.

    That backwards asshat dinosaur is scheduled to come back, Jesus style. Only next time, it'll be rated R. Be afraid... be very afraid...

    Now that is why this Star Wars is PG-13. Sleep tight kiddies...

    • Of course the film is going to be PG-13... because only people above the age of 13 will be able to truly appreciate Jar Jar's evisceration.

      I can imagine it now. Darth Vader ripping that demon Jamaican dinosaur Wino from limb to limb. With each limb being severed, hearing the beast shouting out, "Meesa in Pain! Meesa in Pain!" Vader points his finger, and throws the battered, lifeless carcass against the wall.

      Half of the Star Wars demographic is probably composed of six-year-olds who are still amused by sadistically removing the legs from an insect. They'll appreciate that scene even more than you will. ;-)

      • Here's a darker little poet tonight... (Score:4, Funny)

        by nounderscores ( 246517 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @08:46AM (#12199854)
        have you ever been hated or discriminated against?
        I have I've been hunted and wanted in the exterminated sense.
        Seismic mines for my jedi mind. Look at the times. Sick is the mind of the sentator that's behind
        all this conflict destructive. enough is too much as planets explodin'. Tempers flaring with Windu.
        Just blow him off and keep goin' not taking nothin from no-one.
        Giving help long after not breathin'.
        keep kickin ass in the morning, an' taking names in the evening
        leavingm with a taste as sour as Dagobah in their mouth.
        See they can trigger me but they can never figure me out look at me now, I betya probably sick of me now.
        Aint you Yoda? Ima make you look so ridiculous now

        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.
        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.

        Verse 2
        you got a skeleton in a cave I don't know if anyone knows it.
        But before they throw my robes out of an airlock and close it
        I'ma expose it.
        I'll take you back a hundred years or three before I ever had an Artoo-Dee
        Too. met this slave boy, must have been a few cycles old.
        Owned by Watto who didn't want him sold.
        He's the shit. I mean that boy could really fly.
        I guess that's because he's the livin' breathin force that's why.
        I look at Anni and I couldn't picture leaving his side.
        Even if he was full of fear, I'd grit my teeth and I'd try
        to make it work with him at least for Qui-gon's sake.
        Maybe I made some mistakes, but I'm only human. And I'm jedi enough to try to will them away.
        What I did was reckless, no doubt that it was dumb.
        But the smartest shit I ever did was learn to chop off arms. cuz he'd a killed us.
        Shit, he would have shot Luke an me both. It's my life, far far away, a long long time ago.

        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.
        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.

        Verse 3
        now I would never diss my own master
        just to get some recognition, maybe Qui-gon might,
        because he wouldn't listen and he was always dissin'.
        But put yourself in my position.
        Just try to envision witnessin' yo master struggle
        with simple levitation, bitchin' that "against us the force is"
        and our archives have somethin' missin'.
        Goin' through all the star systems, victim of force-unbalanced syndrome.
        My whole life I was made to believe that I was strong when I wasn't. Until I grew up,
        now I blew up.
        It makes you sick to your stomach.
        Doesn't it?
        wasn't that the reason you made that knighthood for me, Da?
        So you could try to justify the way you treated me, Da? Utinni!
        You're gettin older and it's cold when you're squattin'.
        An Luke's gettin up so quick, he's gonna go,
        you can't hold him. And Anni's getting so big now,
        you should see him, he's a sith lord.
        But you never see him. He won't even be at your funeral.
        See what hurts me the most is you won't admit you was wrong. Go disappear. Keep telling yourself that you was master here.
        But how dare you try to blame me for what you helped to set up. E chu ta!
        I hope you get eaten by the Sarlac for that. Remember when Darth Maul died and you sorta wished it was me?
        Well, guess what, I AM dead - more powerful than you could forsee!

        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.
        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.
        I said, I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.
        I'm sorry Yoda.
        I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm training Skywalker.

        from amiright com. [amiright.com]

    • Actually... (Score:5, Funny)

      by OzRoy ( 602691 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @07:26AM (#12199358)
      it's got a higher rating because of all the swearing a cursing the audience will be shouting out in disgust as they watch the movie.

  • I hope it's not for violence (Score:5, Funny)

    by FullMetalAlchemist ( 811118 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:49AM (#12199000)
    I hope it's not a rating for only violence inte film, but because of nude scenes with Natalie Portman!

  • This is just guesswork since I haven't seen the movie (duh)... but...

    What I can't help but imagine is if the whole swing towards the religious right and indecency plays a part within this. After the whole Janet Jackson thing, it's quiet possible that Ani's relationship with Padme that helps contribute towards this rating along with the violence.

    After all, it seems somehow "okay" to expose kids to violence in the states. Sex is a whole other thing...

    • Re:Maybe it's pg-13 for sexuality? Maybe... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by C0rinthian ( 770164 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:06AM (#12199060)
      Remember, gratuitous violence is okay as long as there are no naughty words.
    • I dont think the FCC has jurisdiction over film ratings.. although im sure they'd love to!

      You can't have prejudice against violence - that would mean being anti-gun and you can't have that! sex on the other hand serves no purpose other than brushing with someone elses toothbrush or something, condoms have holes in them and homosexuality is the devils work.
    • After all, it seems somehow "okay" to expose kids to violence in the states. Sex is a whole other thing...

      Unfortunatly, if you base a culture on trying to hide sex and replace it with violence, you end up in a state where sex isn't a whole other thing, but mixed up with violence in far too many heads.

      Way back when there used to be an observation that the difference between US en European TV was that in the US you couldn't show a breast being kissed, but you could show it being stabbed, and in Europe the

  • I'm not talking "Hot Grits on Natalie Portman" kinda "R", but something with a bit more of an edge too it will definately be welcome. Something dark and serious for a change. Maybe have Tim Burton direct it......

    Mmmmmm Hot Griiiitssss.

  • HOWEVER (Score:5, Funny)

    by clambake ( 37702 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:50AM (#12199004) Homepage
    This time the rating's meaning is a bit different than usual. No one over the age of 13 should attend.

    • Re:HOWEVER (Score:3, Funny)

      by Dogtanian ( 588974 )
      This time the rating's meaning is a bit different than usual. No one over the age of 13 should attend.

      In that case, Michael Jackson will probably still be able to get in; primarily because he won't be watching the film, he'll be watching the audience...

  • Nudity (Score:5, Funny)

    by IIDX ( 873577 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:52AM (#12199009)
    The wookies are naked, does that make it PG-13?

  • Can anyone... (Score:4, Funny)

    by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 ( 812236 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:52AM (#12199012) Journal
    just zip down to the Grauman's Chinese Theater and tell these folks [slashdot.org]?

  • Rated PG-13 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by chrism238 ( 657741 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:58AM (#12199033)
    well, in the US anyway, but how quickly their population forgets the rest of us....

  • well. the censors watched ep 1 and 2 (Score:5, Funny)

    by gl4ss ( 559668 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:58AM (#12199035) Homepage Journal
    and decided collectively that only if you're old enough you are allowed to be stupid enough to pay.

  • Makes Sense... (Score:5, Funny)

    by CleverNickedName ( 644160 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @05:59AM (#12199037) Journal
    This announcement does corroborate with the rumours that Ep. III consists entirely of Lucas squatting out an angry, sweaty dump on in front of a blue screen while screaming insults at the fans.

    I'm still going to pay to see it.

  • Expanded vocabulary (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:03AM (#12199050)
    "Do or do not, there is no fucking try."

    "Shit, it's a trap!"

    "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent. Now get the hell out of here!"

  • We can only hope... (Score:5, Funny)

    by joelparker ( 586428 ) <joel@school.net> on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:11AM (#12199077) Homepage
    Dear George Lucas, We are assigning the PG-13 rating for the following reasons:

    1. The Sith. We don't mind when they cut Jedi in half, but in "Revenge" they sure do curse a lot.

    2. Midichlorians. These imply evolution, which is only a hypothesis and not suitable for young minds.

    3. Rampant drug use in Mos Eisley scenes. What exactly are they smoking?

    4. Adult theme. Taxes, embargoes, and senate politics are totally inappropriate for children. And for space movies.

    5. Jar-Jar dies a horrible death, yeaaasay-ee-sir. Finally listened to your fans, yes?

    6. Amidala wears even less than Leia's metal bikini. May the Force be with you!

    Yours Truly, The Ratings Board

  • poetry time (Score:5, Funny)

    by aendeuryu ( 844048 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:14AM (#12199093)
    I'm surprised this film's PG-13,
    Strangest thing I've ever seen,
    Because other than the toddlers,
    Or those with Alzheimers,
    It's junk for everyone else in between.

  • The book IS out, you know (Score:5, Informative)

    by (trb001) ( 224998 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:15AM (#12199096) Homepage
    Judging by the posts I've seen, everybody is either joking about or speculating why it got a PG-13 rating...the Episode III book IS out, and most of it has been posted to newsgroups online. It's received a PG-13 rating for all the violence (there are at least 5 bad ass lightsabers fights I can think of, 4 of which involve someone dying, off the top of my head) and the scenes involving Anakin's skin getting melted off.

    --trb

  • Damnit! No Disembowing by Wookies (Score:4, Funny)

    by Salvo ( 8037 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:16AM (#12199099)
    C'mon! We've all seen the trailers. There are hoards and hoards of Wookies in battle.
    Considering that Ripping Arms out of sockets wouldn't be PG-13, that must mean the Wookies win, 'cos everyone knows Droids don't Rip peoples arms out of their sockets when they loose. Wookies are known to do that...
  • Everyone will be watching the leaked pirate a week before its in the cinema anyway...

  • Aren't there any other ratings? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mr_snarf ( 807002 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:19AM (#12199108)
    Ok, first off, I'm an Aussie. To me "PG-13" sounds really really lame. When I read that I thought it had been brought -down- to PG-13. I'm a bit confused, here in Australia we have:

    G - Suitable for all
    PG - Parental guidance recommended for kids under 15
    M - Mature, recommended for people over 15. (not a legal restriction)
    MA - Mature Accompanied, illegal for people under 15 aren't to see it unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
    R - Legally restricted to adults
    X - Generally sexually explicit, technically illegal in all AU states except capital territory, but authorities turn a blind eye.
    E - No rating, like, educational shows.
    RC - Refused Classification, banned.

    And each of those ratings is normally accompanied by a few words saying what sort of stuff gives it that rating. Eg, 'contains strong violence and coarse language' 'contains nudity' 'contains sex scenes' 'contains goatse' etc. Although for TV shows they often say 'contains material that may be offensive to some viewers', without saying what it is, and suddenly naked men are on the screen :(.

    Anyway, could someone who knows explain quickly what this 'PG-13' is equivalent of. It sounds like our PG, but other star wars seemed more M to me. (I found jar-jar really offensive)
    • Although for TV shows they often say 'contains material that may be offensive to some viewers', without saying what it is, and suddenly naked men are on the screen :(.
      I don't quite know why, but I found this line to be friggin hilarious. Thank you.

    • Re:Aren't there any other ratings? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Daytona955i ( 448665 ) <flynnguy24 AT yahoo DOT com> on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:45AM (#12199185)
      The internet is your friend: Click Here! [localmovies.com]

      For the impatient:
      What do the rating symbols mean?
      G General Audiences -- All ages admitted. Signifies that the film rated contains nothing most parents will consider offensive for even their youngest children to see or hear. Nudity, sex scenes, and scenes of drug use are absent; violence is minimal; snippets of conversation may go beyond polite conversation but do not go beyond every-day expressions.

      PG Parental Guidance Suggested -- Some material may not be suitable for children. Signifies that the film rated may contain some material parents might not like to expose to their young children -- material that will clearly need to be examined or inquired about before children are allowed to attend the film. Explicit sex scenes and scenes of drug use are absent; nudity, if present, is seen only briefly; horror and violence do not exceed moderate levels.

      PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned -- Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Signifies that the film rated may be inappropriate for pre-teens. Parents should be especially careful about letting their younger children attend. Rough or persistent violence is absent; sexually-oriented nudity is generally absent; some scenes of drug use may be seen; some use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words may be heard.

      R Restricted -- Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian (age varies in some jurisdictions). Signifies that the rating board has concluded that the film rated may contain some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their children to see it. An R may be\ assigned due to, among other things, a film's use of language, theme, violence, sensuality, or its portrayal of drug use. Theater owners and film critics are advised as to why the R rating was assigned; parents are therefore urged to contact their local theatres to learn why the rating board chose the R rating.

      NC-17 No children under 17 Admitted (age varies in some jurisdictions). Signifies that the rating board would feel that the film rated is patently adult and that children under the age of 17 should not be admitted to it. The film may contain explicit sex scenes, an accumulation of sexually-oriented language, and/or scenes of excessive violence. The NC-17 designation does not, however, signify that the rated film is obscene or pornographic in terms of sex, language, or violence.
    • PG-13 was introduced in 1984 because Spielberg scared most of India with his vision of the Temple of Doom:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PG-13#History [wikipedia.org]

      I would venture to guess that it was also introduced to allow 80s teen movies to slip in a little titty here and there.

      IronChefMorimoto
    • X - Generally sexually explicit, technically illegal in all AU states except capital territory, but authorities turn a blind eye.

      Illegal?! Damn.

      I guess I have to cross Australia off my list of places I might like to live when Hillary is elected president.

  • one can hope (Score:4, Interesting)

    by dioscaido ( 541037 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:21AM (#12199112)
    I remember when I was growing up during the run of 'meatball' and the like movies, PG-13 meant that there was at least one boobie shot in the picture, guaranteed.

    Princess Amidala... I'm looking at you.

  • Does Lucas want an PG13 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by the_womble ( 580291 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:23AM (#12199114) Homepage Journal
    Maybe Lucas set out to create a film that was PG13 to win back his adult audience - it sends a strong message that this is not a kids film as Episode I definitely was.

    It certainly seems to have got the writer of the article to be more positive about it.

  • Bashing (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rydia ( 556444 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:24AM (#12199117)
    You know what'll be awesome? A few years down the road, when maybe The Cool Kids have moved on and bashing Star Wars isn't so in vogue.

    It's amazing all the amazing twists people will contort into... and quite amusing. "Well, episodes 1 and 2 sucked. ALL BECAUSE OF JAR JAR. I am so terribly aghast at his screentime that it ruins everything for me! Look at me! mememe!"

    or, perhaps "these two suck because Lucas wrote them himself, unlike ESB. I'm going to ignore ANH. Because it doesn't fit my point."

    or even "the romantic scenes suck! Because, ya know, the ones in the first trilogy were so wonderfully done!" They were pretty bad. Funny how immediacy seems to be much more relevant. Or perhaps its the construction of the first trilogy that people have created for themselves that put everything about it above reproach.

    In education, there is an "ideal draft" theory, that states, essentially, that when an instructor has an ideal essay on a particular subject in mind when reading/grading an assignment, both the instructor and student lose. We see the same sort of thing going on with star wars, by a lot of people that really should know better... when an "idea copy" of star wars has been created in one's mind, even if it is murky and nonspecific, nothing will ever hope to live up to it, and the experience is ruined, ie, fans whining and Lucas getting a lot of criticism.

    The real problem with actions along this theory, however, is that the more "disappointing" the movie is, the more disproportionally "bad" it ends up being in the reviewer's mind. Ergo, we have an annoying character becoming the most hated fictional character of all time, and a bunch of people talking about their childhood being ruined.

    Sure, I was disappointed, too. But this is a bit silly.

    • Re:Bashing (Score:2, Insightful)

      by R.Caley ( 126968 )
      You know what'll be awesome? A few years down the road, when maybe The Cool Kids have moved on and bashing Star Wars isn't so in vogue.

      When we can apreciate it for what it is as we do with Plan 9 From Outer Space.

    • On an 8 year old level... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by geoffrobinson ( 109879 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @07:05AM (#12199255) Homepage
      the original trilogy never had enough Jedi action to satisfy me. That alone makes the new trilogy worthwhile.

      Your point is valid. Episode I wasn't great but not as horrible as people make it out to be. II was good, but not incredible. Very fun.

      I think part of the problem is that this trilogy doesn't have the "hero's journey" story line which people just naturally love. It must be in our DNA or something.

      And there is no way getting around dealing with Palpatine's rise as well.

      I can't think of a better Episode I or II plot outline, so I'll just enjoy them. Episode III looks great, but even if it isn't...there will be plenty of Jedi action.

    • Re:Bashing (Score:5, Interesting)

      by sg3000 ( 87992 ) * <(sg_public) (at) (mac.com)> on Monday April 11, 2005 @08:26AM (#12199712)
      > In education, there is an "ideal draft" theory, that states,
      > essentially, that when an instructor has an ideal essay on a
      > particular subject in mind when reading/grading an
      > assignment, both the instructor and student lose.

      There's also some psychology in this, too.

      Familiarity makes you more inclined to like something.

      For example, experiments were done where people were shown a stack of photographs and were asked to rate the photographs in terms of how flattering they were to the subject. The stack included a photo of themselves. In the control group, their photo was normal, but with the experimental group, their photo was a mirror image (flopped, in photography parlance).

      The experimental group statistically rated their photos higher. The reasoning was that the flopped image is what you see when you look in a mirror -- that is, you see yourself in the mirror more often than as you actually are, so you are more familar with that image of yourself.

      So, not surprisingly, the original trilogy is more familiar to people then the new trilogy. Moreover, I think than when some fans actually saw Episodes I and II, it did not live up to expectations, and people disliked them more than they would have otherwise. As for the rest of the crowd, not surprisingly, most people are fair weather fans: they saw Episode IV because of the hype and they saw Episode I because of the hype. Although I didn't run across this list [movieweb.com] adjusted for inflation, the box office sales indicate this as well, with the best sellers being Episode IV, Episode I, Episode II, Episode VI, and finally Episode V.

      Going back to familiarity, think about when you're in a restaurant, and you order an iced tea, and the waiter accidentally brings you a Coke. That first taste is awful! Not because the Coke was bad, but because you were expecting iced tea. Once you know what to expect, even the second sip will taste better.

      I think many fans had played up what they thought the prequels would be like, but when Lucas delivered, it wasn't what they were expecting, and they got angry. There are probably some other reasons why people didn't like the movies (one of which is probably the fact that Lucas's insights on proto-fascism might be turning some people off as well)

      I enjoyed the movies, I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and Episode II is my favorite out of the five I've seen. The new movies are flawed, but so were the old ones. All five of them have wit, low-brow humor, great special effects, cheesy special effects, memorable dialog, and groan-worthy dialog. However, I think Lucas is tying together two themes. First, he describes an almost-utopia into a dystopia, and its effort to rise again. Second, the story is about a good character gone bad and how they can be redeemed. The fact that those two themes are in a story arc that are carried though a thirty year effort shows Lucas' movies haven't actually changed much at all.
  • Well, that's good - now we know exactly what rating "scenes of dropping someone in a flaming pit of lava" gets you.

  • I've heard... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:31AM (#12199137)
    I've heard that its rated PG-13 because they will show the full birthing scene of luke and leia from the viewpoint of the ob-gyn.

    Once the fanboys see a full-on birth, that will make them just that much more scared of girls and sex.

  • For those outside the US... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 11, 2005 @06:48AM (#12199196)
    ...who haven't a clue what "PG-13" means, here are some useful links:-

    Overview of MPAA ratings [mpaa.org]
    G and PG in detail [mpaa.org]
    PG-13 upwards in detail [mpaa.org]

    Basically, PG-13 means you *can* get in if you are under 13; as far as I can tell, no accompaniment is required. It differs from the US PG rating in that it is a stronger warning that the material *may* be unsuitable for under 13s.

    This makes it somewhere between the UK (and US's) PG rating and the UK's 12A (which requires accompaniment by an adult if you are under 12).

    It shouldn't be assumed that the film will be a 12A in the UK though; if the rating was as a result of sex or language, then the BBFC might judge it differently.

  • A Marketing Ploy (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rinkjustice ( 24156 ) <rinkjustice&NO_SPAMrocketmail,com> on Monday April 11, 2005 @08:05AM (#12199577) Homepage Journal
    Pure and simple, the PG-13 rating is meant to garner more attention and speculation. Otherwise, Revenge of the Sith's opening would be the worst ever for a Star Wars movie.

    Kinda clever if you ask me.

  • better than PG70 (Score:3, Funny)

    by justforaday ( 560408 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @09:43AM (#12200338)
    Better than the PG70 rating that the Uptown in DC has listed for Sin City...

  • There was no PG-13 for the originals (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rednalb ( 803581 ) on Monday April 11, 2005 @09:51AM (#12200415)
    Some of the originals would have probably been rated PG-13 if it existed back then. PG-13 wasn't created until 1984. The chopping off of limbs and stuff with blood in the original movies would have probably made them pg-13.

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