Steamboy and movie ratings

[Thorin]

So Steamboy is rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned.  Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13).  So I finally decided to watch the movie with my kids tonight, telling them that if they get scared or anything I can just turn it off.  Turns out, if it weren't for that one tiny bit where you see a soldier actually lying there dead with blood on his face, the movie would've gotten a PG rating I'm sure.  It was no more violent than The Incredibles or Chronicles of Narnia or hell, Peter Pan 2 (bombs dropping all around at the start of that movie, y'know?).  And the Dead Soldier mini-scene was necessary to show that Miss Scarlett finally learned that weapons really *do* hurt people, and that making more weapons and releasing them into the world is really *not* such a nice thing to do.

Thank you Tonnica for lending us this excellent movie.  It was interesting to see how the kids reacted to the idea that bad guys aren't always bad and good guys aren't always good (i.e. the father and the grandfather both had good and bad qualities, but the father was definitely the bad guy while the grandfather was definitely the good guy).

[Tom]

I Enjoyed Steamboy as well. I think we went to the theater when it came out.. Were you not there?

edit, then again, I may not have seen it at a theater. I can't recall now..

[Mr. Analog]

I know I saw it in the theatre, one of my favourites.

[Tom]

Just chalk it up to my faulty recall, and too much anime (is there such a thing )

[Lazybones]

I saw it in the theatre... I liked it, but at the same time was not really thrilled buy it...

[Tonnica]

Turns out, if it weren't for that one tiny bit where you see a soldier actually lying there dead with blood on his face, the movie would've gotten a PG rating I'm sure.

That's pretty much how I feel about it as well. All the rest of the movie is pretty much PG-rating material outside of that one scene (which is why I warned you about it, just in case). Though it's not an unusual sight; I'm used to seeing some movies/shows/anime bumped up a rating level or even two just because of one thing in there not considered to fit within the lower rating criteria (ie: one person is holding a gun but doesn't use it, someone holding a cigarette, romantic overtones). I'd have to go through my collection at home to bring up some good examples.

I've gotta tip my hat to the ESRB system though - at least it's trying to provide information for people purchasing movies, multimedia, and games right on the box. And for those who don't know enough about a movie to decide for themselves - or perhaps know the reaction that their kids had to other similarly rated movies can make a more educated decision. In particular, the box next to the rating with explinations of any objectionable content contained within (mild violence, horror, partial nudity) can be very handy.

It was no more violent than The Incredibles or Chronicles of Narnia or hell, Peter Pan 2 (bombs dropping all around at the start of that movie, y'know?).  And the Dead Soldier mini-scene was necessary to show that Miss Scarlett finally learned that weapons really *do* hurt people, and that making more weapons and releasing them into the world is really *not* such a nice thing to do.

Thank you Tonnica for lending us this excellent movie.  It was interesting to see how the kids reacted to the idea that bad guys aren't always bad and good guys aren't always good (i.e. the father and the grandfather both had good and bad qualities, but the father was definitely the bad guy while the grandfather was definitely the good guy).

You're very welcome, I'm glad the kids liked it. This is a great movie that hits many categories that kids can enjoy and has some really neat concepts. Steamboy is also another excellent example of a movie that encourages using your head and making your own decisions. That's always a good lesson to pass on.

Plus, it's hard to deny jetting around with a steam jetpack (or Jetpak, however you like it) would be pretty cool.

[Darren Dirt]

at least it's trying to provide information for people purchasing movies, multimedia, and games right on the box. And for those who don't know enough about a movie to decide for themselves - or perhaps know the reaction that their kids had to other similarly rated movies can make a more educated decision. In particular, the box next to the rating with explinations of any objectionable content contained within (mild violence, horror, partial nudity) can be very handy.

Agreed, it's much much better than the Walmart Way (i.e. selling "censored" material without even labelling it as modified from the original) or worse, the John Ashcroft way (legislating morality restricting free enterprise).

[Mr. Analog]

Like watching Futurama on TBS!

"Sweet Zombie *mouth opening and closing with no sound*"