Extended Battle of Five Armies is Rated R- huh.

[odinsgrandson]

I've just found out that, for the first time, an extended LotR film will have a different rating from its theatrically released counterpart- the extended Battle of Five Armies will be rated R.

For those of you from across the Atlantic- the US doesn't have a rating equivalent to 15- the normal film was rated PG-13 (essentially the same as 12) and the extended cut will be basically rated 18.

With the amount of violence in the theatrical film, does anyone have any idea what they might have possibly done to bump it up a rating? They included quite a bit of violence in the original release, I wonder what they could add that would actually change the rating.

[Charistoph]

It may not be violence, but could just be language (though, that would be a bit of a shocker). Violence ratings are so arbitrary that it could have been a 2 beheadings difference.

[odinsgrandson]

I can't see any way it is language (dropping enough F-bombs to make a film R rated isn't something that fits in the setting of middle earth).

I can't see it being nudity (I mean, they've established that Beorn doesn't get naked to transform).

So that leaves violence. And... yeah- with the violence they put into the other five PG-13 LotR film...

It is even more arbitrary than you make it sound, by the way. As I understand it, they watch the movies and decide based on how offensive the content felt to them- so I guess they got someone that didn't think the other five films were PG-13 material?

[Mud Duck]

I think that your missing the to big ones; drinking, and smoking. Those two, to my understanding are the ones that will get you an R rating fast then a couple of beheadings.

[Arkhan Land]

I've just found out that, for the first time, an extended LotR film will have a different rating from its theatrically released counterpart- the extended Battle of Five Armies will be rated R.

For those of you from across the Atlantic- the US doesn't have a rating equivalent to 15- the normal film was rated PG-13 (essentially the same as 12) and the extended cut will be basically rated 18.

With the amount of violence in the theatrical film, does anyone have any idea what they might have possibly done to bump it up a rating? They included quite a bit of violence in the original release, I wonder what they could add that would actually change the rating.

while the amount of violence in five battles was pretty brutal Its not really so bad, no internal organs, beheadings but no drawn out dissmemeberments. thats the stuff that really gets you the higher ratings. like if we watch a dwarf get stabbed through his armour or beaten to the ground its one thing, if we watch a troll pull a dwarfs arms off and then stomp him while he screams, showing internal body matter and greater suffeing... well there you go.

Hope I get to see someone's arms get pulled off!!!!!

[Mr Mystery]

Yarp.

It's not the violence, it's how gorey it gets.

Immortals for instance - it was shaping up to be a fairly adult rating, so they changed the blood to black, and Bob's your Uncle, a lower rating.

[Kirsten]

it is America, violence isn't the problem, the extended version probably just has a momentary nipple or something

[eldargal]

Probly found a way to disrobe Tauriel.

[Kirsten]

found a way, now I am picturing some sort of montage scene of guys in a lab looking in microscopes... 'how about if we...? damn' 'what if... nope'

[eldargal]

Yep. It's a very scientific and competitive field. Peter Jackson has a shot at the Nobel prize but he's up against the GoT showrunners who are already Nobel laureates in the field of Tiddy.

[Gotthammer]

It's because of the 45 minute Thorin x Bilbo sex scene obvs

[Mr Mystery]

'Bilbo.....give me your ring'

*slap bass jazz funk plays*

[Gotthammer]

'Bilbo.....give me your ring'

*slap bass jazz funk plays*

https://38.media.tumblr.com/a9bbaace835672193704cefd40b672b1/tumblr_n440d9kBzX1trn48go3_500.gif

[Arkhan Land]

truth be told if this really happens and they turned a book I read to my little sister into a full on R rated bloodfest PJ deserves an ignoble prize

[Charistoph]

it is America, violence isn't the problem, the extended version probably just has a momentary nipple or something

Nipple slips haven't caused an R Rating since the 70s. There are quite a few PG-13 movies where breasts are free of any encumbrance and in full view. And in some cases while having sex. All from the 80s, too.

[odinsgrandson]

Nipple slips haven't caused an R Rating since the 70s. There are quite a few PG-13 movies where breasts are free of any encumbrance and in full view. And in some cases while having sex. All from the 80s, too.

Actually, check out earlier PG rated films like Jabberwoky, French Postcards or Blow UP (to name a few films with more than brief nipples form the '60s and '70s). All rated PG (PG-13 didn't exist until the '80s).

In the '90s, you had some very brief nipples in things like The 5th Element and Titanic and scored PG-13.


Currently, I've found that most films that deal with violence as a bad thing tend to get an R rating (most of these have no sex or nudity in them) while films that don't make you feel bad about the violence get a PG-13 rating (compare any LotR film against The Man Who Wasn't There, or Saints and Soldiers (which fought the long fight to get a PG-13 rating).

Basically, they rate how much they're offended by the content- and violence made to look bad is something they consider more offensive.

Maybe the deaths of Keely, Feely and Thorin are more graphic (since those are deaths that we're not meant to enjoy)? That'd explain it better than a little more orc dismemberment.

[Kirsten]

the dwarves are more human too, which gets a higher rating than killing monsters.

[odinsgrandson]

True- killing dwarves will get you a higher rating than eviscerating orcs

[odinsgrandson]

Ok, so now it is out, and now we can update this topic.

Now, obviously, there isn't any sexual content in the film. The elf kissing a dead dwarf is about as sexy as the Hobbit trilogy will get. It seems that Peter Jackson is not taking queues from Game of Thrones.

Of course, most of the film is exactly as violent as before- loads of orc, goblin, elf and dwarf death. That didn't upset anyone the first time around.

Quite a bit of the added footage is violence (which make sense for a film that is largely a huge massive sequence). Significant added violence includes the death of Alfrid, the dwarves and elves fighting one another before turning to face the orcs, a sequence involving a dwarf chariot.

Most of that isn't any more violent than before (Alfrid's death wouldn't change the rating) and neither would the Dwarves and Elves fighting (plenty of them die, but it isn't more violent than the film already was).

But the chariot has scythed wheels and there are a few times when there is more liquid blood in the air than there usually is in these movies (thought it is still dark orc and troll blood). I'm pretty sure that's where the R rating came from.

So that's where we are. There's more bleeding when someone gets sliced up by a chariot's scythed wheels.

One other thing to note- Alfrid got on my nerves in the theatrical release, but he didn't bother me in this version. I actually felt like we saw him significantly less, and that's probably just because there was so much more in the film that his percentage changed.