The age rating of Star Wars Return Of The Jedi has been increased due to ‘violence’… But has your favorite film also been affected by the censorship?
Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park were among the famous films to have their age ratings increased by film censors in 2023, it has been revealed.
The Star Wars classic was no longer considered suitable for young children due to its scenes of violence, including where Darth Vader’s hand is ‘chopped off at the wrist’.
Santa Claus: The Movie, the supernatural comedy-drama Casper, The Addams Family and School of Rock, starring Jack Black, were also classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
At the same time, violent films like Enter the Dragon, Raging Bull, Mean Streets, Friday the 13th and Gangs of New York saw their age ratings relax.
Research found that the BBFC raised the age limit for some family films due to concerns about violence and strong language.
The Star Wars classic was no longer considered suitable for young children due to its violent scenes, including where Darth Vader’s hand is ‘chopped off at the wrist’
Santa Claus: The Movie, the supernatural comedy-drama Casper, The Addams Family and School of Rock, starring Jack Black, were also classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
The BBFC said it had downgraded Santa Claus: The Movie from a U to a PG rating because of its “mild violence” and said its use of the word “crap” exceeded current guidelines for U-rated films.
Yet it relegated other films in which the ‘guidance’ around violence was said to have ‘evolved’.
The BBFC said it had downgraded Santa Claus: The Movie from a U to a PG rating because of its “mild violence” and said its use of the word “crap” exceeded current guidelines for U-rated films.
Concerns over “moderate violence,” with Return of the Jedi showing a “brief emphasis on pain and injury,” was deemed to exceed the guidelines for films rated U and so it was elevated to a PG.
The BBFC says a PG film should not upset a child aged around 8, adding that anyone of any age can watch, ‘but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger children to make’.
Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, was upgraded from a PG to a 12A for its “moderate threat, violence, bloody images.”
But Bruce Lee’s last film Enter the Dragon dropped from an 18 to a 15 because the violence “lacks the visual detail” for a higher rating.
Martin Scorsese’s 1980 film Raging Bull was downgraded from an 18 to a 15, and the 1980s horror film Friday The 13th dropped to a 15 amid changing audience expectations around horror films.
A spokesperson for the BBFC said: ‘We began our latest review of the guidelines this year, speaking to a wide range of parents, families, teenagers and educators across the length and breadth of the country.’