On an otherwise ordinary day, I respond to a Facebook thread about a Marvel movie, Eternals. It’s not from a group that I would normally subscribe, the reason why it shows up on my timeline is because a friend responded to it. Having been burned by others’ opinions about movies, I typically try not to listen to articles and reviews on films. That said, I saw enough clips of this film to know who stars in it, and later heard observations about how it has the most diverse cast in a superhero movie. Although I had yet to see the film, that’s how I responded. I applauded the film for being diverse.
Spoiler Warning: Going forward I’ll mention plot points in a number of films; please skip if you don’t want them revealed.
First, this film did not impress my friend. This is completely fair; he’s entitled to his opinion, and I had yet to have seen the film. Second, he took his grandson to see it and didn’t feel the couple’s scene on the beach was appropriate for his grandson. This is completely fair too; portraying adult relationships in a particular way is not appropriate for young audiences. Lastly, he asserts that all other MCU films that preceded it were completely fine for his eight-year-old grandson.
Uhm… Really?! That point perplexed me.
The PG-13 Rating
In 1984, the MPA added the PG-13 rating to movies. Until then, films needed to navigate between PG and R ratings. As they released films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gremlins (both PG), they re-evaluated the rating system. They introduced this PG-13 rating as the compromise ‘halfway point’ between the two ratings. As the number suggests, they set that threshold at the age of thirteen. I’m not sure if they did that intentionally, but that age lands solidly in the camp of ‘having reached puberty’.
I watched the original Star Wars film (A New Hope) in the theater when I was a child. Decades later, I watched Revenge of the Sith with great anticipation. In an early scene, Anakin Skywalker first lops off Count Dooku’s hands with light sabers, then subsequently beheads him. Even as an adult, I found that scene jarring. While I certainly enjoyed the movie, I asked myself, “Is this really appropriate for an eighth grader to watch?”
Allow me to frame it another way, what level of violence crosses the threshold of ‘too much for PG-13’ and into the R rating? What if Dooku’s arms spurted blood when Anakin severed them instead of having cleanly cauterized wounds? Or perhaps, they show Dooku’s severed head on the ground silently mouthing dialogue. The acts themselves, severing hands and beheading, don’t actually change, it’s simply about how graphically the movie portrays them.
Sex versus Violence
First, I concede that with both of sex and violence there’s a modest amount which is permissible and even appropriate for young audiences. It’s simply a question of where to delineate. Prince Charming kissing Snow White marks the early stages of coupling; sex marks the advanced stages of coupling. If your child asks if ‘happily ever after’ includes sex, do you tell them, “No”? Similarly, modest amounts of violence are permissible for young audiences. Is beheading Count Dooku excessive for a thirteen-year-old? …at the expense of their missing that Star Wars film?
Studios target PG-13 rating for superhero movies. They strike a compromise between the right amount of action and largest audience size. However, let’s reflect on the sheer amount of carnage in the typical superhero movie. How often do films slay characters in some horrific way, such as an explosion? Do characters frequently throw enemies through buildings? How often are entire cities destroyed? In one such film, Thanos eliminates half of humanity in an instant.
And then ask yourself if a passionate scene with a couple on the beach, shown from the shoulders up, as shown in Eternals, is similarly objectionable.
Why is violence more acceptable than erotica?
Naturally, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wouldn’t presume to tell you that upon turning twenty-one, you must drink. Similarly, I wouldn’t expect anyone to adhere to my standards of acceptable violence or erotica. However, we do define general standards for everyone. Setting the legal drinking age to twenty-one is one such standard. You can choose to conduct your life more restrictively, abstaining from alcohol altogether; it’s your right.
However, if you have children for which you regulate content, it stands to reason that you, at some point, have had sex. Adults have sex on a regular basis. That moment of passion depicted on a desolate beach is something that may happen to any of us. While I won’t suggest showing such content to a young child, I merely point out that these children will likely engage in such activity themselves as they turn older. In fact, we’d become extinct if we stop having sex altogether.
On the other hand, most adults do not find themselves severing people’s hands or heads. Similarly, most violence depicted on PG-13 movies lie far beyond what most adults will encounter in their lifetime, yet as we rate movies, we treat them as similarly objectionable. Why is violence more acceptable than erotica?
The standards for a teenager
By the time a child turns to teen hood, they’ve likely gone through puberty. They may not understand everything about adult relationships, but their bodies are changing and start to experience physical attraction. To display elements of coupling, such as passionate kissing and even non-explicit actual coupling, really that out of touch?
You may choose to bring a young (eight-year-old) child to watch a movie rated as PG-13; that is your right. However, to choose to do this and then complain that a PG-13 movie wasn’t appropriate for an eight-year-old child due to its erotic content, seems profoundly misplaced. To me a more interesting question is, “How is the violence in the preceding PG-13 movies appropriate for a young child?”
Are we buying copies of Hustler magazine to give to 13-year-old boys? No. Do we give alcohol to 16-year-old teens? No. Yet, we’ve made our peace with taking an eight-year-old child to see a movie rated for 13-year-olds? Someone needs to be the adult; it doesn’t matter what that child asks for.