Here's why 'Suicide Squad' is officially rated PG-13

This news shouldn't be a huge surprise, though I know some fans were holding out hope for an R-rated Suicide Squad. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) just put out a bulletin officially declaring that David Ayer's movie about bad guys has been rated PG-13.

Here’s the official rating description:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language.

I think we have The Joker and Harley Quinn to thank for a lot of that! And who knows? Maybe Warner Bros. will put an R-rated version out on Blu-ray like they did for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

SOURCE: MPAA

52 comments

12stepCornelius

June 7, 2016

Neat.

Martinezxyz

June 7, 2016

"Disturbing behavior"

I wonder why 🤔

wuhit

June 7, 2016

...lol

Zoom

June 7, 2016

just like all of the mindless idiots like yourself who would even defend the kiddie rating for such a movie. the same kind of people who somehow would defend PG-13 versions of Terminator, Die Hard, Robocop, The Expendables or Total Recall. and its because of people like you that studios can justify this bullshit. You would probably even defend the next Saw movie being PG 13 lol

Mark
June 7, 2016
When the original Terminator was made, PG-13 didn't exist, but I can imagine them shooting for that if it had. Die Hard mainly got an R rating because the writer used a special word processor that automatically inserted at least three "fucks" in every line on the page (the sequels, though, are actually dangerous to children in that they are so stupid they cause brain damage).
But beyond that, the original Ostrander Suicide Squad book in the post-Crisis era didn't ship with a Mature Readers tag, and I don't see what the big deal is about this being rated or not rated R.
1. Mark
  June 7, 2016
  OK, maybe; I can't remember it well (I mainly remember how awful Die Hard 2 was).
Kerk Lastnameless
June 8, 2016
I saw Batman and Robocop 2 when I was 5. Couldn't make sense of any of what was happening but the impressions were as follows:
- Boy, this man in the dark suit sure is scary. I wouldn't want to be one of those bad guys.
- Shiiiiiiit. Run you idiots, that monster robot-machine gun is going to kill you all! Why are you all standing there?
By the way, I submit to you that we all back then called ED-209 "Robot-Chicken" because he resembled a chicken, and the second one "Robot-Drugaddict."
1. OGDickGrayson
  June 8, 2016
  I watched Predator when I was like 6. From then all I wanted to do was work out and listen to 80's rock.
Blockhead Jr.
June 8, 2016
Kiddie? PG13 is kiddie?
The Dork Knight
June 8, 2016
What you are saying is true about those movies for the most part and that's because of established precedent. The original Predator was rated R and so should the sequels or any reboot. The same is true for Robocop, Lethal Weapon, etc. because the hard edged visceral nature to them is part of their character and what made them great. However, that's not true in the case of Batman because Batman really hasn't been an R rated character in his prime of successful interpretations so it could go either way with movies about batman or his villains. It depends on what the story calls for. The Dark Knight didn't feel neutered or dragged down by a pg 13 rating. When you bring up those movies like Robocop and Total Recall needing to have an R rating what you're saying is true about those movies because that's what's been established. But it's making a false equivalency to the world of Batman which hasn't been mapped out in blood, tits, and f words. If it had been previously to the degree of those other movies then yeah you'd be spot on. But Batman could be successful as a story and a movie with a variety of ratings depending on the story.
Sammy Boy
June 8, 2016
Terminator would be PG-13 with today standards.

Guy

June 7, 2016

Looking forward to Harley's suggestive behavior.

Connor Potasse
June 7, 2016
disturbing*

Worlds Finest Comments

June 7, 2016

Not everything has to be Deadpool or Watchmen.

Schuyler Finley
June 7, 2016
"But but...the movie should have nude Harley scenes like in the animated movie. We should get to see a lot of blood and gore since some of the squad members are gonna die. I mean, Deadpool got to make a ton of box office money just for having a scene of him jerking off. The squad should be making vulgar every 15 seconds."
Blah. I got sick from just typing that.
1. AquaCthulhu
  June 8, 2016
  Deadpool only released with the hard-R domestically. Everywhere else (most of the markets) there were at least 7 cuts and it wouldn't really seem like an R-rated film by then. THAT'S how it made so much money.
  1. Schuyler Finley
    June 8, 2016
    Also because the character is extremely popular. And some parents still let their kids see the R-rated movie.
    1. AquaCthulhu
      June 8, 2016
      Yeah. The trailers amassed a lot of attention, especially on the social media.
    2. Schuyler Finley
      June 8, 2016
      The advertisement did fit his character. It's just irritating now that people act like Deadpool is the only successful R-rated film and that other comic films should follow its formula.
    3. AquaCthulhu
      June 8, 2016
      Yep.
      Those complaining haven't even seen Suicide Squad to say if it'll be better as an R-rated film. Besides didn't Charles Roven say this film would really be pushing the envelope of film-certification? I'd be surprised if this wasn't at least as explicit as the Assault on Arkham movie.
  2. Mark
    June 8, 2016
    Can you please explain what "Everywhere else there were at least 7 kids and it wouldn't really seem like an R-rated film by then" means? I'm not trying to harsh on you, I genuinely don't get what you meant.
    1. AquaCthulhu
      June 8, 2016
      It was a typo. I meant 'at least 7 cuts and it wouldn't really seem like an R-rated film by then'. I read there were 7 cuts of the movie in India and some other Asian countries.
2. Robin
  June 8, 2016
  jerking off scene never came out
  1. TØM
    June 8, 2016
    The one where he's masturbating under the quilt cover during the rewind scenes? Or something else?
3. Laven Pillay
  June 8, 2016
  See above. Its not just about visuals, its about subject matter and themes as well.
  You dont have to SHOW a "domestic violence" scene to have content that discusses the issues. Similarly its not just "less blood" that comes with PG-13 - its less mature (as in adult-themed, not "sex and blood") content.

Canucks Fan

June 7, 2016

yup rated R doesn't automatically mean the movie is great like some seem to think on the Internet

El Kano

June 7, 2016

shud hav benn rated R liek dedpul

larva
June 7, 2016
.,..

Drew Douglas

June 7, 2016

Wonder what Joker's disturbing behavior is.

Emperor Psycho

June 7, 2016

why do people have problems with it being pg 13, there saying it's too kiddish, "the dark knight" was pg 13 and it was really dark, i don't see the problem here

The Dark Knight
June 7, 2016
They didn't show a drop of blood
Tyron Gossow
June 8, 2016
Plus it was always night time which added to the darkness lol.

Milo Yiannopoulos

June 7, 2016

Reminiscent of the Dark Knight

HiPpIeRoNiN

June 7, 2016

Wasn't the animated film Batman: Assault On Arkham (starring the Suicide Squad) PG-13? That film was really violent. It also had brief scenes of nudity and sex. Yet, no one complained that it was PG-13.

Snap to it Kal

June 7, 2016

I've never seen "Disturbing Behavior" before. Mr. J's gonna do some weird shit I guess haha.

Josh Morgan

June 8, 2016

you can make a great SS movie with a Pg13 rating. Granted though, it would benefit "most" if it had an R rating. I kind of hope David Ayer does and R rated directors cut like Snyder did with BvS. Either way, its fine. You cant get away with a pg13 SS. Its not like Deadpool. The only possible you can have a legit deadpool movie is with an R rating. Not the case with SS. I dont think a lot of people realize how flexible PG13 really is. I have watched movies before that really surprised me with what they could pull off with the pg13 rating

Akko Kagari

June 8, 2016

For UK fans, do you reckon this'll be a 12 rating or 12a rating then? (I want to take my sister to see it but she'll 11 lmao). Like, deadpool was an r rated film in america, but was only a 15 over here so idk

Robin

June 8, 2016

Not a Fan of Deadpool. I was breaking forth walls before that fool from the other universe. smh. But Im excited for this movie!!

Laven Pillay

June 8, 2016

Crybabies ?
Why ?
For wanting something to be more of what the Creators envisioned as opposed to The Studios trying to get as many "bums on seats" as possible ?
What would a PG-13 version of "The Horrors of War ?" look like ?
If you want to call me a "crybaby" for saying that I wished the studios did a more "disturbing behaviour and violence" version - then so be it.
Wah. Wah. Wah.

residentgrigo

June 8, 2016

A R-cut of SS 1 won´t happen Chris: “We walk the edge, but it’s a PG-13 movie. It was shot as a PG-13 movie,” he tells us. “The cut I’m working on really is my cut, and I’m one of those people who believes there’s only one cut of a movie. But there’s always things that don’t make it in that I think will be a lot of fun to share.”
http://www.fandango.com/mov...

The fact that most of the early film goers / critics knew that BvS was "incomplete" managed to affect the film´s reception in a bad way and only solidified the complains. We can´t have that again and WB needs to put the whole film into the first release, (minus a minute or so for the rating, i guess). Ayer wants to go R for the sequel. So do i.
Fun fact: Most fo the 80s Suicide Squad comic was approved by the comic code and the toon film was also PG-13.

Laven Pillay

June 8, 2016

*sigh*
Silly boy.
Its not the rating that matters - the rating is attached based on the CONTENT.
And its the CONTENT that we care about.
If you understand the industry at all, then you must understand that the rating system, which is directly tied to Box Office Income, acts as "handcuffs" on many creators because they :
1. Cannot just do what they envisioned because it'll be "outside rating"
or
2. Have to come up with ways to get around showing/saying certain things because that'll be "outside rating"

So, to answer your question, "The R rating would've made it better" by allowing the Creators more freedom in what they wanted to produce.

Laven Pillay
June 8, 2016
General discussion, mate. Not just about this movie.
1. Laven Pillay
  June 8, 2016
  Agreed.
  The point remains though - at the general movie discussion level - that ratings introduce restrictions. That's just the way it works.
  Also, there's a difference between something being _planned_ as a PG-13 movie from the outset, and something that was planned to be R-rated, being "pruned down" and "altered" to make it fit a PG-13 rating.
  This also happens in movies.
  Putting aside BvS as a specific movie, the general statement is true that :
  "If unrestricted by Rating, the creators can create pretty much what they want in the way they want" - which means, for good or bad, we get what they intended, and not just "what they ended up creating within restrictions".
  Its not about PG-13 rating being bad - its about the _possibility_ that an unrestricted version (for many genres/individual movies) may be closer to the creators original vision.

Laven Pillay

June 8, 2016

*sigh*
Its not just about visuals, boy.
Its about the nature of content.
If the subject matter is about killing people in indecent ways, for example, even if they never show those deaths, the characters talking about it in detail is what makes "the subject matter requiring a 13 rating" because they dont want children to be exposed to THEMES - not just actual visuals.
Do you not understand this concept ?
May be worth your while to read up about the Rating System.

Faze shaw

June 8, 2016

People will stop complaining when the bluray is R-rated.

Pennywise

June 8, 2016

Based on the description, this flick is probably one F-bomb away from an R as it is. I'm not sure what R-rated film fans think this movie needs just to get it there. It's not like it earned an R (like BvS) and was trimmed.

Batfleck89

June 8, 2016

While an R rated Suicide Squad would be great, I'm good with it being PG-13. I personally think that comic book movies shouldn't be getting R ratings for the fun of it, but I think that a R rated Suicide Squad would be pretty spectacular, but I'm fine with PG-13, maybe WB will step it up for Suicide Squad 2.

Canucks Fan
June 9, 2016
can't remember where i read it but the director wants to push for an R rating for the 2nd movie he probably tried for this one but got shutdown by WB at the time but seems like DC is changing course so we will probably get an R rating Sequel

Fastguy77

June 10, 2016

Well if you read any comics containing the joker you would know why.
Or is this based on the cartoon versions?

Fastguy77
June 10, 2016
This is the same universe as the dark knight? Rhetorical questions are fun?
1. Fastguy77
  June 11, 2016
  Ledger was amazing as a version of the joker. Was he THE joker? Nope, we haven't been given that yet.
  1. Fastguy77
    June 12, 2016
    Obviously, since SS has been rated pg-13.

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Here's why 'Suicide Squad' is officially rated PG-13

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