It's fair enough that movies like Hostel and Saw are rated 18 (in the UK) but it's starting to get tiresome that I have to bring identification to get in to a cinema to see "The Damned United" a football (soccer) movie which is a 15, just because it has a bit of swearing in it. It's not like a 15 year old kid has never heard the word "****" before. In fact most of the movies I've seen are 15s if not 18s. Opinions?
In America, we have PG-13 and R, which make sense to me. Personally, I don't think R is restricted enough (at a theater I sometimes go to there's a sign that says "Children under the age of 4 will not be allowed into a Restricted movie after 11 PM"). What it should be is what it says: 17 and up are allowed in, and that's it, instead of kids getting in with their older friends or generally negligent parents (the amount of kids who saw Borat when it came out in my high school was ridiculous). However, I do agree that having to bring identification to see what seems to be the equivalent of a PG-13 movie shouldn't happen.
That is true because if you didnt have to show an ID then some kids that may look older could get in and watch the movie that is not suitable for their age level.
Honestly, I disagree with trying to hide everything from younger people. I have heard cursing, understand death and destruction, and know what sex is, but I cannot enter R movies alone. It's truly up to the parents, and as you said, Insane, the ratings don't work. I would say add a minimum for people bringing in kids if you are 21 or older, but people under 15 or 16 usually don't have identification. But I still think it's up to parents, because no matter what it's rated anyone can access it.
In the UK they are really strict about. Like I'm actually 16 but I still need ID to go see a 15 rated movie, because they ask about 90% of the time. Once when I went with my bro (who was 14 at the time) because he's really short they asked him for ID for a 12 rated movie, which is ridiculous and you could easily tell he was around 13/14.
I've never been to the UK before (correct me if I'm wrong), but doesn't the English government put a greater emphasis on the government's role on raising a child whereas the United States government has a laissez-faire type policy on government interference on raising a child?
Yes basically. They're even starting sex ed for children in early primary school now because England has the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe. It will probably just make it go on the rise though in my opinion.
i wouldn't say the ratings should be reduced in the US, i actually like the initial G, PG, PG-13, R, NC17, X, etc etc. Sucks when you're underage, but once you are of age i really like the atmosphere of only adults in a theater. GREAT age ranges though. my issue with the whole thing is this, the MPAA is ****ing bullshit. check this out to get my opinion an the matter: This Film Is Not Yet Rated - Videos - IFC.com (GREAT documentary about film ratings in the US)
IMO we should just have warnings, not restrictions on who can get in. If you trust your kid to send him/her to the movies alone or with friends and trust them to see a film suitable for them, and they see something that would be R/PG-13, then that's the kid's fault for disobeying their parents/guardians. If kids know what their kids can handle, they can let them watch certain movies, while other parents can keep their kids from seeing these movies.
It's region-oriented... Here in HK there's pretty much no theater laws... cuz they know there aren't idiots who actually absorb the kinda crap that they see on big tvs..
In Britain, it is illegal to sell a DVD of any form or let an under-age person view at the cinema any film or DVD with the age rating over their age, except for 12A certificates, where a parent must accompany the child. However, there isn't a law on allowing the person to access this, which is an intentional "loophole" (as some people consider it), as this allows parents to choose whether their children have access to this material, and the age rating is a guide to parents, and is why many parents don't allow children to play 18 games, for example.
In England I find our age certificates ridiculous. Me and my mates, who were all either 15 or 16, went to see a certificate 15 movie but since a couple of us were a little short for our age we had to see a PG film instead and it was crap. I knew swear words when I was 6 but I can't hear them in a cinema until I'm 15? I mean, you can have sex when you're 16 but you can't watch it (usually) until you're 18, that doesn't make any sense. I don't think we should scrap the age certificates, I just think they should be lowered. Parents with impressionable kids need to take some responsibility instead of blaming governments and the film industry.