Suicide Squad Not for Children Says Chief Censor

13/09/2016

Suicide Squad Not for Children Says Chief Censor

The Chief Censor has raised the New Zealand classification of blockbuster film Suicide Squad from unrestricted M to R13.

Following examination by the Office of Film and Literature Classification, the original rating of M ‘violence and offensive language’ – which means anyone of any age can view the film – has been changed to R13 ‘violence, horror and cruelty’.

The Classification Office was encouraged to act after receiving a complaint from a member of the public. The complainant felt the unrestricted M rating was inappropriate considering the nature of the supernatural horror and violence in the film, noting that the film had been given a restricted 15 classification in the UK.

Suicide Squad was originally given an M rating through the cross-rating process – where a film that had been given an unrestricted rating in Australia is assigned the equivalent rating in New Zealand. This is standard practice for commercial films distributed in New Zealand, however the Classification Office has the authority to classify cross-rated films if there is uncertainty about the appropriateness of the rating.

Commenting on the classification decision the Chief Censor noted that while teenagers may well feel able to cope with the combination of menacing characters, depictions of cruelty, torture and abuse, and the relentless violence, younger children may find it frightening, shocking and disturbing.

“Yes, there is a fantastical nature to the film and many people will say, ‘but kids know it’s not real’. However, the sheer extent of cruelty and violence has an inuring effect on children, and research shows this can adversely affect their healthy emotional and social development. Teenagers are less likely to be negatively affected by the stronger content and have the sensibilities to process it as fiction, but young children not so much.”

The classification decision makes special mention of the relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn.

“A level of maturity is required to critique the complexities of this abusive adult relationship. Not only is Harley objectified by men but her lover treats her with a combination of affection, manipulation and physical cruelty. The danger is that impressionable children may be confused by this or be inclined to view this dynamic as normal.

“While some other M-rated superhero films contain a comparable degree of violence, they lack the compounding sexually abusive themes, the moral ambiguity around criminal behaviour, and the overlay of pervasive cruelty that is found in Suicide Squad.

“The violence in Suicide Squad is relentless and the cruelty is sadistic, even sexualised. There is no clear delineation of good and evil, and crime and violence are presented as acceptable in certain circumstances. This is likely to have a negative effect on the attitudes of children toward criminal and violent behaviour.”

A copy of the full classification decision is attached, and further information can be found on our website.

SuicideSquad_WrittenDecision.pdf

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As part of the classification process, the Office of Film and Literature Classification consulted with a cross section of parents and teenagers. Here is a sample of feedback:

Female, 13, Kapiti: I thought it had good tension but it dragged out and the storyline didn't flow. They made the important parts in the movie really short but overall it was a really great movie and I really enjoyed it. I think it should be R13 because some parts and characters are quite graphic and could be scary for younger views.

Female, 15, Kapiti: I liked the storyline and action scenes, it had some really good tension. For a teen like me who hasn't watched any of the Marvel series, I fully understood the storyline. Although I think some characters, like the Joker could had had way more screen time. Some of the scenes moved on way two quickly and to me there was no mystery in what was going to happen next. In my opinion I think this movie should definitely be an R13 because some scenes can be scary to little kids, but not so scary that a 14-year-old would have nightmares.

Male, 17, Papamoa, Bay of Plenty: It was a stink movie. I was pretty bored, actually. Nothing really happened. What’s an M rating anyway? Oh, ok…nah, I think that’s ok. There wasn’t anything in it that was too shocking for kids. My little brother liked the Joker most. He’s 10.

Male, 16, Hamilton: Suicide Squad was tame as. I think an M rating is ok. It would be lame to put anything higher on it… it’s just not that bad. Seriously.

Parent, North Shore, Auckland: Our monkeys are 4 and 7, and I also have brothers who are 12 and 13. I don’t think an R13 rating is warranted as it isn’t that ‘extreme’. You’d think that parents would be able to figure it out that it isn’t suitable (for young kids)! We wouldn’t take the kids, even though it is an M. In saying that, we did go to Ghostbusters a couple of weeks ago and our four-year-old had to leave the theatre in that. I think the marketing of Suicide Squad is definitely targeted older as well, so good judgement would tell you it isn’t appropriate for under 10s.”

Parent, Hastings, Hawke’s Bay: “My kids are 9 and 10. I watched it with them. My son seemed to enjoy it – all the gun firing/knifing/killing parts. He would react by doing “oooh” and “aaah”. Some ‘YEAH!’ in between. My girl wasn’t really fazed but watched it anyway. Due to the movie using so much violence and a bit of sex stuff, I would have thought it to be rated at least R16. That’s not a movie for children to be watching alone.”

Parent, Bulls, Manawatu: “I actually had a conversation with my partner right after we saw it and decided that even though the movie is about famous super villains and our two-year-old, for example, might learn about them as a child and end up loving the whole Marvel/DC thing, Suicide Squad would be one of the movies that we wouldn’t allow him to watch until he was a bit older. R13 would be appropriate I think. There’s lots of violence, rude bits for kids, and some monsters that I would imagine younger kids having nightmares about for sure.”

Parent, Whangarei: “My kids are aged 11, 9 and 7. This movie was the root of about TWO WEEKS of disagreement in our house! Because it was rated an M, my 11 y.o. was going on and on about it telling us the other M movies they had been allowed to watch “so it can’t be that bad” (e.g. The Mask, the old Jim Carrey movie is an M and ALL the kids have watched that and we were OK with that; and one or two of the Harry Potter films which the older two have watched.) I had seen the shorts for Suicide Squad and thought it looked inappropriate. The thing I find is some movies which are rated M I am OK with our kids watching (like The Mask) as I know what they can handle in the way of scary bits, and how much is too much, which drives them to being unable to sleep. My son can’t even watch the ads for Criminal Minds! He covers his ears and closes his eyes as he is easily scared. Other movies that are PG I don’t let them watch if it has too much sex “stuff” for their age. It is a minefield for parents! BUT short story, R ratings are good in my opinion. Take out “the argument”.

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