The TV Addict 

Even though this subject has already been covered by both Cinematical and First Showing, I just can’t help but throw in my two cents as well now that I’ve seen the film for myself. In case you haven’t had the chance to check out the above articles, basically the issue at hand is how the heck THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN managed to secure a PG rating in the US and Canada. It’s not that I have any issue with violence in film as a general moviegoer, but I am an uncle who is very close to his niece and nephew, and you tend to adopt certain protective traits as a result. As a result I often watch certain children’s films wondering whether if it would be appropriate for them.

During PRINCE CASPIAN I just pictured my niece being overwhelmed with not just the pervasive violence in the film, and the omnipresence of death, but also the film’s overall bleak and dark tone. Heck, the entire film is about war, instigated by genocide, fratricide (killing a sibling), regicide (killing of a monarch), and the more general parricide (killing a close relative. Sorry, I went dictionary nuts). Throughout the film there are any number of LORD THE RINGS style battles (I’d say almost the last hour is nothing but fighting), and I’d imagine if somebody took the time to do a body count of visible deaths in the film, it would probably fall anywhere between 50 to 100. Heck, there’s one part of the film where a Narnian attack turns into a massacre and we’re provided with a (literal) birds’ eye view of bodies strewed everywhere.

The bizarre thing is that you clearly see humans and animals being stabbed, run through with swords, crushed, thrown to their deaths, struck down instantly by perfectly placed arrows, and having their throats slit, but there just isn’t any blood. Somehow, in the infinite wisdom of the MPAA that’s good enough to help the film avoid a PG-13 rating. Disney’s come a long way still remember when Disney was so worried that the first PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN was PG-13, would be too scary and therefore tarnish the company’s wholesome family-film image, that it moved its famous company symbol (that castle thing) to the end of the credits. Still, it’s upsetting not only because this proves once again the incompetence of the MPAA, but it also makes me question how much Disney pushed for a more family-friendly PG rating (which means the MPAA is even more incompetent if they let themselves be pushed) when it didn’t have a PG product.

Don’t get me wrong. I had no problem with the violence, and I also don’t mean to preach like some annoyingly over-protective conservative who thinks violent video games will corrupt our youth (then again, do I think kids under fifteen should be playing GTA IV? No). But as an uncle who was thinking about taking his eleven-year old niece to PRINCE CASPIAN, I can honestly say I wouldn’t even think about doing that now. I’m also inclined to say shame on you to both Disney and MPAA for conspiring to provide PRINCE CASPIAN with a more box-office friendly rating (that didn’t work out so well though). But in the end there’s no real point in ranting about this. The MPAA failing as an organization and Hollywood cutting corners to make an extra buck? That’s about the status quo these days.