If you had to choose a single 80s action movie which owed its legendary status largely to the aspects which certainly guaranteed its R rating, that movie would probably be Paul Verhoeven's Robocop. The portrayal of a society on the brink of total financial collapse where lawlessness is rampant and violence a part of daily life was so effective because it was so deliciously grim and undoubtedly unsuitable viewing for children - this is also why so many of us got such a thrill out of watching it as kids. The current generation had no reason to try and persuade their parents to let them watch the remake of Robocop - by the time it made through production and onto the screen, everything that had made the original so subversive and shocking had been stripped until all that remained was a corporate sell-out of a movie which seems to symbolize everything Verhoeven had been satirizing. Having already seen another of his films remade with the PG-13 rating, Total Recall, it's not unfair to see this as evidence that we live in a cinematic era where blood and gore-filled action is a thing of the past. With a PG-13 remake of Starship Troopers reportedly heading our way and rumours that the remake of the bone-crunching film The Raid is also going to be saddled with a PG-13 rating, could it be that sooner or later action movies aimed at an adult audience will be a thing of the past? Do you agree or disagree that the PG-13 rating is ruining movies? Any other movies you think have been ruined by the PG-13 curse? Why not let us know in the comments below?
