5 Definitive Reasons Why A Halo Movie Shouldn't Happen

3. The Indecisive Rating

Halo 3 The Covenant 29 Arbiter Vs Flood While setting up the narrative is one huge matter in and of itself, coming to the decision of deciding a rating for the Halo film is something of a much more intricate matter. Since 2001, the series has stuck to its traditional M-rating on the ESRB rating system, usually for generous amounts of blood and gore (the latter spewing forth from only the Flood), a tiny bit of language, and nonstop violence throughout. Up until Halo 3 did this rating stick to the fullest extent, and right after Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach were released, it took away the gore, thanks to the absence of the Flood. So, in a way, the first three games resembled an R-rating, and ODST and Reach were lowered down to a PG-13 rating. When Halo 4 came out, it honestly shouldn't have been rated M, for there was hardly any blood, a minimalist use of language, and absolutely no gore (at least where the campaign was concerned). The point I'm trying to make here is that there is this divide between the ratings. When the Flood were involved there was gore involved, too. This made the game(s) worthy of an M rating, but only until ODST and Reach made a difference and shied away from the gore, resorting to a more somber lull in the violence to make it resemble that of a PG-13 rating. In short, the Halo series is, in film terminology, rated both PG-13 and R. During the filming process, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) ultimately decides what a film will be rated either before or after post-production, depending on the level of violence, usage of swear words, thematic or sexual content, among other things. Most big-screen adaptations as of late (i.e Lord of the Rings) have been given PG-13 ratings, with both The Two Towers and The Return of the King considered :hard" PG-13 due to an increase in the level of violence, but rarely showing glimpses of disembowelment, decapitation, or other instances of gore. Yet despite these circumstances, they manage to bypass an R rating. Why is that? It's because the films set an example by balancing themselves out between the storytelling and violence, tying two and two together to create a cinematic masterpiece that doesn't care what its rating is in the end, only that it sticks within its own boundaries and does what it sets out to do. Now could Halo do the same thing? Could it balance itself out between the narrative and bloodshed, and stick with a "hard" PG-13 rating? The answer: it's up in the air. When Peter Jackson was involved with the project way back in October of 2005, he talked about the rating for which the Halo film would follow. He said the studios at the time of development, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures, decided to have the film stay with a PG-13 rating, although during the actual filming process Jackson would have made an "uncut" version of the film for the fans, which signals into R territory. So, does that mean the studio wants one thing, but Peter Jackson is looking at something completely different? It's all a matter of making up their minds at this point. The rating for a Halo film has alluded the project ever since Peter Jackson made this announcement. Depending on the diversification of the content that is put into the film itself, such as the Flood, a PG-13 seems on the horizon, right? Wrong. While the violence can be quelled to a Lord of the Rings level where it's all balanced, the missed opportunity of going for an R rating would soon dig in. There are traditionalists out there that would love to see the Halo film stick with a hard PG-13 rating, for it gives off that aura and image. But there are those hardcore fans who know and love the series and want to see that "uncut" R-rated version Jackson mentioned. Truthfully, for an epic project such as Halo, what rating would really do the Halo film justice?
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Ryan Glenn is an amateur writer in pursuit of a career in both the writing and graphic design fields. He currently attends the Art Institutes of Illinois and looks to go back for a degree in journalism. A reader of an exhaustive library of books and an adept music and video game lover, there's no outlet of media that he isn't involved in or doesn't love.