The 12 a rating

1. The 12A Rating

2. An introduction The 12A rating is a rating introduced in 2002 for cinema releases only. The BBFC states that ‘No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgment, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult .’ For home releases, it is substituted for a 12 rating.

3. Is It Necessary? The 12A rating was effectively put in place so that films which were not suitable for a PG rating could still be viewed by under 12s at the discretion of parents or guardians. Though this means parents can make a judgment over whether a film is suitable for their child, this is difficult for parents to do for several reasons – one being that it is difficult draw the line at what is ‘harmful’ for their children to witness.

4. Example – Spider Man Spider Man was released in 2002 and was one of the first films to receive the 12 rating. Given that it was appealing to a fairly young audiences, the filmmakers wanted to make sure that it would be shown to a fairly large audience including younger audiences. However, it was deemed unsuitable for the PG rating due to some moderately violent content. This meant that it was rated ‘12A’, which allowed children to see the film at the will of their parents.

5. Example – The Dark Knight The Dark Knight, released in 2008, is perhaps the most controversial 12A film so far. Given that Batman appeals to many people from a young age, it was requested that it had a 12A rating. However, the film is surprisingly brutal and at times sadistic, given that most of the violence (and it is fairly sinister violence) is committed by the sadistic character of the Joker who seems to, if anything, enjoy committing acts of violence. Knives are frequently present in the film and there is a constant threat as well as a fairly dark tone. However, the film was given a 12A rating due to the fact that most of the violence is shown off-screen. Nonetheless, there was a strong focus on the fact that it was very violent and dark for a 12A – however, direct complaints to the BBFC were minimal in number.

6. Example – The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code received a 12A rating from the BBFC. However, this is a particularly curious case as the original cut of the film had to be edited to lower the rating from a 15 – not because of the violence present on screen, but because of the sound. Some brutal killings occur in the film, though these are off screen. However, bone-crunching sound effects for a neck breaking scene made the film more brutal, meaning the sounds had to be removed or toned down.