BBFC: 'The Suicide Squad' was the most complained about age rating of 2021

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has revealed that the 15 rating for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad was the movie age rating that received the most complaints in 2021.

The BBFC is the independent body that classifies films released in UK cinemas and on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as providing age-ratings for Video On Demand and music videos online.

Ten people complained to the BBFC — which rated The Suicide Squad a 15 for 'strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief drug misuse — presumably to say it should have received a higher age rating.

Read more: Joker was the most complained about age rating of 2019

The BBFC defended its decision in its annual report, saying 'the focus on action within a comic, fantastical, superhero context mitigated against the violence and gore. We therefore classified the film 15."

The report also notes that the violence was stronger than 2016's Suicide Squad, 'but that a lighter tone and a greater emphasis on irreverent dark comedy countered the increase in bloodshed.'

The only other age rating to receive more complaints in 2021 was Netflix's South Korean hit Squid Game, which was also a 15 rated title.

Read more: James Gunn had 'zero interference' on The Suicide Squad

Eleven people complained to the BBFC which again defended its decision saying: "Our research has shown that violence occurring within a ‘real-world’ setting registers more strongly with viewers than that which is clearly stylised or fantastical.

"Squid Game largely takes place within a fantastical game show rather than a recognisable real-world setting."

The BBFC notes that is received 109 complaints in 2021, compared to 93 in 2020, 149 in 2019, and 361 in 2018. The 12A rating for No Time To Die received seven complaints about the James Bond film's 'tone and violence', while seven people complained that the 15 rating for Venom: Let There Be Carnage had been too high for younger fans of the series,

The report also revealed that 15 was the most common age rating across cinema, physical media and online, with the BBFC classifying 3,041 pieces of content with the age rating.

Watch a trailer for The Suicide Squad