Suicide Squad Gets 15 Certificate In Britain

From the title alone, many had questioned whether ‘Suicide Squad’ would be family-friendly – and now, the British Board of Film Classification have ruled that it most definitely isn’t.

Barely two weeks ahead of the Warner Bros/DC supervillain movie’s cinema release, the BBFC have slapped ‘Suicide Squad’ with a 15 certificate, denying entry to any viewers below that age.

The film has reportedly been rated 15 due to “sustained threat” and “moderate violence,” and no cuts have been made. (More in-depth information on the board’s decision will be published on the BBFC site on 26 July.)

This is a surprise in some respects, as the Motion Picture Association of America (the US classifier) had long since passed the film as a PG-13 - and the BBFC’s 12A is a direct equivalent of this.

Even more surprising is that Warner Bros would not appear to have appealed the decision. Very often major distributors will take advice from the BBFC, and edit the film as applicable to reach their preferred certificate. This is known to have occurred on 2015’s ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service,’ which came close to being rated 18 before minor re-edits.

It seems feasible that the massive box office success of 20th Century Fox’s ‘Deadpool’ has persuaded Warner Bros that a 15-rated comic book movie is nothing to be afraid of – although, given that the film got a PG-13 in the US, no one should go into ‘Suicide Squad’ expecting something anywhere near as violent and profane as ‘Deadpool.’

Further evidence that Warner Bros are open to more adult-oriented material comes in the form of their animated movie ‘Batman: The Killing Joke,’ which gets a brief cinema release in the UK next week, also rated 15 for ‘strong violence.’

In addition, the upcoming DVD director’s cut of ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ has received an R-rating (roughly equivalent of 15) in the US for its enhanced violence, though curiously the BBFC have rated this cut 12.

Does this mean we can expect future DC movies to be geared more toward older audiences? We shall see.

We should of course note that it’s far from unheard of for PG-13 movies to wind up with 15 certificates in the UK, as the US censor is typically more lenient toward violent and horrific content. Recent instances of this include horror sequels ‘Insidious Chapter 3’ and ’10 Cloverfield Lane.’

In some rare instances, movies which the MPAA rated R wind up with 12A ratings in Britain, notably ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ and the aforementioned ‘Batman V Superman’ extended cut.

‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ is in UK cinemas 26 July, followed by ‘Suicide Squad’ on 5 August.

Picture Credit: Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox

Read More:
Last Divergent Movie Going Straight To TV
Batman V Superman Gets Brutal Honest Trailer
First Look At LEGO Joker