The Motion Picture Association revealed the official age rating for Venom: Let There Be Carnage and fans hoping for a viscerally violent film may be disappointed.
According to FilmRatings.com, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is rated PG-13. The reasoning behind the rating is because the film contains, "intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references." The listed content sounds ideal for a film based on everyone's two favorite symbiote monsters but some may be disappointed in the lack of an R rating.
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While those familiar with Eddie Brock and Cletus Kasady may want to see a blood-soaked fight, Venom: Let There Be Carnage's producer Avi Arad was quick to dispel speculation that the sequel was guaranteed to be R-rated. "When you hear Carnage, the only thing you can think of is [an R-rating]. But if you know his story, if you really know the comic, there’s no R here. He’s a tortured soul," explained Arad.
Arad continued on to say, "It’s not about what he does, because we never have to show the knife going from here to there, and the blood is pouring. What you have to show is, what is the motivation? Was he born like that, or [is he] someone we should feel for, because if you succeeding in making a villain someone you can feel for, jackpot."
Cletus Kasady is a supervillain who serves as the host to the Carnage symbiote. A psychopathic serial killer, Carnage is notable for being an offspring of Venom and has clashed with the anti-hero on several occasions. In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Cletus is portrayed by Woody Harrelson who will go up against Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock.
While many have suspected an R rating for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it's likely that the film was always designed to be PG-13. When discussing the age rating for the original Venom, Arad said, "To me, R is not a consideration. Can you get away with not R so that other people can see? So that younger people can see? I made an animated show. There was a lot of Venom in there. It was in '94."
Arad concluded by saying, "There's no reason to put in violence. To define what Venom is as violence. He's not. He's the lethal protector, which is a very different thing. We want to be really true to the comics."
Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters on Oct. 15.
Source: FilmRatings.com, vai GamesRadar+