Is Hunger Games 3 really suitable for children?
SHOWING public executions, corpses being devoured by wild animals and the bombing of a hospital, it’s not exactly your typical children’s film.
But the latest instalment of The Hunger Games phenomenon has been handed a 12A classification – meaning it can be watched by under-12s as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
As a glamorous Jennifer Lawrence took to the red carpet for the film’s London premiere last night, critics questioned whether the British Board of Film Classification’s decision was appropriate, warning that the graphic scenes in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 could ‘normalise’ violence and ‘traumatise’ children.
The film, released on November 20, is the third in the wildly popular series based on the children’s books by Suzanne Collins, which have sold 80million copies. They have been so successful that there are plans for a stage show in 2016, and the first two films grossed £1billion at the box office. But both also caused controversy for their 12A ratings, with some parents claiming their children had been so distressed that they had to leave the cinema early.
While this instalment contains fewer acts of violence, the scenes of death and destruction that it does have are some of the most disturbing in the franchise – including the aftermath of a firebomb with heaps of corpses twisted among each other. Protesters are also shown being hooded, forced to their knees and shot in the head.
Scenes such as these have fuelled debate about whether 12A classifications give enough protection to young people and enough guidance for parents. Yesterday Pippa Smith of the Safer Media campaign said: ‘These are not things you would want children to see. It normalises violence.’
Vivienne Pattison of Mediawatch UK added: ‘There’s nothing to stop you taking a four-year-old to see it. I think it’s really worrying that films which, several years ago, would have been a 15 are now being given lower ratings.’
The BBFC said it would not comment on a film that has not been released.