British Board Of Film Classification Changes Rating Of 'The Phantom Menace' After Re-Examination

Star Wars

Jul 30

Young Anakin with his Jedi mentors — Image Source: IGN Pakistan

The British Board of Film Classification updated the ratings of several classic films, including 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The film's initial rating was universal (U), which means suitable for everyone. The new rating is now PG, which suggests parental guidance for children under 8 years of age or more sensitive children. The reason for this change, according to the BBFC, was moderate violence during a lightsaber duel. The duel includes brief shots of blood and a non-graphic shot of a villain's dissected body.

The Phantom Menace wasn’t the only film the BBFC revisited. The 1937 film A Star Is Born upped its rating from U to 12 due to the implied suicide of a character. On the television side of things, the show Frasier had its rating raised from PG to 12 over the occurrence of the phrase “son of a bitch” and drug references. The Crow and Fight Club had their ratings lowered from 18 to 15. These changes follow the BBFC's classification of the highest number of films in its history in 2024. They instituted new guidelines focused on the classification of sex scenes at the 12/15 border, violence, and drug misuse. The president of the BBFC shared pride in last year’s work. She said, “We classified more cinema features than ever before, and we have made significant progress towards extending the coverage of trusted BBFC age ratings on streaming services through new deals with Prime Video and Netflix.