# Have movie ratings ceased to mean amything?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-movie-ratings-ceased-to-mean-amything/117633>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 6, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-movie-ratings-ceased-to-mean-amything/117633 "2002-07-06T15:10:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-movie-ratings-ceased-to-mean-amything/117633/21 "2002-07-08T21:08:40Z")

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From **Gremlins** ’s trivia section on [imdb.com](http://imdb.com):

> [@](#):
>
> Generally credited (along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) with the introduction of the PG-13 rating, as many felt the scenes of violence in both movies were too much for a PG rating, but not enough for an R rating. It is also widely believed that had Steven Spielberg’s name not been on both movies, they may have received an R rating.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-movie-ratings-ceased-to-mean-amything/117633/22 "2002-07-08T21:48:18Z")

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_Temple of Doom_ does raise some questions about a multi-axis rating system, though. Where’s the rating for “just plain gross”?

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-movie-ratings-ceased-to-mean-amything/117633/23 "2002-07-08T23:09:08Z")

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_Temple of Doom_ certainly **inspired** the PG-13 rating, but go look at your video box of _Temple of Doom_. Note that the movie is rated “PG”.

_Temple of Doom_ shook up the system, for sure, but the first movie to actually bear the new PG-13 rating was _Red Dawn_.

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