terminators

PG-13-Rated Terminator: Salvation Scrubbed of Crucial Screwdriver Stabbing Scene

A month ago, fans of profanity and adult situations were appalled to learn that May 21’s Terminator: Salvation had been deemed suitable for children 13 and up by the MPAA, making it the first-ever Terminator to get a PG-13 rating instead of an R. But director McG would like to assure fans that his movie is still plenty reprehensible, and that its weak rating is only the result of society’s moral decline and certainly not any decency on his part or the studio’s. In fact, he explains to Sci Fi Wire, he was only required to trim one scene for the PG-13.

“We shot an R movie, and at the end of the day we found that if we just cut back one shot of the Marcus character stabbing a screwdriver through the shoulder of one of these thugs it would warrant a PG-13. We thought, ‘Well, that would be ridiculous to make it tough for kids to go see this movie.’ We were inspired by The Dark Knight getting a PG-13 and being a film without any compromises.”


We suppose we can live without one superfluous screwdriver stabbing, just this once — but only because we bet by the time McG makes a PG-13 sequel in a couple of years, the MPAA’s standards will have relaxed enough to allow him to stab someone in the face with a screwdriver if he wants to.

Also, he says, Salvation will omit a love scene between actress Moon Bloodgood and Sam Worthington — presumably the one he was referring to in March when he asked a Comic Con audience, “Do you want to see Moon’s boobs in the picture?” — but he cut that for artistic reasons.

McG talks Terminator Salvation’s ratings, deleted scenes, boobs and rants [Sci Fi Wire via /Film]
Earlier: Terminator: Salvation Is PG-13, Pizza Hut–Approved

PG-13-Rated Terminator: Salvation Scrubbed of Crucial Screwdriver Stabbing Scene