The weather is hot, but a movie theater is cold… and you can buy any snacks you want. Those are often enough reasons to head to the movies on a summer evening or weekend afternoon, but horror/sci-fi fans also know they can’t miss out on the memorable experience of seeing Alien: Romulus on the big screen. There’s just one question: why is it rated R?
Alien: Romulus is the ninth movie in the popular franchise, which began in 1979 with Alien, and instead of being a sequel or prequel, it’s an “interquel” (which is a great name). Since this is exactly the kind of fun and exciting summer entertainment that everyone wants, let’s look at the reason behind the movie’s R rating.
Why does Alien: Romulus have an R rating?
Alien: Romulus has an R rating because of “bloody violent content and language,” according to People. The characters swear, and the film also has intense body horror scenes and monster attacks. This seems to have paid off. Variety reported that critics were impressed with the gore and special effects of Alien: Romulus.
As the Motion Picture Association website explains, R-rated movies have “some adult material” and if someone is younger than 17 years old, they need an “adult guardian” or parent to come with them to the theater.
While its R rating means that some won’t be able to see Alien: Romulus in theaters, the debate about what a horror movie should be rated rages on. Although there are plenty of awesome horror films rated PG-13, some fans won’t be satisfied unless they see a truly gory story. This is particularly true of fans of the slasher and body horror subgenres. If someone likes a creepy supernatural or slow-burn tale, they might not mind the lack of blood (and the lower rating). But, overall, Alien fans are used to seeing some wild creature attacks and would expect nothing less than an R rating.
As People pointed out, all the other movies in the Alien franchise have R ratings as well, except for Alien vs. Predator, which was rated PG-13. So, now that it’s clear that Alien: Romulus is scary and bloody, it’s time to head to the movie theater.