The Central Board of Film Certification is at it again. It has cleared the upcoming superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill with a UA certificate, but with one cut.
After chopping off substantial chunks of the recent Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight and then, the Ryan Reynolds superhero satire Deadpool, it is now the turn of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel to face its wrath. While both The Hateful Eight and Deadpool were violent, R rated movies, BvS isn’t. It’s a superhero film intended for the widest possible audience. In a way, it makes less sense for a film rated UA to be further censored than an adult movie with violence, nudity and swearing.
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Quoting a source from the CBFC, DNA reports, “The CBFC was very keen that the film be seen by youngsters. But some of the content isn’t completely suitable for viewing by underage audiences. While the violence is done in the spirit of a comicbook adventure, the film was rated UA (suitable for underage viewers accompanied by an adult), with just one visual cut... of a fleeting nude figure.”
{{/usCountry}}Quoting a source from the CBFC, DNA reports, “The CBFC was very keen that the film be seen by youngsters. But some of the content isn’t completely suitable for viewing by underage audiences. While the violence is done in the spirit of a comicbook adventure, the film was rated UA (suitable for underage viewers accompanied by an adult), with just one visual cut... of a fleeting nude figure.”
{{/usCountry}}Let’s be clear, Batman v Superman is rated PG 13 in the US, basically their equivalent of the UA rating, but, obviously without the removal of that ‘fleeting nude figure.’
Last week, it was reported that Warner Bros. would release an R rated version of the film on home video, suggesting that this is a darker interpretation of the popular characters. The film is partially based on Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns comic, which is a notoriously dark take on the crime fighter.
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Which brings us to the matter of that ‘fleeting nude figure.’ The most recent trailer of the film did have a blink-and-you-miss-it look at a love scene with Superman in a bathtub with Lois Lane. So maybe that’s the scene they’ve cut. In any case, the CBFC seems rather pleased with itself for the restraint it has shown this time.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons and Lawrence Fishburne. The Zack Snyder-directed film arrives in theatres on March 25.
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