Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace has been reclassified from universal (U) to parental guidance (PG) by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) because of “moderate violence” in a lightsaber fight.
The reclassification was revealed in the BBFC’s 2024 annual report, which said the 1999 film’s starship dogfights, use of laser weapons, and the battle, which shows brief “bloody detail” and a “non-graphic” shot of a villain’s dissected body, had led to it being labelled PG for its cinema re-release last year.
PG means the film should not unsettle a child aged eight or above, but some scenes may be unsuitable for more sensitive children, while U means a movie is suitable to all.
Another film which saw its classification change was 1937’s A Star Is Born, which went from U to 12, meaning it is not generally suitable for children aged under 12, because of the implied suicide of one of the film’s characters, which was described as “visually discreet”.
The phrase “son of a bitch” and drug references saw US TV comedy series Fraser go from a PG to a 12, over a change in the guidelines for classification, while both The Crow (1995) and Fight Club (1999) saw their classifications lowered from 18 to 15 because of the updated guidelines.
It comes as last year saw the BBFC classify the highest number of films in its 112-year history, with new guidelines regarding the classification of sex scenes at the 12/15 border, violence across the categories, and certain depictions of drug misuse.
Natasha Kaplinsky, president of the BBFC, said: “2024 was the BBFC’s 112th year of helping people across the UK view what’s right for them – and what a remarkable year it was.
“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.
“We launched our revised Classification Guidelines – ensuring that the standards we apply when classifying content continue to reflect the views of UK audiences.
“Perhaps most exciting of all, we have continued our pioneering work with AI, ensuring that the BBFC remains at the forefront of film and digital content regulation. It has been a genuine privilege to lead the organisation at such an exciting and transformative time.”
