Fans Are Debating the ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Rating—Should It Have Been Rated R?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiered on May 6th, 2022, and is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to really embrace the horror genre. Doctor Strange 2 isn’t solely a horror film, but it certainly has horror elements. The reason for this likely lies with Doctor Strange 2′s director, Sam Raimi. While many know Raimi for directing the Spider-Man trilogy, he also has a number of horror films under his belt.

Raimi has produced such horror films as Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, and The Gift. As for whether Doctor Strange 2 can join his list of horror films, largely depends on perspective. Some may consider it a superhero film, while others might hone in on the horror aspects. What is clear, though, is that some elements of Raimi’s prior horror films did appear in Doctor Strange 2. The film features several jump scares, some creepy physical transformations on Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) part, a scene of surprising violence involving some cameos, and even some contortionism from Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).

For diehard fans of horror, Doctor Strange 2 would appear as a pretty mild film. The film is not extremely gory or terrifying and it doesn’t have enough horror elements to even be considered ‘scary’ to the average viewer. For those who are solely Marvel fans, though, and not much into horror, Doctor Strange 2 may seem a bit different. Some fans felt it pushed the boundaries of what’s acceptable for Marvel. Is it enough to deserve an R rating, though?

Doctor Strange 2‘s rating sparks debate among fans

Doctor Strange 2‘s rating has sparked a debate on social media, and there are many individuals expressing that they feel the PG-13 rating is too light. These viewers believed Doctor Strange 2 deserved an R rating and that the film is too scary for kids. They expressed that the film was pushing the PG-13 rating hard and was too dark, intense, and disturbing. However, others have found those claims laughable and pointed out plenty of other films that are scarier and gorier that also hold PG-13 ratings. Check out some of the debate below:

Doctor Strange 2‘s PG-13 Rating explained

The debate has been strong enough to spark some serious discussions about how Doctor Strange 2 pulled off a PG-13 rating. Unfortunately, the companies that guide rating policy, such as MPA and CARA, cannot comment on a film’s rating. Hence, unless Doctor Strange 2‘s filmmakers choose to get into it themselves, we likely won’t get a detailed breakdown of how the film’s rating was chosen. What is quite clear, though, is that Doctor Strange 2 didn’t slip by the MPA with a PG-13 rating.

Granted, it is highly likely that the Doctor Strange 2 creators did not want an R rating. The rating is generally avoided because it does mean less ticket sales as children and teens cannot watch the film in theaters. Similarly, it is highly unlikely that Doctor Strange 2 duped the MPA and is an R rated film masquerading as PG-13. The film does contain mature content, but it accordingly warns parents with its PG-13 rating.

Based on its PG-13 rating, the film is appropriate for children ages 13-18. What really seems to be throwing people off, though, is that Doctor Strange 2 is a Marvel film. Numerous parents are accustomed to taking their children to Marvel films with a PG-13 rating that turned out to be very mild. However, the truth is that the PG-13 range is pretty broad. It can be very mild or it can contain some fairly mature content. In my opinion, Doctor Strange 2 is on the mature end of the spectrum, but that doesn’t mean it should be rated R.

(Via: CBR, featured image: Marvel)