Fox’s violent and R-rated Wolverine threequel Logan was designated the most complained-about film of last year in the UK, The Guardian reports.
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The Hugh Jackman-led X-Men spinoff topped the British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) worst offender list in an annual report published this week. As noted by the BBFC report, Logan‘s 20 complaints come as “a relatively small number compared to films in previous years, some of which have attracted between forty and fifty complaints.”
The BBFC reported it received 20 complaints about Logan, dwarfed by the 51 complaints snagged by Deadpool — Fox’s first R-rated X-verse production — a year earlier in 2016.
Logan brandishes an R rating in the US but a 15 in the UK, classifying the film as being suitable for viewers aged 15-years-old and over. The 15 rating is most comparable to the US’ R rating, which prohibits the admittance of anyone under 17 unless escorted by a guardian.
“Members of the public who wrote in felt that the film’s violence was too strong for a 15 classification and would have been more appropriately placed at 18. However, the BBFC classification guidelines permit strong violence at 15, provided it does not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury,” the BBFC’s report reads.
“While the violence in Logan is strong and frequently bloody, it is also rapidly edited with a focus on action rather than sadism. The film’s fantastical setting and super-powered central character further distances the violence from reality, allowing the issue to be acceptable at 15.”
In the UK, an 18 is comparable to the US’ NC-17 rating, which doesn’t allow admittance to anyone under the age of 17 — even if accompanied by a guardian.
Hindi language historical drama Padmaavat, rated 12A, was the second most-complained about film with 10 complaints, just ahead of Charlize Theron actioner Atomic Blonde, which received eight. The violent spy thriller, directed by Deadpool 2‘s David Leitch, received a 15 certificate. The BBFC defended the rating because the violence “is presented in a stylized manner.”
Logan depicts gory violence, including stabbings and shootings, with a double-digit body count in the high 70s.