Full Frontal Nudity Allowed in PG-13 by MPAA

I recall that it used to be 13 and 15 year-olds were not allowed to see Rated-R movies; those were reserved for those over 17 years-old because of sexual content, nudity, violence, and bad language (among other reasons). It seems now that Hollywood (the MPAA specifically) is changing the rules of the game through loopholes. Recently the MPAA released the rating for the upcoming major family motion picture Beowulf. This movie is loosely based on the ancient poem with the same title. Fortunately (for most men) Robert Zemeckis decided to use superstar Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother - the super sexy, gold-covered lizard that temps Beowulf. The film which is publicized as CGI (computer generated images) is amazingly real-to-life and actually used the actors to create the images (much like Polar Express but more real-to-life). Zemeckis decided to go the distance with Jolie and present her with full-frontal nudity (head to toe with everything exposed - although dripping with molten gold). Now, for many men this would be a wonderful experience to watch Jolie in this fashion (although pornography is wrong whether it be CGI or not, but that is a whole other topic); nevertheless, the MPAA decided to go with a PG-13 rating because the film is not live-action actors. This is where I have a problem.

According to the MPAA:

An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Likewise for PG-13 movies it states: such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.

So let me frame this situation. Grendel's mother (Jolie) comes from a molten lake fully nude and sexually flonts herself to Beowolf in an effort to temp him. Is that sexually-oriented?

Jolie even stated:

The motion capture technology was so shockingly real, she phoned her partner Brad Pitt to warn him about the nudity in the family movie. She says, "I was really surprised that I felt that exposed. There are certain moments where I felt actually shy - and called home, just to explain that the fun movie that I had done that was digital animation was, in fact, a little different than we expected.

Yeah right!? That is the kind of family move that I want hormone-raging teenage boys to go see.

Also the scenes in which Grendel comes upon the sleeping men and begins to tear them apart (literally) for a lengthy battle is not pervasive violence? I am confused. It seems once again that Hollywood is trying to dress a (Beo)wulf in sheeps clothing (or Jolie's skin) and calling it CGI.

I say once again because the MPAA did the same thing in 1997 with Titanic and the Winslet nude scene. That one wasn't CGI, it was "art." Are you kidding me? Raise your hand if you think Leo's character was turned on during the painting of Winslet. Oh yeah, shortly after that scene they sneeked off to make love - it wasn't sexually-oriented nudity!

Do what you want with this. But remember, the more people watch the films, the more Hollywood makes money. The more money made on loopholed films, the more nudity and violence will be allowed for 13 year-old (and 15 because the video-game that features Jolie naked is rated for 15 year-olds). Hollywood continues to lie and cheat the system with pervasive violence in the Lord of the Rings trilogy or nudity found in a myriad of PG-13 movies from The Notebook, to Return of the Jedi, to Titanic, to Beowulf. What wonderful family movies; let's get the kids ready and buy some popcorn.