TLDR: No. It’s rated 15 in the UK.
Yesterday Netflix’s latest Original movie, “Okja”, was released after a premiere at Cannes and a lot of marketing. It would seem, however, that their marketing wasn’t quite up to scratch as many people still think that it is a family-friendly film. It isn’t. When it was added, the UK Netflix showed it as having a ‘G’ rating. Netflix describe ‘G’ as “Netflix Guidance (G): Members should read reviews or pre-watch the TV show or movie to best determine its appropriateness for Little Kids, Older Kids, and Teens.” but then in their table below put ‘G’ alongside the BBFC rating of ‘PG’ for ‘Older Kids’ but younger than Teens:
The rating for “Okja” has since been corrected to ’15’ for strong language with the extra information of:
Rated 15
There is strong language (‘f**k’). Other bad language includes ‘sh*t’, ‘damn’ and ‘hell’.
There are moments of threat as the ‘super pig’ is moved to New York to be processed as food. There are scenes of violence, although with little impact detail. There are also brief sex references.
– BBFC
So, ignoring the fact that Netflix gave the film their ‘G’ rating, why are people surprised that “Okja” is not suitable for younger viewers? The marketing, in my opinion, has not done a good job of explaining the content of the film: “gratuitous f-bombs” and “disturbing scientific experimentation body horror” (quotes from Bloody Disgusting). Instead we see these cutesy pictures of a girl with her friendly, giant super-pig:
And this description from Netflix themselves:
Okja was written by Bong and Jon Ronson (Frank) and follows Mija, a young girl who must risk everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named ‘Okja’.
– Netflix
Looks and sounds cute, doesn’t it? I certainly thought so – until I heard reviews and saw the trailer (which I had ignored for some time as cute ‘girl befriends animal’ films aren’t really my thing). I then saw the film in a different light… However, if my Twitter feed this morning was anything to go by, it seems a lot of people were expecting a family-friendly film and not a 15-rated messed up swear-fest! Have a look at the posts below:
Heads-up for those wanting to watch with younger kids, there are a surprising number of F-bombs.
— Neil Studd (@StudleyUK) June 28, 2017
My initial thoughts were to let my 9 yr old watch it. That's a definite NO at the moment based on what you guys have mentioned.
— Finances of Football (@financesoffooty) June 29, 2017
Daughter's going to have a fit lol. All & her friends have been talking about is that damn superpig. Think we kind of expecting ET
— Abe (@BT_abe) June 29, 2017
going to be absolute nightmare fuel for kids; hope you didn't cook meat for dinner…
— George Williamson (@GfzW) June 29, 2017
Discussion this morning on Twitter seems to indicate that the latter half is nightmare fuel. Check @NewOnNetflixUK feed for comments.
— Cholok (@CH0L0K) June 29, 2017
I can’t help thinking that Netflix haven’t done a great job with their promotion and marketing of “Okja”… What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Omg I don’t usually like movies with obvious lefty messages in them. I find them patronising but this actually got to me lol plz don’t turn me vegan lol amazing film though. Very emotive.
You don’t usually like movies with a lefty message but write comments like a 12yr old girl?
(Omg, lol, plz,)
And misuses you’re
You’ll find more people use text talk other than 12 yr old girls. And you’re comment doesn’t really have a point other than you being triggered by someone else’s opinion. Get over it snowflake
William McAllister lmao catherine i completely agree. William sounds like a child in his comment, and the fact that he used “snowflake” as an insult for a “leftie” just shows that he prefers the right propaganda because it fits his pre existing thoughts and ideals.
It’s all propaganda, very few of us, including me or most of the people we meet will cut through the increasing noise of exoteric ephemera to true Gnosis. This film is definitely propaganda, just look at the poster on the Netflix page, the position of the bodies, the eyes and the hand-gestures -it’s not by mistake- not to mention the characters, script and content. Hidden in plain sight is the motto of those who hold the magic wand or the Holly Wood (stick/staff)
No you assume that. It doesn’t show that atall. You’re comments are based on nothing and you sound so intolerant of anyone with a different opinion. That’s why you’re snowflakes and are triggered by basically anything. It is people like you who need to grow up not me for using abbreviations lol
You are seriously retarded.
What idiots. I’m not even arguing from a right wing view point or anything. I basically stated I am not one usually for a left wing view point to give some perspective to my opinions of the movie and still these snowflakes are triggered by such a existence of a person with alternative view points.
Ye keep the moronic triggered pointless comments coming. Just proving my point really. I’ll just block ya because you’re not worth my time having empty weak mindless arguments with.
Ow here is a idea ya morons….. go make your own comment and express you’re own opinion and get less triggered by mine lol
I like meat. And some of the left. And some of the right. I’m not very keen on stupid people though, but you’re not allowed to eat them. I’ll probably watch Okja and make my own mind up.
Ok…. Chill out people! Let’s keep it friendly here.
So because iv stated I’m not left wing. That is a opening for all those political issues ? How is that not being a triggered little snowflake lol wow you guy are so intolerant for all the tolerance you expect everyone else to have lol
I actually agree with you..I red the comments and even though Im more left than right, I think they react in a crazy way bullshit..your comment was fine…besides I was annoyed with this movie and just got rid of my best friend a strong vegan who didnt tell me he was shuffling vegan propaganda through my throat…and got this strange agressive look in his eyes again lol..im all for animal rights though but I hate this vegan propaganda that comes to me through every corner..and makes me feel like a retarded person for the single fact that I am omnivore at the moment….
The left and right wings are flapped by the same bird.
The film is beyond the dialectic though it is political.
Most important is to introduce the concept of new organisms to a global audience which they’ve now accepted as existing without a choice.
Nothing else — the story, characters are incidental.
Common Purpose New World Order predictive programming.
The story and characters are not just for entertainment either.
Just look at the hand signs on the character poster image on Netflix’s page for the film, or search it.
The political aspect is thinly veiled and shallow anti-corporate anti-capitalist rhetoric ubiquitous to politically correct virtue-signalling mass audience “Entertainment”.
The thing is that the ‘heroes’ (the girl and her ‘pet’) escape the conveyor belt to the mincer on which we useless eaters all are bound by using capital to buy themselves out of the system. The message especially for those who don’t recognise that this is one of the main messages of this text is: that even if you’re not a member of the elite you can buy yourself your freedom. If you don’t have the capital or the leverage you’re screwed. As they walked to the exit all the masses who didn’t have a saviour cash cow (gold pig) were in clear sight while the heroes walked away to live another day.
Horay.
But what about all the other farmers and pigs and their special relationships?
The difference is that they didn’t have a pathetic Miyazaki-Totoro rip off intro character development.
For those who don’t consciously recognise these mixed messages and toxic inter-contextual contradictions watching this film has just added to the unconscious stress of cognitive dissonance along with all the other messages they are bombarded with by media and ‘entertainment’.
‘Always learning, never knowing’
‘They Live – We Sleep’
It’s difficult to tolerate intolerance, keep calling folk snowflake pal, we actually find that funny.
So by your logic your lots morals are hypocritical themselves lol and I have made no intolerant statements you muppet. I will so keep on laughing you snowflakes.
You all just look like childish idiots who have been triggered but they don’t know exactly why :s
Good boy
Calm down kid, no point saying we are “triggered” and then go on to call folk Muppets or snowflake or childish idiots, don’t contradict yourself now
They are descriptions of your lots behaviour and a conclusion what type of people you are. Suppose you could say I was triggered by the fact I had a opinion on a movie and had to waste my time on pathetic bunch of loonies.
Excuse me sir, that’s leftie loonies, get it right geees
William, you’re awesome! Don’t pay attention to those horrible trolls.
Nowadays they have a agenda to push these messages on children from a young so I’m not surprised they rated it g. But I won’t ramble about politics and what not.
It’s actually rated 15. They corrected it.
Ok snowflake
Didn’t the article say Netflix originally rate it g though ?
I agree with you! they push these messages and are intolerant.
Haha ‘Nightmare Fuel’. I think you’ll see lots of suddenly vegan kids if they accidentally watch this, expecting E.T.
That’s the thing, a lot of the marketing for this (non Netflix marketing for clarity) has been “fans of ET will love this film”.
But is it any good?
I’ve heard good things.
Just check IMDB
Can’t you just tell me?
Was awsome
Thanks Will.
@jonronson what you reckon??
this looks good, now youve mentioned it !
Weekend sorted think I’ll watch it eating a bacon sandwich
Definitely not. I was caught out as listed it as [G] rating. Netflix have it as a 1… https://t.co/A6b5KgDDP0
I do think it would be in Netflix’s interest to make BBFC ratings visible on content. I’m not a parent that stopped my kids from watching adult content, but I sat with them and then we would watch the making of documentaries on the dvd / blurays so they could see it was all made up. Back in the 80s kids films where far more sweary and violent.
They do show the BBFC ratings.
Although I wouldn’t say 80s kid’s films were ‘far more sweary and violent’ – have you got any specific examples? If anything there might be a few more swears as it was before the 12 category was introduced so there will have been a few ‘harsher’ films passed at PG that they couldn’t warrant a 15 rating for.
Plenty uses of the word “shit” in BTTF, Goonies, Gremlins
Gremlins was a 15 (reclassified 12A in 2012).
Goonies was a PG but reclassified as 12 for a later DVD release – implying it was too high for a PG but back then the other option was 15 which wasn’t really suitable.
Yes, Back To The Future was a PG with some “shits” but there weren’t “around 30 uses of the word ‘f**k'” like on Okja. It also wasn’t very violent.
So I disagree.
I was excited to see this on Netflix. Then, supposing it was a kid-friendly film, I found it opening with the F-bomb, then further F’s. This is not something I’d want my child do view as okay. It’s not okay. I suspect there are a lot of parents who started watching this with their kids and turned it off….as I did!
Okja is not for kids, but suicide squad,and many similar are….
Rather odd.
Is there some sort of consistency with these ratings? Not that I can see.
Not sure what country you’re in but in the UK Suicide Squad was a 15 so certainly not for children.
It is an awesome movie! It is not appropriate for children, but teenagers and adults should watch it. It can definitely change your point of view.
This movie is supposed to represent what happens to our food source en route…. And everyone here has turned it political and/or personal to the point of unmistakeable immaturity. Right wing, left wing, a chicken has both. And I was disappointed to have wasted my time reading here.
It’s about animals. With feelings. End of story.
I wouldn’t let very young kids watch it but I don’t remember a great deal of swearing, although there may well have been so. I think I’d probably imagine it suitable for people 12 years older or above. I’d be more concerned about the, what may be termed as ‘mild to moderate threat/peril’ scenes, for their risk of frightening/upsetting younger viewers personally. I do agree that it was somewhat mis-marketed as a child friendly film. I wasn’t aware of the main plot until I read up about it outside from social media, on IMDB. I was interested in watching it anyway (im in my 30s but with no kids) as I like Tilda Swinton as an actress.
For kids, are you kidding? The animal leaves white puddles on the floor after the animal rape scene. It was so nasty!