It’s been 26 years since Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released, and now the hit sci-fi flick has been hit with a new trigger warning.
Boasting a mighty cast comprising Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, and Samuel L. Jackson, the epic space opera was a phenomenal hit with cinephiles in 1999.
Against a $115million (£86m) budget, it grossed an astonishing $1.047billion (£780m), breaking numerous records and becoming both the highest-grossing film of that year and the second-highest of all time.
But fast forward almost three decades, and it’s all change, as The Phantom Menace has been reclassified due to an aggressive fight scene.
The film was originally classified as universal (U), but this has now switched to parental guidance (PG) in a decision by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), citing ‘moderate violence’ in a lightsaber fight as the reason.
Its reclassification was revealed in the BBFC’s 2024 annual report, which said the 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 for all.
And Star Wars wasn’t the only film to have its classification changed this time, as another film that fell victim to it was 1937’s A Star Is Born.
The American drama, which tells the story of a young woman who aspires to Hollywood greatness but becomes entangled with a leading man and his alcoholism, went from U to 12.
This means 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’.
A Star Is Born has, of course, been adapted several times since the original was released, most notably in 1954 with Judy Garland and in 2018, with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
Meanwhile, TV-wise, the phrase ‘son of a b***h’ and drug references saw US comedy series Frasier go from a PG to a 12, over a change in the guidelines for classification.
In contrast, both The Crow (1995) and Fight Club (1999) also 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.’
She added: ‘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.’
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