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Spectre is the 24th film in the James Bond series, following 2012’s disappointing Skyfall, but while I was kinda looking forward to it, I’m now VERY disappointed thanks to Columbia Pictures because they have accepted a CENSORED version to be released in UK cinemas.
And you thought the godawful Sam Smith-warbled theme tune would be enough to put you off!
Two scenes have been edited to get the maximum bum-seat attendance for a 12A-certificate, whereas a full uncut version would’ve garnered a 15-certificate.
Previously, the only 15-cert Bond film that has been released in cinemas that way was Licence To Kill, but more recently, the Blu-rays of GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale are also a 15, yet were cut for cinema release to a 12-cert. Is this really what it’s come to? Dish out censored films in the cinema – the place where they’re MEANT to be seen, and then only (hopefully and eventually) get uncut versions on Blu-ray, and possibly DVD? Even the first Hunger Games film, for example, is only uncut on Blu-ray, whereas the DVD is a censored 12-cert.
The BBFC website confirmed the following disgrace:
- This film was originally seen for advice in an unfinished version. The company was advised it was likely to be classified 15 but that their preferred 12A could be obtained by making reductions in a scene of violence and in another scene showing the aftermath of a violent act. When the film was submitted for formal classification, acceptable reductions had been made in both scenes and the film was classified 12A.
I was originally going to see Spectre when it opens, but now I think Columbia Pictures and Sam Mendes can, quite frankly, fuck right off. I’m royally pissed off at this endless censorship. Going to the cinema is NOT cheap, especially if you watch a film in IMAX, so where the hell do they get off with this?
There’s also more detailed info which I’ll hide behind a spoiler:
Oh dear, Sam Mendes. Why??!! Even when I watched Skyfall in the cinema, I thought there were a couple of censor cuts in there, but it turned out to just be incredibly bad editing, such that some fight scenes *looked* like they were snipped.
Recent examples of censorship include both The Last Witch Hunter and Goosebumps, still to be released, but there’s previously cinema releases for Simon Pegg’s Absolutely Anything, also cut to a 12A like this Bond film, The Equalizer and A Walk Among The Tombstones, plus The Duff, The Maze Runner,
Taken 3 (in the cinema) and, of course, Kingsman.
Check out the trailer below and click on the IMAX poster for the full-size image:
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.