Enter the film "Pathfinder"-- a loud, violent, apparently historical action film supposedly based on a niche comic book property from Dark Horse Comics. If you haven't seen the trailer (and really, who has?), the movie chronicles the legend of a viking boy left behind in North America who is taken in by Native Americans. Upon reaching manhood (or a reasonable facsmilie thereof), he switches sides and becomes the defender of said Native Americans against his former Viking brethren.
Yippee! This is definitely a plotline we've never seen before. Unfortunately, this confoundingly simple premise is never really mentioned in the sparse television ads for the film. Instead, the viewer is treated to the obligatory quick cuts of slashing, forests, manly grunting and really ham-fisted voiceovers: "Those who LIVE by the sword... (pause) DIE by the sword!" Wow! That's original! As if that wasn't enough, the entire film looks as if it was shot through some "I-wish-this-was-300-or-gladiator" filter the director picked up at Target.
The best part, however, is saved until the closing seconds of the ad. Apparently, the producers--painfully aware that the film would struggle to sell 10 tickets--chose one of those "hail mary" desperation moves that many movie commercials use: I like to call it the MPAA highlighter tactic.
As the ad ends, the narrator states, "Rated R for Strong Brutal Violence Throughout." Ah ha! Well that's definitely getting me into the theater! Apparently, the lack of interesting plot and cookie-cutter action won't be enough to garner interest, so why not EXPLICITLY state the reason the film has an "R" rating? I mean, it's obviously TRUE, so there's no chance of false advertising! And just in case anyone's confused as to what TYPE of voilence we're talking about, make no mistake: this is that "strong" and "brutal" violence--not that "watered-down" and "cutesy" violence of other films. And, you can bet your last dollar that it's happening "throughout" the film--not just for 20 minutes or something like that. You've got wall-to-wall R-rating justification, people, so shell out your 10 bucks!
I mean, really. What the hell is this all about? I'll tell you what: DESPERATION. Only a film that has absolutely NOTHING to offer the viewer has to point the proverbial magnifying glass over the ratings box to get fannies in the seats. Honestly--have you ever seen a GOOD movie pulling this stunt? What about an AVERAGE movie? No. This tactic is saved for that select few cinematic masterpeices that cater to the lowest common denominator--most of which are actually too smart to fall for it. The recent flood of throwaway horror films is even employing this strategy: "rated R for disturbing imagery and frightening sequences." No shit? I thought I was paying to see a sequel to "March of the Penguins," you dumbass.
It's about time we nip this desperate trend in the bud, before it goes too far. If we show that this concept results in the slightest success and/or additional revenue, how far are we from commercials for the next animated film that state, "rated G for extreme good humor and fun feelings throughout?" Take a stand against these producers/distributors by avoiding films like "Pathfinder" (something most intelligent people will do anyway). Before long, they might actually take the hint and realize that any film that needs to use it's rating to sell tickets belongs on the straight-to-video shelf, instead of taking valuable screens away from genuine attempts at filmmaking like "Wild Hogs."
FYI, that last sentence contained sarcasm. It was strong. It was brutal. And it was throughout. Damn right.
