James Cameron Doesn't Know If Titanic Would Be PG-13 Today

While the standards for what deserves an R or PG-13 rating have always been a little ridiculous, it's interesting to look back at "Titanic" and see how much things have changed over the past 25 years . Today's big blockbuster movies are stuff like the MCU movies and "Star Wars," and for all their PG-13 ratings, they're all remarkably absent of any hint of sexuality. The original "Fast and Furious" films of the 2000s were an exception, but nearly all of them after "Fast Five" were oddly chaste. As one cultural writer summed up today's dominant landscape: "Everyone is beautiful and no one is excited."

The lack of controversy surrounding "Titanic" puts the controversy surrounding recent blockbusters into perspective. “The Eternals” received criticism for its sex scene, despite the fact that the sex scene in question was almost absurdly boring, passionless, and as uncontroversial as such a scene could get.

Similarly, when posts asked "What spell did Marvel cast on the MPA for 'Doctor Strange 2' to receive a PG-13 rating?", it shows just how horrifying the threshold is. currently lower. While the MCU has certainly gone to some dark places, these moments never last longer than a minute or two before the movie cracks a joke to lighten the mood. The final hour and a half of "Titanic," meanwhile, is decidedly dark and serious, much less scared to embrace the tragedy of the situation.

Despite their similar PG-13 rating, "Titanic" feels much more grown-up than most of today's big blockbusters. With Cameron's first film in a long time coming hopefully in December, this broader trend towards increasingly safe and lifeless films will begin to reverse course.