James Cameron’s Avatar has been hit by criticism in Italy for being released with an unrestricted age rating.
The blockbuster, which has already become the second highest-grossing movie of all time, received a PG-13 rating in most countries due to its depiction of “intense epic battle sequences and warfare”.
However, the film arrived in Italian cinemas last week without any prior warning for parents as to its content, prompting outrage from campaigners.
Italian children’s advocacy group AGE and parents’ organisation Moige have since spoken out to demand the movie’s rating be upgraded.
A Moige spokesperson slammed the country’s ratings system, suggesting that it “represents a discrimination against the protection of Italian children”. AGE maintained that Italy should move to replicate the ‘more accurate’ US ratings system.
The Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano this week branded Avatar “bland” and “facile”.
