Ghostbusters: Afterlife age rating: Why is the movie rated PG-13?

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife might be the fourth Ghostbusters film in total, the 2016 “reboot” has been deemed non-canon to the original Ghostbusters franchise. This means that Ghostbusters: Afterlife will be the third film in the original series, and a direct sequel to the 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II.

The original Ghostbusters was a box office smash, and has only gained in popularity over the subsequent years. Ivan Reitman’s comedy/horror masterpiece brought together a stellar cast of some of the best, and funniest, people in the industry. Led by none other than Bill Murray, this cast also starred Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard as they play the grandchildren of famed Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler. Directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, Afterlife looks to bring the Ghostbusters to a whole new audience.

Why is Ghostbusters: Afterlife rated PG-13?

Ghostbusters: Afterlife received an MPAA rating of PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references.

The original Ghostbusters was given a rating of PG, but this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Released in June of 1984, Ghostbusters was put into theaters two months before the release of the first ever PG-13 movie, Red Dawn.

Ghostbusters (1984), and the sequel Ghostbusters II – which also got a PG rating – were both filled with scenes and situations that would have led to a PG-13 rating had the rating been more common at the time. The attempted reboot Ghostbusters (2016) received a PG-13 rating along with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The supernatural action is self-explanatory. The movie is about finding and hunting down ghosts in order to protect the human world, and so there will be action scenes involving ghosts and other monsters.

However, when it comes to the suggestive references, it seems as though Ghostbusters: Afterlife might be more tame than most of the other Ghostbusters films. It seems as though some of the language has been toned down, and the sexual references that were extremely apparent in the previous three Ghostbuster films, have been pulled back as well to fit in with the new – and younger – cast.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is in theaters on Nov. 19, 2021. Will you be watching the movie in theaters or wait for a streaming release?