Netflix's bizarre reason for Twister's rating and 9 other odd trigger warnings

Metro

26-04-2025

Trigger warnings play an important part in our cinema and streaming experiences, ensuring audiences know what they are consuming.
They help us to deem what is appropriate for our children to watch, as well as avoid media that could prove upsetting or disturbing to us.
The British Board of FilmClassification (BBFC), as well as other bodies, work tirelessly to provide content advice detailing the potentially problematic or offensive things that happen in media released in Britain.
But sometimes, these trigger warnings are deemed a step too far, pointing out the obvious or the seemingly asinine.
From Wicked's 'green skin discrimination' to Harry Potter's 'fantasy spiders',fans often think the trigger warnings we receive border on the ridiculous.
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If you're watching 90s action thriller Twister, you're likely expecting to see some violent tornadoes.
As one Netflix user shared on Instagram, when you watch the film on the streaming platform, it includes the warning 'intense depiction of very bad weather.'
Which is actually a pretty mild way of explaining what happens in the film, following meteorologist Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and her estranged husband Bill (Bill Paxton), who team up to develop a weather alert system, putting themselves in the path of tornadoes.
The BBFC also warns that 'another short sequence shows a live cow being swept away by a storm.' Which is good to know.
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Disney's live-action adaptation of Snow White caused controversy for a number of reasons.
From trolls complaining about Rachel Zegler's casting to uproar over her treatment behind the scenes over social media posts, the film, which also stars Gal Gadot, has not been without backlash.
A selection of fans were, somehow, enraged that the film included a content advisory note for 'ominous trees', branding the warning 'woke'
The BBFC also points out 'a character threatens to shove something up another's backside during a comic exchange' and that 'characters drink alcohol briefly at a party.'
Likely the last thing you remember about the beloved 2016 animated film Zootropolis is 'implied nudity.'
But the BBFC wants to make sure you're well prepared going in, attached the note that the film contains 'There is a scene of comic implied nudity in which animals, who are normally seen wearing clothes, visit a spa where clothes are not worn.'
The body also warns of bad language, in the form of 'heck', 'butt', 'bummer' and 'jerk'
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Doctor Who fans spotted a very unusual content warning has appeared on Prime Video.
The animated version of William Hartnell's classic 1966 adventure, The Savages, has been slapped with a very odd warning for those watching in the present day.
The set of episodes – reanimated by BBC studios using the original audio after the master recordings were wiped – is available on Blu-ray, DVD and Prime Video and warns that the episode 'reflects the broadcast standards, language and attitudes of its time.'
The PG alert for episode two adds: 'References are made to discrimination and to the exploitation of people by more technologically advanced civilisations.'
And for episode four, it reads: 'There are verbal references to discrimination and to the discriminatory social structure of an alien society but these are brief, undetailed, and framed within the fictional world of the story.'
Hulu used content warnings in a fun way to spark conversation when Quinn Shephard's influencer satire Not Okay came to the platform.
A notice when the film begins reads: 'CONTENT WARNING: This film contains flashing lights, themes of trauma, and an unlikable female protagonist. Viewer discretion advised.'
The film stars Zoey Detch as Danni Sanders, a ruthless internet fame seeker who will stop at nothing to grow her follower count.
The meta joke equates Danni's behaviour in the film to gory, bloody violence and any number of other things content warnings are used for, commenting on the virtiolic reception women in the public eye receive,
Top Gun oozes sexuality with its provocative design and topless men gracing some of its more memorable scenes.
And the BBFC makes sure you're prepared for this going in, with a pearl-clutching warning about, shock horror, implied thrusting.
The content warning reads: 'A brief and undetailed sex scene occurs, but is filmed largely in silhouette; although some thrusting is briefly implied, the sequence is discreet, showing only the couple's head and shoulders.
'There are also moderate sex references, including banter about erections, 'getting laid' and 'talking dirty'.'
God forbid parents let their children see a perfectly normal bodily function, there are warnings out there for imaginary peeing in Moana.
Under rude humour, the BBFC site reads: 'At one point, it is implied that a character is urinating into the sea.'
There is also a content warning that is arguably more traumatising to read than to witness in a brief scene onscreen: 'There is a scene in which a character talks about his parents not wanting him and abandoning him at sea.
'However, the character receives immediate reassurance and support from a companion. There is also mild emotional upset when an older character passes away.'
Honestly, we're not sure exactly who the target audience with this exact phobia is.
Some of Star Wars' most iconic scenes take place in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, including the moment Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is frozen in carbonite by Jabba The Hut due to an unpaid debt.
'People are attacked by large creatures. A man is forced into a small chamber and frozen,' potential viewers are advised.
It continues: 'There are intense battle scenes, people falling from heights and being held a gunpoint, and an extended sequence in which people fly through an asteroid field.' Sounds exciting, we're in.
He was playfully nicknamed the 'harbinger of death', so it stands to reason Paddington would be involved in some 'dangerous behaviour.'
The beloved children's character comes with a stark warning from the BBFC, landing a PG rating for 'dangerous behaviour, mild threat, innuendo, infrequent mild bad language.'
Elaborating on the dangerous behaviour, it actually makes a lot of sense: 'There are infrequent scenes of dangerous behaviour, including Paddington hiding from a villain inside a refrigerator and riding on a skateboard while holding on to a bus, as well as a brief scene of a boy strapping fireworks to his shoes.'
This film contains strong language, violence, and sex – but don't worry, it only involves puppets. More Trending
Team America: World Police, created by South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone, tells the story of broadway actor Gary Johnston (Parker) who joins the North American anti-terrorist force, a group that works to curb terrorism in various parts of the world.
Its considered controversial due to its content, with a BBFC warning shedding some light: 'During a prolonged scene, a pair of puppets have sex in a variety of positions. This includes puppets urinating and defecating on each other's faces. There are also crude verbal sex references throughout.'
The body also points out that a 'puppet's body is severed by a sword, while another is set alight during a prolonged fight sequence.'
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