The UK had the most complaints about the Joker movie rating last year, and many people thought it should be 18+

Recently, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) released its annual report for 2019. Last year, the BBFC received a total of 149 complaints about film classification, a sharp drop of half from 2018. The film with the highest number of complaints was "Joker", with 20 complaints about the film's classification.

The Joker is rated 15 in the UK (suitable for people aged 15 and over). The vast majority of people who complained believe that the film should be rated 18 (suitable for people aged 18 and over), and some people believe that the film should be banned. Of course, 20 complaints are much less than that of Batman: The Dark Knight that year - this film was rated 12 (suitable for people aged 12 and over), and the number of complaints that year reached an astonishing 364.

Complaints about Joker are not unique to the UK. The film's depiction of violence has also caused a backlash in North America, with some film critics slamming fans who sympathize with the evil protagonist. Some critics wondered whether Joker would encourage audiences to commit violent acts even before it was released in theaters in October 2019. Director Todd Phillips has defended the film's depiction of violence in several interviews, arguing that the film shows the effects of violence in the real world, rather than the cartoonish PG-13 kid-rated carnage seen in films like The Avengers and John Wick: Chapter 6.