MPA Ratings Are In for Violent Night 2, The Dog Stars, and In the Grey — See Where They Land

Three upcoming movies just got their official ratings from the MPA, and whether you’re into dog-centered post-apocalypses, snarky heist comedies, or Santa Claus throwing fists, there’s something weird and violent in the mix. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming, what the censors had to say, and, honestly, some eyebrow-raising details.

The Dog Stars: Ridley Scott Gets Sentimental Over the Apocalypse

First up, Ridley Scott is really hyping up The Dog Stars. He’s already out there calling it his best film ever. That’s a bold claim, considering the guy gave us Alien and Blade Runner.

The official verdict from the censors: Rated R for 'strong violence and language.' Not exactly a shocker, since the plot is as bleak as they come:

• The story drops us into a barely functioning America, thanks to some unnamed pandemic (closet doomsday-prepper points for Ridley).
• Jacob Elordi stars as Hig, a civilian pilot sulking around a deserted Colorado airbase with just his dog and a cranky ex-marine roommate, played by Josh Brolin.
• These two could not be less compatible, but they rely on each other to fend off Mad Max rejects roaming the land.
• The twist: Hig’s old-timey radio, hooked up in his 1956 Cessna, picks up a mysterious transmission. Apparently, it sparks actual hope that there’s more to life than sitting on an abandoned runway with your angry ex-marine neighbor.
• Hig throws caution (and common sense) to the wind, flies off into the unknown, and—if Ridley is to be believed—delivers cinema greatness.

The Dog Stars lands this August. If you want Oscar-bait emotions and gnarly violence all wrapped around a rescue dog, keep an eye out.

In the Grey: Guy Ritchie Unites Cavill, Gyllenhaal, and... the Ratings Board

Next, there's In the Grey—and this one’s got some real ‘Hollywood Mad Libs’ energy. Guy Ritchie brings back Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza Gonzalez for what can only be described as an action comedy stuffed with guns, explosions, and apparently, a single sexual reference that made the MPA reach for the R button.

The film is officially stamped Rated R for 'violence, language, and a sexual reference.' No, not multiple references—just the one. I’ll be watching purely to figure out what it is.

The plot is the usual Ritchie cocktail:

• A covert team of highly skilled operatives, globe-trotting for shadowy missions
• A dastardly villain snags a billion-dollar fortune, so these antiheroes have to steal it back
• Supposedly a heist, but it quickly spirals into a full-blown, everything-blows-up war packed with double-crosses, firefights, and probably a lot of clever quips

In the Grey hits theaters May 15. I’m mostly invested in the hype around that lone ‘sexual reference.’

Violent Night 2: Santa Goes Full Action Hero (Again)

Rounding things out is Violent Night 2. If you saw the first one, you already know what to expect: David Harbour as the world’s most unhinged Santa Claus, this time going up against Jared Harris.

Like its predecessor, this sequel has been branded Rated R for—you guessed it—'strong/bloody violence, and language.' Shocker.

Here’s the wild part: Early previews at CinemaCon reveal that Harris’s character has earned himself a prime spot on Santa’s naughty list. Santa shows up to deliver some serious holiday pain, only for the tables to turn—Santa himself ends up on the naughty list for forgetting what Christmas is even about, and apparently loses his magic powers in the process.

No word yet if he still gets to wield that signature sledgehammer.

Violent Night 2 is set for December 4. Who knew Christmas movies could get this gloriously ridiculous?