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I can't believe there was once a time where Batman Returns and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves were considered "too dark" for kids

El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,522



It really is amazing how standards and stuff have changed over the last few decades (sorry if I made you feel old just now).

But for those of you who don't remember/weren't born at the time, When Robin Hood and Batman Returns came out in the early 90s, there was a massive uproar because both films were not considered "Family Friendly." Batman Returns especially was considered far too macabre for kids, to the point where McDonalds pulled its marketing campaign for it after parents complained. Robin Hood was all criticized as far too violent and not "fun" enough for kids, especially by Roger Ebert for some reason.

But now? Both these movies feel so fucking tame compared the kinds of movies kids are watching now. Batman Returns especially feels downright CAMPY compared to the later Nolan films and especially The Batman. And I see plenty of The Batman toys and promotions out there at Target (RIP Toys R Us) but no large groups of parents complaining (I'm sure some are but they aren't being featured in news interviews like the parents complaining about Batman Returns were. Same with Robin Hood, the last two major films about him were far darker and more violent than Kevin Costner's.
 
AlgusUnderdunk

AlgusUnderdunk

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Dec 30, 2020
16,218
Batman Returns is still amazingly grim, especially Penguin's death and Selena killing the villain via suicide.
 
Violence Jack

Violence Jack

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Oct 25, 2017
43,313
Both of the Burton Batman films are still considered pretty dark for kids.

And I'm not sure about Robin Hood, but hearing Kevin Costner try to pull off a British accent was painful enough.
 
cheese toast

cheese toast

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Oct 29, 2017
744
Can't believe parents didn't like the idea of the Sheriff of Nottingham attempting to rape Maid Marian.
 
Zeliard

Zeliard

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Jun 21, 2019
11,396
Honestly Danny DeVito's Penguin is still fucked up. The black ooze drooling is just nauseating.
 
Hero_of_the_Day

Hero_of_the_Day

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Oct 27, 2017
17,950
I don't think there is anything in the Nolan trilogy as fucked up as Batman Returns. Dude's lifelong pets drag his fucking corpse into the water at the end.
 
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El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,522
poptire said:
Batman Returns terrified me as a kid. It was great.
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I just thought it was funny. Especially Penguin, which is weird because I was a MASSIVE scaredy cat as a little kid and Penguin logically should've scared the crap out of me.

Hero_of_the_Day said:
I don't think there is anything in the Nolan trilogy as fucked up as Batman Returns. Dude's lifelong pets drag his fucking corpse into the water at the end.
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Hey, it was a funeral precession for their friend!
 

Shroki

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,948
The 90s were all happy meals and toy batcaves. Those movies were made for kids and marketed to kids. The Batman was made and marketed for 30 year olds. Nobody is trying to get their kids a Zodiac Riddler toy with their chicken mcnuggets.

Not that I think the kids couldn't handle Returns. Studios sterilizing sequels in the early 90s was a big bummer. I loved TMNT 2 as a kid but now I see it as the studio fuckery that it is.
 
Jokerman

Jokerman

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May 16, 2020
7,250
I'm not sure why anyone would be confused that a food company, wouldn't want to associate with a film that has a main villain who oozes black goo from his mouth. I can't believe Returns is 30 years old.
 
Hero_of_the_Day

Hero_of_the_Day

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
17,950
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And the movie fucking starts with parents throwing their baby into a river because it has a deformity.

That movie is fucked up.
 
chaobreaker

chaobreaker

One Winged Slayer
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Oct 27, 2017
5,722
The Batman Returns controversy is why McDonald's went for those glass cups instead of making toys for Batman Forever.

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El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,522
ShutterMunster

ShutterMunster

Art Manager
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
2,649
BATMAN RETURNS is the grimmest, most adult Batman film ever released, what are you on? LOL.

Both of Burton's films are more nihilistic and vicious than the later bat films and that includes THE BATMAN.
 
THEVOID

THEVOID

Prophet of Regret
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Oct 27, 2017
23,359
Returns is still disturbing. If MCU came out with this people would be flipping! I adore it, but it's an acquired taste. It's the atmosphere.
 
meowdi gras

meowdi gras

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Feb 24, 2018
12,679
Take heart: we now live in a day and time where Pixar movies are considered too "disturbing" for kids!
 
Ferrio

Ferrio

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Oct 25, 2017
18,477
Coming from someone whose main exposure to Batman as a kid was the Adam West series, the Burton Batman movies were quite a new experience. Came out of the theater like "wtf was that?"
 
StopMakingSense

StopMakingSense

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Oct 25, 2017
11,083
Batman Begins is a bit much for me these days and I'm 41.

Not enough time in the day to be wasting watching Danny Devito puking up black bile.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,551
apocat said:
Which is fair. I adored it, but I wouldn't go see it with children. It's pretty gruesome.
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What was gruesome about it? The only part I thought was a bit much was
ripping the eyeball out of the monster near the beginning. The rest was standard MCU fare. Except the Zombie Strange stuff. That was just straight up Evil Dead stuff, but it was fake looking enough that I couldn't call it gruesome.
 
Zippedpinhead

Zippedpinhead

Fallen Guardian
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Oct 25, 2017
11,090
Watched Batman Returns with my 9,7 and 5 year old this past weekend. All of them liked it, but it was definitely intense for my 5 year old.
 
Shola Akinnuso

Shola Akinnuso

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Oct 27, 2017
2,560
Henderson, NV
The only kids movie that is as dark and goes as hard as Batman Returns ( a film I still love) is Babe: Pig in the City. That is a dark ass fantasy movie and I still love every moment of it.
 
jaymzi

jaymzi

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Jul 22, 2019
6,775
Robin Hood's tone was all over the place.

Like they made Alan Rickman forcibly spreading Marian's legs in order to rape her as comedic.
 
apocat

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
10,393
B.K. said:
What was gruesome about it? The only part I thought was a bit much was
ripping the eyeball out of the monster near the beginning. The rest was standard MCU fare. Except the Zombie Strange stuff. That was just straight up Evil Dead stuff, but it was fake looking enough that I couldn't call it gruesome.
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That, and the whole bit with the illuminati, which is both gruesome and mean spirited.

Kids are wired differently, is the thing. I would probably not have had any real issues with Strange 2 as a child (Though I think I probably would have been uneasy about the illuminati confrontation. And just to be clear, I very much enjoyed the sequence as an adult.), but I have kids around me who I've spoken to at length about stuff like this. They see something fleeting in a movie that might even seem fairly innocuous to me, and it's like that particular image is burned on their retina, preoccupying their thoughts for weeks after.

I honestly see very little benefits to risk a child feeling haunted like that for the sake of a silly hollywood film. Not all kids will feel like this, but many probably will. Why take that chance?
 
Precious Tritium

Precious Tritium

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,757
What kids movies do you think kids are watching that make Batman Returns look tame?

I do think people have gotten over mature movies having toys, my 4 year old has some "The Batman" Lego, but she's not watching The Batman until she's probably 12+. Everything has merchandise these days, doesn't mean kids are always watching the associated media, parents are the ones buying the toys after all.

I think I watched Batman Returns on VHS probably around 5-6, I can't imagine showing my kids that in a couple years when there is so much other kid appropriate Batman media. I do agree The Batman is darker than the Keaton movies I just don't think they are aimed at kids at all and the toys depict a heavily watered down version of the movie.

I can't speak to Robin Hood.
 
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Yerffej

Yerffej

Prophet of Regret
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Oct 25, 2017
25,147
Both of these films are too dark for kids to this day. There's some fucked up shit in both.
 
Annubis

Annubis

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Oct 25, 2017
5,786
That's the Robin Hood movie that starts with a guy getting his hand hacked off, right?
 
Ultima_5

Ultima_5

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Oct 25, 2017
7,690
Batman returns is creepy as fuck. Danny Devito bites off a dudes nose. The fuck is this thread
 
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