Think Of The Children: The Demand For Mature Content At The Expense of Family Friendly Affairs?

[Chancey289]

So, today I was discussing with my brother about the rise in darker and more adult oriented superhero entertainment. And is our demand for our childhood properties to grow up with us kinda taking away from a younger generation?

Let's get a possible discussion going.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm totally guilty of pushing for more mature related superhero tales. I've enjoyed immensely Marvel's R- Rated Netflix endeavors in the form of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. More mature visions of our childhood superheroes are a great thing. They SHOULD be reshaped and reimagined at times.

But the whole "gritty reboot" trope has become a thing for a reason. We've been demanding these franchises to age with us, when it always doesn't warrant it.

I'm sure a lot of us still enjoy things we've enjoyed in our childhood. I'm still a big fan of the uber cheesy Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and plenty of cartoons I've watched growing up. The thing is, I've noticed is that there hasn't really been an abundance of stuff like this made with kids in the equation. We get new Batman movies and games, but they are catered to a more adult audience. That's why Arkham Knight was given an M-Rating and a movie with freaking SUPERMAN in it, has an R rated cut. (And holy crap if you make a R rated movie with Superman, you gotta know you screwed up somewhere and it just feels......wrong)

We can't deny that characters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman aren't popular with kids anymore, because they are. Kids are sporting shirts with their logos just as much as we are. But I notice a very big trend of entertainment being developed with the older comic fan in mind. The one who won't go down a toy aisle to buy a action figure of Superman to play with, but buy it so he can put it on a shelf and never open it.

In the demand that our characters get more violent, sexier, and brutal, we're kinda denying kids the experience we had as children. One of the dumbest things we do, as that when something is developed for them, we get p!ssed off and criticize it. Ultimate Spider-Man comes to mind because even I am guilty of criticizing the series for being to goofy and kid friendly. Because a lot of us comic fans assume we're the target audience for almost everything that it introduces.

Maybe generally what I'm saying, is that while I do think there is a place for adult oriented versions of this kind of entertainment, I think they work best in an "All Ages" format. And don't get confused, "All Ages" does not mean "Just for kids", it means just that, for everyone. Anyone can enjoy these products. Companies like Pixar and Disney are usually pretty good at this.

The DC fans always say that they enjoy DC films more because they think it's "for adults". And DC has been kinda taking that assertion to heart. But here's the thing, we don't own Batman. We don't own Superman. We don't own Wonder Woman. They belong to everyone. We can't keep demanding everything cater with only us in mind.

Not everything needs a gritty reboot. They're allowed to exist and ultimately should, but it shouldn't be the primary goal to strive for.

There's not an easy answer, and this is not making very broad claims about the industry as a whole, it's just talking about an aspect that does exist. Something we've all been a part of at one point. And maybe realizing we need to work on it.

So, what do you think about my little analysis? Discuss, please.

 

[absolitude]

well adults need entertainment too, especially the things they're grow up with.. children have so many options regarding that, they have tv shows, they have comics, the have animated movies like big hero 6, they have marvel..

i think it's the adults that need suitable entertainments more..

 

[Teal]

I think it's only fair to remove the inhibitions of a PG-13 rating if the source material doesn't originally cater to kids. Watchmen's a good example, and so is Deadpool. From what I'm hearing, I also think Suicide Squad should have gone for an R rating. That said, I completely agree that films like Batman v Superman don't need an R rating and should strive to be more kid friendly. When I went to theater to watch it, I spotted at least two parents and their kids bailing the theater halfway through the movie. I even remember the exact scene - it was after the Congress bombing when Clark goes to his and Lois' apartment to mope some more. Granted, the theatrical cut wasn't R rated, but I wouldn't classify any frame in that movie as "kid-friendly". It was obviously meant to appeal to a more mature audience.

I'm not suggesting that DC should just start making silver age adaptations of their comics, but it is very possible to create a mature premise that's also accessible to children and that is what they should do with their main properties.

 

[Chancey289]

I'm not suggesting that DC should just start making silver age adaptations of their comics, but it is very possible to create a mature premise that's also accessible to children and that is what they should do with their main properties.

The Justice League and Young Justice cartoons are prime examples of this. And it's rather funny that in the end, those cartoons are STILL more sophisticated and mature than the movies.

 

[berto]

Hmmm....

You know that video games are still considered children's entertainment by most of the population of the world, even if we encompass millions upon millions of individuals of all walks of life. These mediums just went trough that, that it was all for children and no real adult has any business enjoying them thus those that grew up with them and are now the makers are bring their adult ideals and maturity to these things. They are more adult because adults are reading/watching. It's a way to try to keep up with the age of the fans. I don't like gritty reboots, there are other ways to approach things, but with time more fitting ways to approach these franchises will pop up, all it takes is for one of these studios to take the chance and be successful before everyone else follows suit.

 

[Meg]

Chancey, you've been on point lately with all these interesting analyses!

I don't think more mature comic book movies, etc. are a bad thing at all for two reasons. 1) Comics are enjoyed by a wide age-range so some tv shows, movies, games being more for kids and some being for adults makes sense. 2) Kids can't be protected from the scary/sad parts of life forever. Fiction has always been a great way to expose kids to those themes. So while maybe don't take your eight year old to see Deadpool, don't hide your kid from anything that might be "dark" or "mature" or whatever.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

I think Meg said it best
I'm not gonna lie, I enjoy dark and gritty. I mean growing up most of my favorite comic book characters were all anti-heroes. It's why I love Nolan's Batman movies, it's why I'm excited as h e double hockey sticks Wolverine 3 is gonna be r-rated, it's why I want Blade to be added to the MCU, it's why I want a new Spawn movie ect ect.
That being said, I do agree that some of us are a little too entitled when they complain about the kid friendly stuff.
They should know better and understand it's not aimed for them.

 

[DragonMaster2010]

That said, I completely agree that films like Batman v Superman don't need an R rating and should strive to be more kid friendly.

BvS was never really that kid friendly even with a PG-13 rating. There were things in it that I don't think kids would be able to understand like the real time situation of what if Superman existed in our world with no prior knowledge to who the character is. Or how long can someone stay good in a world gone bad? I mean, sure they could just watch it for the cool fight scenes and all, but that wasn't the point of BvS either. I never really suggested people to take their kids to see the movie since it probably wouldn't appeal to them like Marvel movies do. I always told parents to take their kids to see Civil War or something.

 

[Demi-fiend]

I always told parents to take their kids to see Civil War or something.

Especially since it's a film more suited to less mature audiences...

 

[Chancey289]

Chancey, you've been on point lately with all these interesting analyses!

I don't think more mature comic book movies, etc. are a bad thing at all for two reasons. 1) Comics are enjoyed by a wide age-range so some tv shows, movies, games being more for kids and some being for adults makes sense. 2) Kids can't be protected from the scary/sad parts of life forever. Fiction has always been a great way to expose kids to those themes. So while maybe don't take your eight year old to see Deadpool, don't hide your kid from anything that might be "dark" or "mature" or whatever.

Thanks. These kind of post have been pretty fun to make, and I'm hoping to somehow get involved in writing stuff for websites or something about pop culture and what not.

And yea, while I am on the side of the coin that wants people to give children more credit when it comes to being exposed to more mature stuff, (My parents never really tried to censor me from all that much. Hell, one of the biggest reasons why I'm such a horror fan is because my mom introduced me to tons of horror films like The Exorcist and The Thing for example when I was very young. She gave us the benefit of the doubt to separate fiction from reality. And I didn't grow up to be a complete sociopath.) It's just pointing out how there isn't really anymore Batman:The Animated Series kind of stuff being made anymore. They are really aiming towards the crowd who watched stuff like that, but are now older.

 

[berto]

The thing is parents are always over protective. There is always going to be some mom that will fight everyone over what she thinks her poor little baby shouldn't watch, mostly the sex stuff, and she will bury everyone else's rights in order to protect their virgin ears. Nature of the beast. All it takes is the right mom walking in on their kid watching Family Guy, wondering what's so funny, then losing her s*** to go on a crusade because she must protect them from this pornography, the one who doesn't get that there are rating systems for a reason and thinks that all children will see every R rated movie ever and pollute them.

 

[DragonMaster2010]

Especially since it's a film more suited to less mature audiences...

Do you realize the huge target you just painted on my back just now?

 

[Demi-fiend]

Do you realize the huge target you just painted on my back just now?

 

[Teal]

BvS was never really that kid friendly even with a PG-13 rating. There were things in it that I don't think kids would be able to understand like the real time situation of what if Superman existed in our world with no prior knowledge to who the character is. Or how long can someone stay good in a world gone bad? I mean, sure they could just watch it for the cool fight scenes and all, but that wasn't the point of BvS either. I never really suggested people to take their kids to see the movie since it probably wouldn't appeal to them like Marvel movies do. I always told parents to take their kids to see Civil War or something.

Exactly. Sorta.

I don't expect kids to understand the overlying or the underlying themes of a superhero movie. I just expect them to watch two of their favorite superheroes duke it out and squeal in excitement. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but ten year old me would never understand the overlapping theme of revenge perpetuating Civil War, or the whole dilemma that led to the airport fight. I'd enjoy the fight scenes, though, cause they were dope.

Batman v Superman offered NONE of that. The fight scenes were..okay, but they were too far in between. Doesn't help that kids have very short attention spans.

Worst thing is; Warner Bros/DC are trying to appeal to a larger demographic by making their films PG-13 (which would mean more money in return), so as long as they stick to these business practices, we'll always be left with movies that are in between two vastly different worlds like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, where they want to cross the PG-13 line, but avoid doing so. Barely.

 

[berto]

I mean, I don't know about you guys, but ten year old me would never understand the overlapping theme of revenge perpetuating Civil War, or the whole dilemma that led to the airport fight.

Actually, yes, 6 year old me would understand that. Those themes aren't exactly the most complex or elusive. Tony has that woman bring in that photo of her son, he feels guilty, he all but says it, Steve believes in his way of doing things, people died, on multiple occasions, now there are repercussions. It's all spelled out. Children aren't stupid, they understand more adults give them credit for or are willing to believe they are capable of.

 

[absolitude]

hellboy 2 and blade 2 is probably the best example of being dark and gritty yet still entertaining, and it works fro mature audience too the way i see it, dunno what the rating was for them..

i prefer dark and gritty but i also want to be entertained, and BvS ofc failed in that entertaining part..