Old Batman Returns Review Goes Viral: “It Was A Total Attack Against Kids”

Batman Returns is trending on Twitter today, after a video from 1992 resurfaced, in which a “junior movie critic” called the movie “a total attack against kids.” In light of later Batman movies from Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, and Matt Reeves — each of which was darker and grittier and more targeted to adults than the one before it — the idea of Tim Burton’s beloved sequel being absolutely appalling to parents seems quaint now. Still, it was darker in tone and featured more blood and disturbing imagery than 1989’s Batman — so much so that the studio famously changed direction after McDonald’s complained that they couldn’t make Happy Meal toys out of a movie like Returns. 

Danny Slaski, who is now a product designer, said that he disliked the movie because things that kids like — like clowns and rubber ducks — were being weaponized against them in the film. The clip comes from an episode of Faith Daniels’ talk show, A Closer Look. Slaski does not appear to have much in the way of a social media presence, which is probably for the better. This is not the first time the clip has gone viral (Alamo Drafthouse shared it in 2020, for instance), and his Twitter account would likely be inundated with people constantly joking about his decades-old hot take.

You can see the clip below.

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After Batman Returns, both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton moved on from the franchise. A Catwoman spinoff went into development hell and was rewritten and reworked numerous times over the years, before being released with no connection to the Batman franchise at all. Returns has remained a fan-favorite, along with the frequent discussions about whether it can be considered a horror movie, or a Christmas movie, or both.

Decades after he left the franchise, Michael Keaton is set to return as Batman in next year’s The Flash and in HBO Max’s Batgirl movie. It is not yet clear whether Batwoman will be delayed, since Keaton’s Batman is set to be introduced in The Flash, and that film was just delayed, possibly throwing a wrench into the streamer’s plans.

In Batman Returns, the Dark Knight faced off with The Penguin and Catwoman, while Bruce Wayne found himself falling for Selina Kyle. The movie helped establish the Batman/Catwoman relationship in the minds of casual fans, and that theme has been followed up in The Dark Knight Rises and The Batman.