10 Movies You Won't Believe Were Rated PG
9. Batman Returns
Tim Burton's Batman was a smash hit despite concerned parents criticising the film's dark and grim tone. Instead of taking this criticism on board, Burton double-downed and made the sequel, Batman Returns, unnecessarily violent and vulgar.
The film depicts animal murder, dismembered body parts, and... incessant licking. Batman literally sets a guy on fire!
Likewise, not only does Danny DeVito look genuinely terrifying as The Penguin, his salacious dialogue feels totally out of place in a Batman movie. As he talks about his "naked, sexual charisma" and his urge for "groping people", you have to ask yourself if Burton was trying to get fired. And let's not forget when he refers to Catwoman as "the pussy he was looking for"... on second thought, let's forget that line.
The moment that really pushes the PG-13 rating is when Penguin, without any warning or reason, chomps a citizen's nose, causing blood to gush around the room. If you watched this scene out of context, you would be baffled to learn it made it into a superhero movie aimed at kids!
Interestingly enough, the movie (and its predecessor) was actually slapped with a 15 rating in the UK, which usually translates into an R in the States, yet that wasn't the case here.
Although many comic fans were disappointed when Burton wasn't asked to direct the follow-up, you can't really blame the producers from having him replaced.