Teaser
Am I out of touch for thinking one of the most kid friendly video games is making a mistake when the first line of the trailer for their movie is “What the hell?”
Apparently not entirely. A (fairly religious) friend of mine posted basically the same thing on Facebook.
Personally, I just think this looks utterly stupid, and I have a pretty low threshold for being entertained.
Well that’s why I ask, I’m by most definitions “fairly religious” too! I fully expect that the age at which I’ll be okay with my kid saying “What the hell?” is a lot older than what most people would allow.
But is there still any age at which a meaningful number of parents would prefer their kids not engage in even this mildest form of swearing, or have it be offered up so casually in their entertainment?
If I was making a Minecraft movie I’d be targeting the same level of kid-friendliness as the Super Mario Bros. movie, and this seems more like it’s aimed at tweens.
And that’s a choice, and maybe even the right one for the (theoretical) success of this movie. I would just feel disappointed if my kid was old enough to enjoy Minecraft but I wasn’t quite ready for a snarky tween movie.
I guess I’m just numb to it. I expect at least mild profanity in PG projects these days, even aimed at kids. I do agree with you that I probably would’ve skewed a Minecraft movie a tad younger and probably at least not dropped “What the hell?” in the trailer, but I also raised an absolutely wonderful daughter who had a terrible “potty mouth” at like 13 but her mom just insisted it wasn’t a battle worth fighting, and in the grand scheme of things I came to agree.
It wouldn’t have been my choice probably, but it didn’t particularly phase me either. It’s a point worth making, though.
I was watching a 90’s “kids” movie a few days ago (like Goonies, but not and I unfortunately don’t remember which one) and I was shocked at how many times “fag” and “homo” was casually thrown around. The word was being used by the bully character, but still. I had forgotten how potty-mouthed and accepted the gay slurs were.
Yeah, 90s PG movies weren’t nearly as “clean” as I remember them being from watching them as a kid.
I mean, Elliott calls his brother “penis breath” in E.T., it’s not exactly unprecedented stuff.
My parents were mad they let us watch E.T. in elementary school!
Don’t worry, ‘What the hell?’ will be replaced by ‘What the sigma?’ before this hits theatres.
Though now I think about it, that has roots in competing IP, so perhaps they’ll stick with the original sin.
It is true that Minecraft remains popular with kids … but it’s also true that kids who were 10 years old when Minecraft first came out are now 25 (or 23, depending on what you use for the release.) And young adults of that vintage don’t necessarily view it as “a kid’s game,” just part of the pop culture landscape.
Just say NO.