This needed to be R rated. It teetered on the edge so often that a little push and it would have hit the notes it should have it to be American pop good.
But it's PG, shocking given who created it. It was a darker tone than Lord of the Rings with the same cool anti-Disney animation. But, when it comes to content it falls a little short.
It was already made for adults, it was already dark. It was already gritty. And it was released in 83, I was a kid in the 80s, R movies were still kids fair back then.
A little push further into the dark side and it would have been perfect.
But as it stands, it's still what I would call an "imperfect masterpiece," its a fun film to watch if you are into that genre. It's a fun film to watch if you are into Bakshi flicks. It's a fun film period... it just needed that extra push.