The Batman Is Rated What You Think It Will Be For What You'd Expect

Barring any COVID-inspired delays, we're less than two months away from watching Robert Pattinson become vengeance. A new Batman movie is always cause for celebration, but this time around, we've been promised an especially memorable experience from the slick, gritty, and hardcore Matt Reeves reboot. This latest incarnation of our favorite emo orphan boy takes the franchise in an intriguing new direction by forgoing the origin story approach and picking up in the second year of his superhero journey. The caped crusader is balancing rage with righteousness "as a disillusioned, desperate vigilante awakened by the realization that the anger consuming him makes him no better than the ruthless serial killer he's hunting."

I dunno about you, but that sounds pretty dark. And I'm not just talking visual darkness either — once we squint through all the shadows, we'll likely catch a glimpse of the Batman cowl covered in blood from all the rage he's unloading. So you won't be too shocked to learn that the Motion Picture Association took his penchant for violence into account when delivering their verdict for the film's rating.

"The Batman" has received its official rating from the MPA, which is PG-13 for "strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material."​​ Despite rumors that Reeve's film could potentially earn itself an R-rating, this was expected. Warners Bros. wants to sell as many tickets as possible, especially when it comes to their most-hyped movie of the year. The pandemic is already looming as a threat to the film's release date, not to mention its box office returns. So why risk limiting profits any further by keeping out the younger crowd? Especially after they went to the trouble of ordering a boatload of merch targeted at kids.

Fellow fans of violence and agents of chaos have no need to worry though, "The Batman" doesn't need an R-rating to smack us down with badassery. Based on Reeves' approach to film and Pattinson's version of the character, this movie will be darkness galore. After all, the grittiest Batman movie to date ("The Dark Knight") shares the same PG-13 rating and checks all kinds of unsettling boxes. And perhaps you missed the above rating promises, so allow me to reiterate — this superhero flick is full of "disturbing content", courtesy of the ever-unhinged Robert Pattinson.

Anyway, lest you be plagued by further worries, it's not like great Batman stories have ever been dependent on graphic violence: some of the G-rated cartoons have been nailing Gotham's defender for years. Plus, the PG-rated "The Lego Batman Movie" deserves all the awards and it's super family-friendly! But based on the synopsis for "The Batman," I doubt it'll be anywhere near as lighthearted:

Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city's corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.

When a killer targets Gotham's elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World's Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.

"The Batman" will hit theaters on March 4, 2022.