Robert Pattinson Reacts To The Batman's Surprising Adult Rating

Audiences have seen a number of stars don the cape and cowl over the years, but Matt Reeves' "The Batman" delivers a ferocious new version of the Dark Knight thanks to an intense performance from "Good Time" and "Tenet" star Robert Pattinson. The film follows Bruce Wayne early on in his crime fighting career, and he's already made a name for himself as a brutal entity that criminals are terrified of. 

The vigilante is pushed to his limits when a deranged serial killer called the Riddler (Paul Dano) starts targeting the most corrupt members of Gotham's elite. Although, it's not clear what's more horrifying: the true nature of the Riddler's plot, or the inherent corruption that's infected every level of Gotham's infrastructure. But the villain has some devious machinations up his sleeves as a way of cleansing the city of its sins, including disturbing traps and explosive collars. 

Luckily for the "Caped Crusader," he's not alone in his investigation into what the Riddler is planning for the city, as he's joined by the likes of Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), also known as Catwoman. So while it's fair to say that Reeves' "The Batman" pushes the boundaries between blockbuster entertainment and edgy crime thriller with his new film, the movie's still appropriate for the wider superhero genre audience. But Robert Pattinson was recently told about the U.K.'s surprisingly adult rating for "The Batman," and his reaction is hilarious.

In the last two decades, superhero movies have become more popular than ever thanks to the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy — which helped paved the way for the DC Extended Universe. Because they appeal to such a wide audience, studios typically aim for a PG-13 rating to get as many paying customers into theaters as possible, although there are the rare superhero titles that receive an R-rating for their excessive violence, like "Deadpool" and "Logan." While "The Batman" is rated PG-13 in the U.S., it's been given a 15 rating in the U.K., due to its "strong threat, violence," according to the BBFC.

It turns out that the stars of the 2022 film weren't aware of the classification — because Robert Pattinson was surprised by the news during an interview with Unilad's Cameron Frew. The 35-year old actor reacted with a shocked expression and a laugh, saying "Is it? No way! What happened?" He also added, "I didn't even know! Oh no, that's a disaster," before explaining the difference between ratings in the U.S. and the U.K. to his costar Zoë Kravitz. Pattinson was also struck by the fact that Nolan's "The Dark Knight" wasn't rated a 15 in the U.K., which is surprising considering the grim violence the Joker (Heath Ledger) dishes out in the 2008 movie. The pencil trick, anyone?