Batfleck

(I wrote this a few days after it was announced that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman. Enjoy my geek rantings!)

Ben Affleck is Batman.

And with these 4 words, the internet, and possibly the world, would never be the same.

It has been a few days since it was announced that Ben Affleck will be the new Batman in the recently announced Superman/Batman movie. Now that the dust has settled a little bit, I feel the need to throw in my own two cents.

I would like to start by saying that I have nothing against Ben Affleck as an actor. He has often been criticized by many, but I personally think that over all he is a decent actor, and like most actors he had made some really good movies, and some really bad movies, and for some reason everyone seems to focus on the bad. I feel that the reason most people are quick to bash him is because of the few years that he was such a major tabloid fixture because of the j-lo thing. And that’s just shitty because an actor’s love life shouldn’t affect how you perceive their acting abilities. In a way, I’ve sort of grown up with Ben Affleck. I am huge fan of Kevin Smith, and Ben has starred in many of his movies (Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl). So I know that Ben is capable of good acting. However, there are a few key things that cause me to have concern about him being Batman.

Chris Nolan’s Batman film series has just ended, and arguably it is the best film version of Batman that has been created. This Superman/Batman movie is scheduled to be released in 2015, a mere 3 years after The Dark Knight Rises. With how loved these films are, any new version of Batman that is presented to the audience will immediately be compared to Christian Bale’s version of the character. And that is a tough act for ANY actor to follow, let alone for an actor that has a questionable track record.

Now let’s talk specifically about Ben Affleck as Batman. What give me pause about him in the role is that I just don’t think he’ll be believable as the character. As I said before, he’s a good enough actor, but he isn’t an actor that disappears into his roles. Watching Christian Bale as Batman, I’m like “That’s Batman.” I can only imagine watching Ben Affleck as Batman and being all like “Why is Ben Affleck running around dressed like Batman?” In his best performances, he has always played a normal guy, and thusly when his own Afflecky quirks show thru, it still works because he’s just playing a normal guy. This doesn’t work in a fantasy role such as Batman. He needs to be Batman, not Ben Affleck. Also, I’ve seen the Daredevil movie. He tried to go dark there, and it didn’t work. To be fair, I can see Affleck as Bruce Wayne. I do think he could pull off flamboyant billionaire playboy; but not the dark, tortured, and obsessed character that is Batman.

It should be noted that when Michael Keaton was announced to play Batman in the 1989 film, it too caused a major stir among fans. Keaton had been known for mostly comedic roles up to that point, and he did not have the physicality that is normally associated with the character. There was a very vocal fan outrage over his casting, but as we all know, he turned out to be an excellent Batman, arguably second only to Christian Bale as the best actor to portray the character on screen (his often mocked Batman voice aside). Val Kilmer and George Clooney also took turns in the cowl in Batman Forever and Batman and Robin respectively, with mixed to negative results. Plus Kevin Conroy voiced the character in the much acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, as well as various other animated projects since then. And of course there were the movie serials in the 40s, and then Adam West in the 60s TV show. So it’s not like we haven’t seen this character portrayed by numerous actors already.

Also, we can’t forget about Superman. Man of Steel was a movie that divided both critics and fans alike. I personally enjoyed the film a lot. It was an interesting revision of the character, and after I saw it, I was immediately thinking about that cool stuff they could do in a sequel. Then they announced the Superman/Batman movie as the sequel to Man of Steel. Now, I have nothing against the idea of Superman/Batman team up movie. I think that is a really cool idea, and it has been something that has been bouncing around Warner Bros since before even Batman Begins came out. But now, rather than Superman getting a straight forward sequel, he’s sharing the stage with Batman. I kind of feel like Superman is getting cheated a bit, because now he has to compete with Batman rather than being the star of his own sequel. Personally I feel Superman gets the shaft most of the times. People criticize the character as being a boring, goody goody, boy scout type, who is too all powerful and thus not easy to relate to for the average person. And while there is merit to these arguments, it doesn’t change the fact that Superman is pretty much the first superhero EVER. For that fact alone I feel the character is still relevant and should garner a certain amount of respect from all superhero fans.

So yeah, there we have it. My final thoughts? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve always tried to be an optimistic geek, and I try not to judge these things until I actually see the finished project. But this is just some of the weirdest superhero casting in some time. NOBODY saw this coming. Ever since it was announced that Batman would be in the Man of Steel follow up, people online were speculating who would play the new Batman, and offering up their ideas and suggestions about who it should be. And then this came completely out of left field. I like Batman, and I like Ben Affleck, but I am still extremely unsure about this. I guess we’ll find out the end results in 2 years.