The public is mad! Ben Affleck was announced as playing Batman in the sequel to Man Of Steel and immediately there have been memes and rage from not just regular comic book nerds but people who also like to pretend that they watch movies regularly or know things about comic book characters just because they saw Batman over 20 years ago.
Yeah. Its gonna be one of those types of blogs.
I should’ve prefaced this with the fact that I am a huge Batman fan but I will admit when something is not right or cool with me. I loved the last three Batman films but had issues with the voices. I forgave dozens of plot holes because fuck it he’s Batman. So when I heard that Affleck was playing him I actually said “I don’t have a problem with this.” Its not that I’m getting soft in my old age. I have just become more forgiving.
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| But we never forget... |
We all lived through Daredevil. Affleck took what could have been a great film and helped destroy it. But I’m not putting all of the blame on him because he didn’t write it (the guy who did wrote Grumpier Old Men, Elektra, Jack Frost, and Ghost Rider). That movie was bad all around considering no one was chose right. No one. Then there’s the fact that Affleck was picked because he was on the hot list at the time. We’ve seen it happen before.
Do you remember people’s reaction when Heather Ledger was choosing as The Joker? People lost their fucking minds! “The gay cowboy guy?!” Yes, some of you said it would be a good idea but for the most part people were upset. When you look at Ledger’s resume it is not terribly impressive. And he’s a pretty boy. But he managed to be the best Joker on film because someone gave him a chance.
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| I wish I could quit you! |
There is no way to make every fan happy and I am adding myself to the conversation. I will bitch about the costume, the person in it, their voice, the villain, the music, the look of the film, just every damned thing. I’ve written some articles before about Hollywood Hates Comics showing the differences between the comic and the film adaptation. Sometimes it works but usually it doesn’t.
Someone joked that Chris Evans should’ve played him since he has played in a lot of comic book movies now (Captain America, The Avengers, Scott Pilgrim, The Losers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, both Fantastic Four films). For me it starts to get strange when one person plays too many characters like Halle Berry did with Storm and Catwoman, Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider and Big Daddy, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Green Lantern, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and The Octopus, Hugo Weaving as Red Skull and V For Vendetta, Jim Carrey as The Riddler and The Mask, and…seriously. The list goes on and on.
The fact that Ben Affleck playing Daredevil then and playing Batman now doesn’t upset because he has gotten better. His acting, writing, directing, and his look has improved over the years but I think when people imagine him they picture Gigli, Jersey Girl, and possibly Mallrats and that isn’t fair. I’ve been far more forgiving with comic book films in the past. Hell, I gave Dawson’s Creek father a chance to play The Flash.
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| This. Happened. |
4 comments:
Ledger though had elevated his craft in Brokeback Mountain, and I too a diplomatic 'wait and see' approach.
Affleck's best role? George Reeves in Hollywoodland? I've yet to see Argo yet, but Affleck has more upside as a film maker than a film star at this point imo. If Affleck had been chosen to DIRECT the next Batman franchise, I think everyone would (should) be doing a happy dance.
Favourite youtube comment recently: You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become Ben Affleck.
Over time I've started being more forgiving with actors, particularly when it comes to comic book based movies starring them. People are forgetting this is not a Batman film. Its gonna have him in it but that's not what people are focusing on. I absolutely could not STAND Mark Ruffalo but he turned out to be great in The Avengers. HATED Jeremy Renner but he was fine in his last few films.
A lot of people I know that are upset about Affleck playing Batman have not seen Argo which is strange since it was tied for being my favorite film last year with Beasts Of The Southern Wild. I believe that Affleck is paying for past sins and any involvement in a movie like this would have caused an uproar. I wish people were this upset at how shitty Wolverine (both films) were.
I'm not vehemently opposed to Affleck being Batman, I just really liked the rumor Josh Brolin was being considered.
Brolin would be cool to me if they did a Dark Knight Returns movie or something. For something where Batman is already known and established I like Affleck. If this was a brand new reboot I'd probably complain because of his age.
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