WHY BEN AFFLECK IS A GOOD CHOICE FOR BATMAN

MOVIE-TORIAL:

BEN AFFLECK IS BATMAN

"The geek community is divided" 

Disclaimer: All the photos are not mine.

By:

G.P. Manalo

I woke up that morning to open my Facebook account to numerous posts about Ben Affleck; I started to wonder what it is all about until I read the words “Batman” and “Ben Affleck” being associated to those posts. Next thing you know I saw a headline in the morning news stating the fact that it IS official that he has signed up the very role. In the announcement it is also announced that he will have a 13 picture deal one of them being In “Batman vs. Superman” in July 17^th, 2015 as the Caped Crusader though no further word if the 13 appearances will be a stand-alone role or cameos and it is also not announced whether or not he’ll be directing something related to that character.

I was very much in the middle at that point, as I have read through the same story in three different film websites I have observed that there are more negative than there are praises. There were possible death threats, plans of boycotting the film and even a petition to make him sign off the role (last time I checked it was more than 10,000 signatures). As I have reflected on the fact that there is nothing we can do about it, maybe it was a decent choice to have Affleck as Batman, and so I have 4 reasons why he is so.

4.  WE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING

All we know so far that Ben Affleck will be playing the iconic character but filming the movie haven’t really started yet and the movie is still 2 years away from now. That being said we still have yet to know anything about him being in that role through set pics, trailers, previews, or anything the studios to release to market the film. It’s not really a good argument to say that “he sucks” when we haven’t see anything of him in the project

We’re also not the best at predicting whether or not he’ll be good on the role or not, if we looked back from other actors in Comic book films like James McAvoy (from Wanted to X-Men First Class), Halle Barry (from Catwoman to X-Men 3… never mind), Nicholas Cage (from Ghost Rider to Kick-Ass to Ghost Rider again). Actors have been through at least one shitty film (in someone’s opinion atleast) at some point but that doesn’t mean they’ll be shit again, though it is a gamble. In a similar topic Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale were given a lot of similar criticisms for their roles and they ended up surprising the nay-sayers and dubbed them to be the definitive versions of the characters they have portrayed. Though I will give the nay-sayers credit that George Clooney did sucked as Batman. That being said we have to wait and see before we have our final judgments and if you happen to have a time-travelling DeLorean to argue with this statement you can freely kick me in the balls and say that I’m wrong.

 3. HIM BEING IN SHITTY MOVIES IS NOT A GOOD ARGUMENT

This other reason is why I liked Ben Affleck as both an actor and a solid choice for the role and it is because he is an experienced and a much older actor. Say what you will about him being in Daredevil, Gigli or Pearl Harbor (ENOUGH! With the Phantoms joke) but those movies were more than 10 years ago and for the few years not only has he been a fully established actor but also one of the best filmmakers of our time for delivering films such as The Town and Argo (I have yet to see “Gone Baby Gone” in all honesty but I heard it’s one of his better films).

Overtime, he has lived through all of his mistakes and he has grown to be a capable and mature person and actor and if you have listened to his speech during this year’s Oscars his maturity as both an actor and person is very much evident in that speech.

      2.   HE’S AN EXPERIENCED FILMMAKER

Like I said earlier, the success of his films like Argo, The Town and Gone Baby Gone he has established himself as an experienced and one of the best filmmakers of our time. Though it is a gamble for Ben Affleck to be the same level of good as he is as filmmaker than in a movie when he’s not directing, writing or involved in anything important behind the scenes (like a coffee boy). He is a better filmmaker than Zack Snyder therefore even if he is just an actor he can still have the power to pitch ideas for the director and the screenwriter to atleast help them deliver a quality superhero film (maybe it’s three years too early to give this movie an Oscar nomination).

I believe he is mature and aware enough to set his ego (which I’m not sure if he does have or not) aside and that his ideas will be added for bettering the movie than it is to make this movie be more about him, this is a Man of Steel sequel after all.

1.  HE’S NOT THE BEN AFFLECK WE KNEW YEARS AGO (Translation: He can act!)

For argument sake this was a surprise to me because I never saw “Batman” through Affleck’s other films, that is pretty much why I was in the middle at first. If we could define “Batman” it is that he is a dark and brooding character and at the same time he wears a mask that makes him a different person entirely. Most people commented on this statement as they compare his performance as George Reeves in 2006’s “Hollywoodland”, they commented on how in one scene where he is performing as “Superman” where he was all campy and more of a show off at some point and then there was a conflicted yet scared look in his eyes as a kid wishes to shoot him. That is why people say that he is good for the role, in that one scene shows how he can fully suit the dual personality Batman has, and re-watching Hollywoodland again I highly agreed with the statement they made.

This being promised as a different version of the Batman we know from past incarnations. I really hope that his tactician side of Batman will actually see the light of day in this new version of the character. We have already seen the dark and brooding side of Affleck through his role in Daredevil…. A bit.   

His films that are considered to be good like Good Will Hunting, Argo, Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Hollywoodland, and Shakespeare In Love it is that he was given the right material. Ben Affleck may not be the best actor out there nor is he the worst. Films like Gigli and Daredevil are not his fault, he was just following the material he is given. He doesn’t necessarily have the chops like Daniel-Day Lewis to completely be a different person entirely, I have faith that the material he will be given will be great since he is tethering away from that statement he said about not playing a superhero again due to his previous attempt. Him accepting the job could mean that the material he is given is good for him to be back under a different mantle of a superhero.

Conclusion:

My opinion may or may not change anyone’s mind, “Haters gonna Hate” after all. My judgments are not necessarily final after all and maybe soon enough when I see some early set pics and footages of it with the power of the Internet. I still wish it was a different choice like Josh Brolin but it could've been worse like the other choice that is Ryan Gosling. Something like this isn’t really a good thing to rage about in this kind of time. Hopefully good things will happen to those who wait. I would like to hear your thoughts though, what do you think of the casting choice? and if you like to debate with me, you may freely do so.