It's a fact of life that sometimes things happen at the most inopportune times. You forget your umbrella and it starts to storm. Your car breaks down on your way to the big interview. Amazon has the complete Blu Ray set of LOST on sale for $50 and your bank account shows a zero balance. Sometimes it's enough to make Alanis Morissette cry.
And sometimes big movie stories break when you're on vacation. That was the case with me last week when Warner Bros. dropped a bomb bigger than Gigli on the unknowing masses, casting Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman/Superman movie. If I didn't know better I would've thought Warner Bros. was trying to break the Internet.
In retrospect, I think it was a good thing that I was on vacation and no where near a computer when the news broke. While I wasn't against the casting, it certainly came out of left field. I mean seriously. Anybody who saw this coming raise your hands. Oh no one did? That's what I thought. But to get back to my initial thought, the timing was a good thing personally because it gave me a chance to reflect rationally on the casting choice. (In case you didn't notice some people had slight emotional overreactions to the news.)
Before I get to my thoughts however, I'd like to take a moment and assess the fan reaction. Granted some of the memes that have come out have been pretty hilarious, but I have never seen such vitriol and hatred spewed on the Internet like I have for Ben Affleck. You'd think someone had hired the lead singer of Gwar to play Jesus Christ in a reboot of The Passion of the Christ. People actually put up a petition on the White House website to have him removed from the film. THE WHITE HOUSE WEBSITE. Are you freakin' kidding me??? All I could think of was Shatner on SNL saying "It's just a TV show!" People need to relax and remember at the end of the day it's just a movie. And if we're going to be completely honest here, whoever Warner Bros. picked, somebody would've found a reason to bitch. Because that's what the Internet and social media have become--places to gripe and moan anonymously. But that's a post for a different day and probably a different blog. In the interim 300 lb guy wearing a Justice League of America shirt, playing Call of Duty in your Mom's basement, and freebasing Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream, why don't you dial it down a notch ok? Your hatred is not appreciated.
Now as to my thoughts on the casting choice. I don't hate the pick, but I can't say that I'm enthusiastic about it either. Could Warner Bros. have cast someone more appropriate? Probably. However, could they have picked someone with more talent? That's up for debate. While fanboys may bitch and moan that Affleck ruined Daredevil (seriously guys it wasn't that bad) you can't deny the leaps and bounds that Affleck has made in the movie industry over the last couple years. Here's a guy who had a lot of success early on and was really given the keys to the Bentley. And what did Affleck do with those keys? He gave the world Gigli, Reindeer Games, Surviving Christmas, and Phantoms. The dude became a Hollywood joke, ripped by everyone, from Internet bloggers to Seth MacFarlane on "Family Guy."
And then something magical happened. Affleck turned it around.
In the last five years he's become quite the Hollywood professional. His stint in Hollywoodland (where ironically he played George Reeves, television's Superman) was excellent and he's directed three superb films--Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo. It's still a travesty that he didn't win Best Director, let alone get nominated for Argo. Moreover, he's learned to embrace his essence as an actor. Affleck is that moody, inward, aloof Clint Eastwood type. (Let's face it the guy isn't going to up and do Hamlet anytime soon.) From that perspective the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman makes a lot of sense. Batman is a stoic, withdrawn man tormented by his past. Batman doesn't really have to show a wide range of emotions. Furthermore, Affleck also makes an ideal Bruce Wayne. He's handsome, charming, funny, and could easily pass for a playboy billionaire.
Affleck detractors will site his earlier movies and his relationship with Jennifer Lopez as a reason to hate him in the role of Batman. I think they are being myopic. How long can you condemn a man for choices he made in his mid twenties? I'm not sure about you but I know I made a lot of stupid mistakes in my twenties. But you learn and you grow. It's called maturity. Fanboys and the like are quick to forget that audiences reacted in a similar fashion when Michael Keaton was cast as Batman. People were even angrier when Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker. (The guy from Ten Things I Hate About You? Really?) Both of those decisions panned out pretty well, especially the latter. Conversely, when George Clooney was cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne everyone rejoiced because he seemed to fit the image so well. Guess what? We got Batnipples and a movie that singlehandedly destroyed the franchise for the better part of a decade.
The point I'm trying to make here is that I'm neutral on the casting choice. I'm willing to give Ben Affleck the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong in July 2015. Until such time however, I'm going to reserve judgement. It would be one thing if Warner Bros. had cast Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, or Bobcat Goldthwait in the role. That's not the case though. It's Ben Affleck. If anything I wish Warner Bros. would have taken it one step farther and made Affleck the director. When it's all said and done I think Affleck will be remembered more for his work behind the camera rather than in front of it.
Although I'm neutral on the casting, I actually am rooting for Affleck to do well. In fact I think the perfect revenge against all his Internet haters would be to go and give the performance of his life. Shut the fanboys* up and give them a great movie. I sincerely hope that's what happens. Then again in two years I may be eating a massive plate of crow. (Or should I say bat?) However, if I do, I'll also be the first to say the naysayers were right and I was wrong. Until then let's withhold the Batarangs to Ben Affleck's groin and see how this plays out.
*Fanboys who say they are going to boycott this film because of Affleck--I call bullshit. You guys have had a giant nerd boner since Warner Bros. revealed they were making a Batman/Superman movie at Comicon. So don't give me your righteous indignation you hypocrites.
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