The Batfleck Problem

To: the reader

Re: Batfleck

As many of you know, Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman opposite Henry Cavill in the "Man of Steel" sequel.

Personally, I am on the fence with this one.  I think Affleck would be capable of portraying Bruce Wayne with the necessary playboy charm with one arm tied behind his back.  And as long as he can keep his snarky smirk in check, I think he could be an admirable Batman.

However, two obstacles stand in his way:

1. Christian Bale

In my humble opinion, we have just been witness to the definitive portrayal of the character.  I remember crying when I saw "Batman Begins". As a fan, I felt like they had finally gotten the character right; the blend of aggression, determination which took decades to mold in the comic book, were accurately put onto the screen for the first time.

A large part of that was Christian Bale and the research and confidence with which he attacked the role.  He took Batman seriously and in doing so made the character his own.

And therein lies the problem: Batman (on-screen) belongs to Christian Bale.  For many, including myself, it will be tough to see anyone else to play Batman.    Especially someone who is difficult to take seriously, like Ben Affleck.

2. Ben Affleck

The other thing standing in Ben Affleck's way is Ben Affleck, himself.  "Sir, your reputation proceeds you."  And that reputation is tied tightly to films like "Daredevil", "Gigli", and all of the View Askew movies he's made.  

"Daredevil" had a lot of problems.  The story sucked and there were WAY too many inside references, but I would argue that Affleck was not one of those problems.  I felt he portrayed Matt Murdock fairly, but being the star of an otherwise bad movie means one must suffer the poor feedback upon themselves.  And that is what has happened.

"Gigli" was an unmitigated disaster which suffered in every way possible.

Then you have his work with Kevin Smith.  I don't know about you, but it always felt to me like it was all Affleck could do to keep himself from smiling.  And whenever he was playing a tough guy ("Mallrats", "Dogma") he always did it with a smirk which made him less intimidating, hindering his performance. It's that lack of serious portrayal that I think of whenever I picture Ben Affleck.

But all if these are older sources.  Affleck has stepped back from the limelight.  No longer is he half of "Benifer" (well, he kinda is, but it's with Jen Garner instead of Jennifer Lopez).  It has been along time since he has made a blockbuster.  He's a father now.  And, he has directed.

In my opinion, that's the key: he has been to the other side of the camera.  He gets what it takes to get an accurate performance out of an actor, something I'm hoping he can do with himself.

Will Ben Affleck put up the new "defining portrayal" of Batman?  I doubt it.  Will he put on an accurate, competent portrayal of the character?  I think he certainly could.

We will find out soon enough.

With love,

The Genious