I Say Give "Batfleck" A Chance
Who Else Has Ben Been?
Poor Ben Affleck. Seems people out there in the world really, really don't
want to see him play Batman. The amount of hate being spewed towards him is
over the line of ridiculousness. But whether you love him or hate him, chances
are that you know who he is (otherwise why would you feel one way or the
other?). You've seen him as Shannon Hamilton in Mallrats. That one guy in Good
Will Hunting. The astronaut that shouted "HARRY! I LOVE YOU!" to
Bruce Willis' character while crying in the movie Armageddon. The fallen angel
Bartleby in Dogma. Matt Damon's best friend. He directed and starred in both
The Town and Argo, both of which were nominated for (and which Argo won)
multiple awards. He was the bomb in Phantoms, I'm told. The list goes on.
Chances are that you've seen him in at least one of these roles. Granted
they're not ALL that diverse, but I tell you, it takes skill for him to do what
he does. It's why actors act and we non-actors don't...or at least don't get
paid for it.
The Rumored Choices, and the Horrified Reactions To the Truth
Not too long before Ben Affleck was announced to be playing Batman in the
sequel to the 2013 blockbuster Man of Steel, there were several rumors flying
around as to who they were looking at to play the caped crusader. Word had it
that they were looking for someone older, possibly in their 40's, to portray
Bruce Wayne. This Batman would be battle-hardened and wise from years of doing
what he does best, and would see this meta-powered alien, Superman, as some
dangerous kid who had no idea what he was really doing or trying to do. Some of
the rumored choices for the part were Josh Brolin, Wes Bentley, and even Jon
Hamm from Madmen. Ben Affleck was not even on that list as far as I know, and I
wasn't liking the choices that I was hearing about. Then, out of nowhere, a man
I hadn't even considered for the role was announced and that was that.
Interestingly enough, although I never felt too strongly one way or the other
about Affleck's career, I felt excited for him, like they had found the right
person. But as soon as I mentioned his casting to some people who hadn't heard
the news yet, I got a very different reaction indeed...
Instead of at least being happy that they found someone who was young
enough but still had the acting chops to pull off being old enough to play the
Batman the studio was looking for, the internet exploded with furious fanboy
hate, and hate for Ben Affleck just in general. The level of fear of Ben
Affleck playing Batman seemed to have caused some to go completely off the deep
end, as there were reports of death threats. I'm just going to say that again
more plainly and see if it sinks in with everyone: People were so upset about
this, they actually sent death threats. Tragic what some people will do, isn't
it? There are even other actors twittering about this and using other forms of
social media to express their displeasure at Ben Affleck playing Batman, as
though their opinion will sway us into thinking anything they want. There is
also currently a petition going around to have Affleck removed from the role,
and to those people who started this petition and to those who have signed it,
I say this: Stop being jealous. It's very unbecoming. Where does all this hate
come from? Let's take a look at what seems to be the most talked about reason
The Man Without Fear
When I asked people what reason they could possibly have for hating Ben
Affleck, the most overwhelming response I got was this: "Daredevil."
What was so terrible about this movie? Being a huge Marvel Comics fan, I'm
fully aware that it wasn't 100% accurate to the source material, but what comic
book movie is? For the role he was given and the script he had to follow, I
dare say he did quite a good job as Daredevil. But I am in the minority there.
Why is it that no one can forgive Ben Affleck's performance as Daredevil (and I
honestly don't see what there is to forgive in the first place) in a movie that
wasn't so well-received? Does anyone remember that Chris Evans played the Human
Torch in two not-so-well-received Fantastic Four movies, and yet still went on
to be loved as Captain America? I'm not seeing a massive difference in the two
situations, except that personally, I didn't care for Chris Evans as the Human
Torch, yet I think he's perfect for Captain America, whereas I thought Affleck
did a decent job as Daredevil, and I think he'll do a much better job at
playing Batman. If anything, perhaps it's the horrible spin-off film Elektra
being associated with Daredevil that makes people hate it even more. Just some
food for thought.
"Batfleck" Begins
So whether you like it or not, Ben Affleck will be playing the role of
Bruce Wayne/Batman in Man of Steel 2. What you can take away from this article
is that most actors play at least one role in their lives that's not so great,
but they can be forgiven and go on to great success. How many of you thought
Heath Ledger would utterly fail as the Joker? I will admit that I thought there
was no way he was right for that role, and that all the hype for The Dark
Knight after his death was just sensationalist media hype, but when I actually
saw the movie, I was blown away by how awesome he was. What I'm saying is that
even though you may not think Ben Affleck is right for the part, the people
involved in making the film obviously saw something special in him that they
knew would make him right for the part. If they can look past his previous
(so-called) mistakes, then can't you? Let's take a vote. I vote right now that
we give Batfleck a chance, in an "Innocent until proven guilty" sort
of way. How about you? Will YOU at least give "Batfleck" a chance?
All this talk of Batman is making me want to go out and fight crime. If
you're looking to dress up like Batman, Superman, or any costumed hero or
villain for Halloween (or any occasion), we have plenty of Batman costumes, we
have plenty of Superman costumes, and we even have Supergirl costumes, Batgirl
costumes, Catwoman costumes, and Krypto costumes (if your dog is into that sort
of thing). Follow the links below to feel the awesome power of just some of our
selections.
He was brilliant in Argo. I think he'll make a fine Batman.
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