On Ben Affleck. (And some of his preceding Bat-men)
If you plan to start reading this, finish it. This is not for the light readers and casual onlookers. Know that now.
For a very steady twenty-four hours I have received a stream of private messages and posts on my wall all asking the same thing. Here’s the honest answer that we all must accept from everyone: we’ll have to wait and see.
I’ve been an actor for over a dozen years, and a writer and director for the latter half of that time. I am a consummate film fanatic and compulsively detailed observer of the craft. Let me tell you something that for some reason is forgotten by so many. The script, direction and editing of a film will make it or break it and is responsible for ninety percent of your experience. Yet somehow the actors get blamed so often for a film being bad simply because they’re the face you see and therefore with whom you associate your experience. Have you ever noticed how when an actor was “amazing” in something, generally (not always) it’s also a good movie? And when they’re “terrible”, generally (not always) it’s a bad movie? Let this sink in.
Everything before this point in this article is fact. Everything from here on out is opinion, and strictly so. You will not agree with everything I say. I am sorry if I offendyou. I will use my opinions of these following examples to emphasize and support the above facts.
Let’s take for example George Clooney. Before we recall his time as the caped crusader, let’s reflect on his career as an actor. He’s good. I personally think he’s very good. If one were to imagine a world where the film “Batman and Robin” never existed, and were then asked to cast an actor as an older Batman/Bruce Wayne, there is no doubt in my mind one would consider George for the part. Acting chops and marketability aside look at him for Pete’s sake. He looks like Bruce Wayne head to toe. Now let’s put him in a film with an absolutely mind numbingly horrible script and an appallingly gaudy and tacky art direction, and you have Batnipples McGee verses the blue Terminator. Was it George’s fault? No. Is he blamed daily for the last sixteen years? Yes.
Christian Bale’s performance as a flat, emotionless, two dimensional Bruce Wayne with an airy screaming whisper when cowled is easily masked by the fact that Christopher Nolan is an extraordinarily technically proficient writer and director. The man knows how to craft a film, this cannot be denied. I’m in the camp of those who thought “The Dark Knight Rises” wasn't very good, however it’s two predecessors were. “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are well scripted, well directed, well edited pieces of work that made a ton of money and people the world over love. They love this film SO much in fact that they don’t even realize how mediocre, borderline terrible Christian Bale is as Batman.
What’s my point? Most of how Mr. Affleck does depends on the story and the filmmakers abilities to tell it. Had he been the age he is now in 1997 and filled the black boots in “Batman and Robin”, we’d think he’s terrible. Flip the coin and cast him in “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”, we might find him irreplaceable.
On a separate line of thinking: My favorite live action Batman has always been Michael Keaton. I personally think he played the character the best by far, and many people will agree with this sentiment. However (and most of you are too young to remember this) when it was announced that this short, lean, not traditionally handsome comedic actor (who started out doing standup) was going to play the Dark Knight people lost their freaking minds. They were later quite mistaken. Now we have a tall, physically fit, handsome dramatic actor with a very versatile resume cast in the role. Do you really think he doesn’t deserve a chance to shut us all up?
I joined the masses in an anarchist uproar six years ago when I learned the Australian kid from “Ten Things I Hate About You” was going to be playing the Joker. What in heaven’s name were they thinking? This was preposterous. One year later I sat in a dark, crowded movie theatre swallowing my words. He was brilliant.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, Ben Affleck has been cast as Bruce Wayne, and as I’ve said before, we’ll just have to wait and see.
