WHAT WENT WRONG?: Ben Affleck's Batman

[Darth Knox]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpfd8x0Otrk" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">Sorry...</a>

[scifidude79]

I like Ben Affleck as Batman. He was definitely the best part of Batman v Superman. I know a lot of people didn't like the killing and stuff, but we were looking at an older and scarred Batman, and the Robin suit in the Batcave with the message from the Joker on it was a clear indication of the kind of scars he'd received. It's often said that Robin helps keep Batman slightly in the light. He certainly went more dark and brutal in the comics when Jason Todd died. Some people apparently forget that the Batman they know and love went to New York City with the expressed purpose of killing the Joker after he killed Jason. Ben's Batman brought a lot of that to the screen. I would love to have seen that Batman come to Justice League, but he did kind of lose his way. To be fair, Batman is always going to be the weakest in JL fights, as he is physically no match for anyone with super powers. But, he usually contributes with technology and what he can do with it, as was seen somewhat in Justice League.

Moving forward, I'd definitely like to see a younger actor step into the role. I think going back to Batman's noir roots and having a detective story sounds great. Batman's greatest weapon is his mind. It would be cool, given the age of Batman in 2016, if they went back to the late '90s with a film, maybe show him in his prime and hint at how he became the old, scarred Batman we saw on screen in BvS. I hope they don't rehash the origin story again. But, that's just my opinion.

[Darth Tepes]

For me it was very simple...I don't like Ben Affleck.  At all.

[Edon Bluewolf]

I just could never take Affleck seriously, and worse as Batman. Thought it was a terrible idea from the get go and knew it would end like this.

[Taegin Roan]

I loved Ben's Batman. I know enough about the character from the various stories that I've read/heard of that the darker, killer Batman didn't bother me. He really isn't that bad an actor, it is just the portrayal that he is given that is bad. In BvS he was amazing, JL, not so much, largely due to the fact that Whedon had to go and re-shoot everything. While I am sad that he seems to be out as the Batman, I wont let that keep me from enjoying the more detective version of Matt Reeves Batman (which is the side of Batman I'd prefer to see anyways). Also the one hope for those who do like Ben's Batman, he does technically have at least 1 more movie in his contract, and he has yet to say that he will not play the character ever again. As I see it, he will not be Batman in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but he could potentially come back for another movie (possibly Flashpoint) at which point he could finish out his arc, they could then reset the timeline so that the JL comes together earlier, a younger Batman, and the rest of the JL is still the same age. Wouldn't be that hard to do right with the right director/script. One thing I'd like to point out, Affleck's best acting was his action scenes. The scene at the beginning of BvS when he is running through the rubble scooping up children is some of his best acting that I have seen. The same goes for the rest of his movies. His best acting is when he's in action rather than standing around. This is not surprising seeing as that type of action is the easiest for an actor to do, but there are still a lot of actors who cannot do it well.

[Darth Knox]

Like many people I baulked at the casting of Affleck. However, my reasoning was I didn't believe he could be a convincing Bruce Wayne. I had no doubt he would do well in the suit as Batman.

He was definitely one of the better things in BvS, but as the video highlights, the changes in tone for Justice League made changes to the character not for the best (cracking jokes for instance) as well as having a muddled character arc. Neither of which were Affleck's fault, which is also highlighted in the video.

[Infinit01]

I think Ben Affleck's Batman is quite good and when he was first announced, I had my reservations since the last Superhero movie he was in wasn't the best but he proved me wrong. That warehouse scene in BvS is one of my favorite

[Darth Tepes]

See, this is where things get muddled.  For a lot of us it wasn't the characterization  as much as who was playing it.  A good actor struggling with a bad script is hard enough to watch...a bad actor with a bad script is just unwatchable.  It really was/is an odd thing.  Affleck has long been made fun of for his acting...even family guy made fun of it more than once.  But as soon as he was cast as Batman all of a sudden he became a Golden Boy.  

[scifidude79]

To be fair, Daredevil was another example of bad studio interference. The director wanted to tell a 2+ hour character piece while the studio wanted a shorter action film. They released the shorter action flick and told the director he could release his version of the film on DVD. Not surprisingly, the director's cut is immensely better. There's a whole sub plot that ties into the main plot and gives a much better picture and of who Matt Murdock is. Much like the Ultimate Edition of BvS, that's the version that should have been released in theaters.

[Darth Knox]

But as soon as he was cast as Batman all of a sudden he became a Golden Boy.  

I actually think he achieved the Golden Boy status through his directing Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo

[scifidude79]

He also didn't do such a bad job acting in Argo.

[Darth Tepes]

I actually think he achieved the Golden Boy status through his directing Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo

Directing maybe...   

He also didn't do such a bad job acting in Argo.

We'll agree to disagree

[scifidude79]

We'll agree to disagree

No problem. It's differences in opinion that make life great.

[Infinit01]

See, this is where things get muddled.  For a lot of us it wasn't the characterization  as much as who was playing it.  A good actor struggling with a bad script is hard enough to watch...a bad actor with a bad script is just unwatchable.  It really was/is an odd thing.  Affleck has long been made fun of for his acting...even family guy made fun of it more than once.  But as soon as he was cast as Batman all of a sudden he became a Golden Boy.  

To me, I give any character or actor/actress a chance unless they've proven that they're bad. Ben isn't bad in my opinion nor was he the best. He's somewhere in between as far as talent goes, being Batman and taking the role on especially after Christian Bale and still doing a pretty good job on it, has me moved him up the list.

[Darth Knox]

Directing maybe...   

Having Golden Boy status gives you a lot of cache in Hollywood, even if that status is for directing. I think everyone will agree that he's a far better director than he is a an actor. But his acting has definitely improved over the years. He's no longer awful. Plus, I think he's much better when he's in something where he doesn't have to take himself too seriously - like Dogma. (but that's a discussion for another time).

To me, I give any character or actor/actress a chance unless they've proven that they're bad. Ben isn't bad in my opinion nor was he the best. He's somewhere in between as far as talent goes, being Batman and taking the role on especially after Christian Bale and still doing a pretty good job on it, has me moved him up the list.

I think some people forget that there was a HUGE uproar when Michael Keaton was cast as Batman. This was pre-internet (yes kids, there was a time when the internet didn't exist) but WB received hundreds of thousands of letters complaining about the casting decision. This reaction boiled down to people not believing Keaton to be a very good dramatic actor as well as not being tall enough or having the physicality to pull of the character properly. I think we all know how that turned out.

Good actors will always be good despite a bad script. There are plenty of great actors who appear in bad movies with bad scripts, and yet they manage to give a good performance. Were there script problems with BvS? Yes. Was the script awful? No. Was Affleck awful? Opinions will always vary and differ, but personally I liked his take on both The Bat and Bruce Wayne.