This is not going to be a criticism of Ben Affleck´s casting as Batman, nor will it be a diatribe applauding everyone involved in the movie industry for how sagacious they are, and how stupid all the people who make them rich are (fanboys). Rather in this editorial I will discuss the positions of each side and try and come to some understanding between the two factions. Each side has made very reasonable points and neither side should feel ashamed for their passion for DC comics, Batman, or movies in general. We are the ones that keep the film industry alive, we have every right to our opinion. Its time we settle things and learn how to discuss comic books and their movies with a little dignity.
I have closely watched the debates on this domain about the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, and, I have seen the seismic shift toward support of Ben Affleck in this role, I have heard the arguments and broadly speaking I agree with many of them. However, what I find very unfortunate is that because a few fanatics, who are quite frankly insane have decided to do things like send death threats to a good man, a father and a budding talented director in the industry, in Ben Affleck, everyone now who isn´t a fan of Ben Affleck playing the role of Batman is being dragged in the mud as well. Treated like lunatics and silenced by some fanboys and the media alike.
I am quite frankly insulted on behalf of the passionate DC fans who have loved the product, bought the comics and supported DC´s cinematic universe, being so poorly portrayed by media people who quite frankly have no idea what they are talking about and try and pigeon hole every fan of comic movies as crazy loons who should find better things to do with their life than complain about a casting decision.
This has further encouraged (not all, but some) fanboys to support the media and continue a running critique of the characters of anyone who is not absolutely happy with how DC is developing their cinematic universe.
The hypocrisy of this position is glaring and ugly.
I want to make clear that I´m not saying everyone supportive of Ben´s casting is acting the same. Many of you are acting like grown-ups and attempting to engage in debate and defend your position without resulting to calling the other side, nerds who live in their grandmothers garage and have no life, or saying that you are ashamed to have people who don´t agree with your opinion as part of the comic book community. In fact most of you are willing to hear the other side´s view point when stated in a rational manner and argue your case passionately like any good comic book or movie fans should.
So lets go through this:
1. The Heath Ledger Analogy
This is an analogy that has come off the lips of pretty much every media pundit whose discussed the casting of Affleck.
So the argument goes that fans were up in arms about Heath Ledger playing the Joker, as they were about Keaton playing Batman. They were wrong then, so they are always wrong, therefore “Shut-up and know your place, you´re just spoilt comic nerds, who obviously know nothing about film.”
This same sentiment has been championed by most online commentators, and, Entertainment News Channels, such as AMC and MTV, covering the controversial casting of Ben Affleck. Anyone who doesn´t agree that Ben Affleck is a superb actor, who has made such an astounding comeback that he deserves to be given a chance as Batman over younger, newer, proven or more suitable talent, is simply insane. Loons, who sit in their grandmas darkened basement, online all day, sending petitions to the Whitehouse about the casting of Batman, and, sending death threats to actors they don´t like.
The message being you´re just a bunch of mindless, whining bitches who have no idea what they´re talking about, so [frick] you. This has lead to some comic book fans (not naming names) writing editorials and filling message boards with the same disparaging sentiments, fearing of being put in the same camp as these crazed individuals the media has used, so as to defend anything Hollywood does.
Now, I don´t want to go to much into this, but logically speaking, the analogy between Heath and Ben does not work. Nor does it apply with Keaton or anyone else the media has used. Simply put, as much hate as Heath got, he did not get anywhere near as much as Ben is getting. Why? Heath Ledger was a new actor, no-one really knew who he was. Perhaps there were some actors we thought could do a really good job and therefore Ledger was somewhat of a let down. But no-one was saying Heath Ledger is a bad actor. Added to that many fans have learnt from their mistake and are now much more welcoming of new comers taking on iconic roles. Hence most fans giving the respective casts of Thor, TDKR and MOS a chance. Ben Affleck is very different, he has been acting over twenty years in consistently bad and or similar roles. People are complaining about him in the role based on evidence presented us in his 30 year career, which many of us have not been impressed by. And I´m not just talking about Daredevil and Gigi (a film I haven´t even seen or heard of till this casting).
Yes his career has improved in the last few years, but many like myself do not believe to the degree that Ben is capable of playing anything but minor alterations on the same character. Namely himself. Matt Damon his close friend, and in my estimation the more accomplished Thespian of the two, defended Ben´s casting recently, claiming, Batman is an easy character to play, he is no King Leah. As far as I´m concerned, I would be upset at Ben Affleck playing King Leah as well. I am of the opinion that I don´t want Ben acting in anything I´m interested in seeing. Therefore, I don´t think from anything I have seen, including Argo and The Town, that he has anything on his C.V. that gives me confidence he can pull off this role.
Now, as you can see the above argument isn´t irrational, illogical, there are no petitions or death threats involved. It is a simple and clear argument, as to why many feel Ben is not right for the role. However, I have strayed. The point I was making is that fans who hold this opinion have good reason. Just like it is reasonable to use the history of superhero casting to defend Affleck as a choice for Batman, since we´ve seen many times, that unpopular casting that comes out of left field, can really work. It is surely just as reasonable to look at a mans career so as to form an opinion as to whether he is qualified for a job. As you can see, both sides are arguing using sound logic, so neither side should, as long as they keep things civil, be insulted and disparaged merely for having an opinion.
2. Just Give Him A Chance
Again this is something I hear the media result to. Saying fans are being over the top in expressing an opinion that is in anyway negative toward the product they are trying to sell us.
Again, both sides of this argument have valid points. One side is stating that the film has not even come out yet, how can you possibly judge his casting? We should wait for trailers, Pictures, and other media before forming any judgement. We weren´t there at the audition, how can we possibly know if he´s right for the role or not? Maybe he´ll be the best Batman on screen to date.
Of course, when it comes to the future, no one can know what´s going to happen. And, further more, surely Ben knows that if he messes up this movie he can kiss his acting and possibly even directing career goodbye.
These are all fair arguments being made on the side of: give him a chance. However, from the other side, we have an equally rational and valid set of arguments.
First off the last I checked Ben Affleck is not a struggling new-be who needs to be given a chance. Nor is he like a single mother on welfare trying to look after her kids, who just need a job. Why does he deserve my sympathy? For being in my estimation an alright actor, who I do not care to see play one of my favorite characters. I would feel the same if they cast him as Hamlet. I swear. Look, the last time I checked he has had more than enough chance to prove himself over the years and has been paid millions for doing so. He does not in my estimation in anyway need or deserve any chances from me. Most of us could only dream of being where he´s at in the world, I´m sorry to be cold about it, but there are people who I sympathize with a lot more in the world than some rich actor. You know people say “oh, but he´s a fan of the character, so I should give him a chance.” Why? This isn´t make a wish foundation. I´m not here to make Ben´s dreams come true. I want to enjoy a movie. That simple.
If by now film audiences don´t have confidence in him and don´t enjoy him as an actor, it is their right to say so.
Also it is not primarily Ben that we´re worried about, it is WB and the creative team behind this project.
No matter what you want to say about The Man Of Steel, whether you think it a masterpiece or just a plain bad and muddled movie, the fact is general audiences and critics were extremely polarized about it and you are living in a fantasy world if you think it performed well at the box office. Both The Amazing Spider-Man and Iron Man 3 beat it in the box office. The latter absolutely destroying it when it was just earlier this year the most anticipated film of the summer. People were willing to spend their money, but it failed because for one reason or other it did not connect with the main stream or inspire multiple viewings from hardcore comic book fans. It is in this light that Ben Afflecks casting is being questioned as well as this very rushed Superman Vs Batman movie. The fact that Snyder is at the helm and co-writing this movie, after Sucker Punch, is further reason that many are extremely concerned about the fate of this movie.
If Snyder had have knocked MOS out of the park, no one would be questioning his decisions, it is rather because clearly he didn´t that many rational people are scrutinizing his every move.
3.Its Just A Movie. It doesn´t Matter. Who Cares?
Apparently now, movies don´t mean anything. They are not important, they are trivial and no one should care about them. This is another defense being made by the media and further espoused by some so-called comic book and movie fans. The fact that the media has such a low opinion of their own product ought to be alarming enough, but that some fans defend this is really puzzling to me. I might be a dying bread but I´m still part of a party of people who still consider film-making an art form and not just a business.
As far as I knew, and the way I feel about films is that they are important. Some genres are especially important and I believe the comic and superhero genre with what its achieved recently should aspire to be such an art form. Watch Men, Sin City, Kick Ass, TDK and more have shown us the potential comic movies have to move people, to inspire people and to be art.
Added to that, even if you don´t feel the same way I do, the Superman Vs. Batman Movie should be extremely important to anyone who is a hardcore comic nerd, a Batman Fan, a Superman fan, or a DC fan. I myself was invested in the success of MOS, because it´s success, was pivotal to the continuation of the golden age of comic book movies. Surely many fans one day soon want to see their favorite characters like Flash or Wonder Woman or Aquaman even, depicted on the big screen. Or, even more cool to many, a Justice League movie. And, surely we want to know they will succeed and general audiences will have faith in the team behind them. This is why the Batman Vs Superman Movie is so important. It matters to comic fans because it spells doom or success for the future of the DCCU. We know how reluctant WB is to invest in anything outside Batman. They didn´t even have faith in their second biggest character Superman to carry his own sequel, how can we hope they have faith in lesser known characters?
Again it is issues like this, which make this much more than a movie to DC Fans, their childhood dreams of seeing a Justice League film or solo outings for their other favorite heroes rests on a team that from the outside seem like they´ve lost touch with what they are doing and are more concerned with catching up to marvel commercially than giving fans quality movies. The problem with this attitude is, by being so concerned with business, they are failing on both sides, they are not catching up with marvel commercially or making quality movies, when their best hope of achieving the former, is to do the latter.
This Batman Vs Superman Movie does matter, if WB does not succeed in making this a critical success with good word of mouth, the ripple affect could be simply devastating for DC comicbook movies in particular and CBM´s in general. If general audiences, who just care about seeing good movies, start to see the superhero genre as stale or having nothing new to say or just manipulating them so as to cash in, its finished. The dream is over. No Wondy, no Flash, even Superman and Justicce league movies are dead, probably for the rest of our life time. That makes me very nervous indeed. As everyone knows most people are going to go and watch this film, because its Batman and Superman and if DC doesn´t make it clear in this movie that there is much more to this universe, people who are unfamiliar with other DC properties may think this is the best and all DC have to offer, meaning the next film DC put out may likely fail, due to lost confidence in their product. It could turn the clock right back on DC superhero movies, and I don´t think any comic fan wants that. Then once Avengers gets boring, we´re done.
I´d like to finish with something hopeful.
It is clear that Ben Affleck is a talented man, whose career is on the up. I´ve decided I will give him a chance, because quite frankly death threats and petitions are taking it too far and the man doesn´t deserve that. Hopefully WB is seeing something I don´t see and has learnt from the failings of Man Of Steel, and just perhaps do have a plan that will allow me to see some of my most cherished characters finally make it to the silver screen. Hopefully they are no longer in the business of making empty promises and out of the casting of Ben, we´ll get not only a great actor who shocks the world, but someone who ´ll play a key role in directing duties as well, improving his craft and becoming an even more respected director. I´m certainly up for a Affleck helmed Justice League and I haven´t heard any objections to this as a possibility.
Affleck has my support and I hope he doesn´t squander it, because I´m a huge DC fan and Batman fan. These characters are important to me and I am proud of that. As such my voicing my opinion has never come out of malice but rather a deep passion for these characters. There is so much beauty in dc comics, and the mythology that surrounds it that I want shared with the world, I just hope that opportunity is not squandered.
As for the factions developing on this site, guys come on, seriously. Do we have to write editorials whose purpose is to insult the intelligence of someone who does not share the same view? Should we let these assholes in the media, treat us like fools, and, tell us to be ashamed of being comic and movie lovers? Should we let them dictate to us, who are the consumers who keep their industry alive, how much passion we should have as fans? Don´t let them make us ashamed of who we are. I´m a comic nerd and proud for I´m a better person for it.