Ben Affleck as Batman

Remember when Christian Bale was announced to play Batman in the reboot? Some of you are saying that you knew all along he would be great at it. We as humans want to believe we are right about everything. I have heard those same protestations come from my friends who I accurately remember having a conversation with some eight years ago about how he would be terrible at it. Obviously at the time we forgot about him as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Up until that point the best actor to portray Batman was Michael Keaton. The main comment was that Bale wouldn’t compare to Keaton or that Heath Ledger’s Joker wouldn’t be as awesome as Jack Nicholson’s. We tend to also forget that before Keaton donned the mask there was an outcry about how he was the wrong choice for the Caped Crusader. Previously, he had only done schitcky comedies like Gung Ho and Mr. Mom. We, as the audience, were pleasantly surprised back in 1989 like we were later by Bale and Ledger. Why is this any different than Ben Affleck? When I heard about Affleck as the new Batman, I had joined the crowds of nerds on the internet damning the choice. He is not that great of an actor. He has proven that he rules behind the camera instead of in front of it. I’m not saying he’s bad. He can read lines and portray a few emotions, but playing Batman/ Bruce Wayne is tricky. An actor has to balance the two. Val Kilmer was a good Batman, but lacked as Bruce Wayne. George Clooney made a passable Bruce Wayne, but made a shitty Batman. The role doesn’t require talent like Daniel Day Lewis, but hopefully, you can see what I mean. Before we set up picket lines in front of the local movie theaters, let’s give the guy a chance. He has given great performances in the past: Hollywoodland and Chasing Amy come to mind. He made a descent Daredevil too. The fact that it was lackluster was no fault of his. Like Keaton and Bale before him, he could surprise us. Christian Bale is still fresh in our minds and it feels like we are going for a lesser Dark Knight regardless of who is playing him. On opening night, we will trudge to the cinemas thinking he would ruin the film. We will pay the extra money to watch it in 3D in the hopes we have something to be pissed off about latter. Secretly, we want it to be good. We want to second guess our own judgment. We want to be able to say that we knew he was right for it all along despite our internet history saying otherwise. That is the real reason we will head for the theater in droves that day. We will collectively make it #1 at the box office that weekend because we want to be astonished and amazed. My gut tells me that we will end up with a Dark Knight with a thick Boston accent and mannerisms more appropriate with Kevin Smith movies instead of the superhero genre. However I will go see it with an open mind and try to remove my reservations before I don those 3D glasses. Prove me wrong Affleck! Prove me wrong!