Fanboys Anonymous

Back off, Batfleck detractors. Ol' Ben has got some news for ya all. Despite all the clamor online about his inability to effectively portray the biggest comic book hero there is, he's gonna do just fine, thank you very much. When it was first announced the actor/director would be taking on the iconic role of the Caped Crusader, there was much hullabaloo on the Internet.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck has finally responded to this backlash. I like that he has a sense of humor about the whole thing, saying, "every time I do a role, it's the responsibility of an actor to get their physical self as close to the role as possible. And Batman's obviously got a set of expectations that are tough. So I spent a lot of time working out. And it's a far cry from Gone Girl where my character is described as 'puffy and hungover.' I want you to know I worked equally hard at both!"

That's funny. Perhaps therein lies my issue with his casting. Affleck seems like a cool dude, likable and fun. However, director Zack Snyder has stated many times this Batman is older, tired, and been battling crime for decades. Okay, then why cast someone who looks like an Abercrombie and Fitch model? Yes, I know, makeup and all that. Ben will be "acting," but he's not a good actor. Sorry, this is not the same as the backlash from Keaton being cast for the role back in the day, because Keaton was always respected for his acting ability. The same is true with Heath Ledger playing Joker. People scoffed, but I knew Ledger would be good. He'd been nominated for an Oscar already at that point.

Affleck is becoming a good director, maybe even a great one. He's also a solid writer, but actor? Never in his life has he proven to me he can be anything other than mediocre. So I'm calling it right now that this backlash is way different than what has come before with these types of roles. Thus far, Affleck has not proven himself as an actor. I hope he's good. I want the movie to be awesome, I really do, but the logic in choosing him is questionable. Why would they choose someone who is a weak actor and doesn't look like they envisioned this Batman to be? If they wanted a virile, tall, strong-looking Bats in a more lighthearted approach to the character, sure, go with Affleck. He can do comedy okay. This is the absolute opposite of that.

Batfleck went on to say, "Before I took the role, Warner Bros. gave me a bunch of past reactions to casting and said, 'Are you sure you want to get into this? This is part and parcel of these movies now. There's a lot of active fans with a lot of opinions.' To me, having been through a certain amount of that, it doesn't really … Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I wouldn't have taken the part if I didn't trust my instincts in terms of the filmmaking"

I hope he steps up his game and proves me and many other detractors wrong. Will he? Is Ben Affleck the right man for the job or will he crash and burn like in Daredevil?