The Internet has been buzzing with the energy of thousands of gnashing nerd teeth since the announcement of Ben Affleck as the next Batman. Affleck, who, if you remember, starred in such well-received films as Good Will Hunting, Argo and The Town, also gave us movies such as Gigli and Daredevil. Rotten Tomatoes, one of the more reliable movie resources on the Internet, shows us that he has a low score of 6% and a top score of 97%, so you can see why it has all sorts of fanboy underpants in a twist.
Adam West, who played batman in the campy-fun live action Batman on TV, gave Ben a little light-hearted advice: Remember Ben, with the cape and cowl comes great responsibility (and lots of heat), Bring Deodorant. Val Kilmer asked people to “Give Ben a chance,” which seems to be a sane stand, though not exactly from one of the more memorable of Batman performances.
Still, Mr. Affleck has won two Oscars (though, admittedly, not for acting) and has been at the acting thing for a while, so the gravity of the role must have some effect on his preparation. Also bear in mind that Heath Ledger wasn’t exactly well-received when he was announced to be playing the Joker all those years ago, and he absolutely owned the movie, so maybe give the new Batman the benefit of the doubt.
Then again, Gigli.