Sam Raimi is interested in directing a future ‘Batman’ movie
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Hear Me Out: Ben Affleck is the worst Batman of all time
The sheer critical and commercial success of Matt Reeves’ vision of Batman surprised even the most ardent fan of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, with the gothic new take throwing shade over the Dark Knight films of the 2000s. Whilst Nolan’s films remain great action movies, the recent release of The Batman reveals just how far off they were from being ‘Batman’ movies, seeming like something of a caped imposter with the benefit of hindsight.
Where Nolan retreated from the world of Gotham, Reeves embraced Batman’s iconic city and made it a key aspect of the film itself, with the grimy city streets being explored with an unprecedented amount of depth and insight. Street goons antagonise civilians on the subway, crooks steal from corner shops and the shadows of the city brim with the fear of the unknown, it may be an overused cliche but Gotham truly feels like the main character of Matt Reeves’ vision.
If Reeves’ latest vision can challenge Nolan’s take, then it’s fair to say that it totally overpowers the work of Zack Snyder and his dull conception of the character, making the work of Ben Affleck out to be the worst of the entire Batman legacy.
Appearing in two DC superhero movies so far, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League (not including his uncredited role in 2016s Suicide Squad) Affleck has consistently failed to invigorate his character with any kind of energy or personality. Indeed, without the dense history of the character to support him, Affleck’s Batman would simply be considered a middling middle-aged character in a poor franchise.
Taking on the role of the caped crusader with as much enthusiasm as a reluctant father in cosplay, Affleck brings nothing to the iconic character aside from an impossibly bassy voice that was surely created with a budget speech adaptor. It certainly doesn’t help that both Batman movies he’s taken part in have failed to earn their place in the cinematic canon of the character, with both washed-out tales telling nonsensical stories that move from A to B with lousy predictability.
Whilst Affleck is undoubtedly poor in the role, there’s certainly a case to be made for the likes of Adam West, Val Kilmer and George Clooney to be considered the worst actors ever don the cape of grey-scale vengeance, but at least their performances carry some ounce of personality. Where West thrived on the early Batman TV that reveled in its theatricality, Kilmer similarly made the most of Joel Schumacher’s camp vision, somehow grounding the character in a film that embraced melodramatic fantasy.
Clooney’s stone-faced depiction of the character in the notorious 1997 movie Batman & Robin certainly comes the closest to challenging Affleck for the wooden spoon, but even the widely-panned ‘90s movie carries more personality in its preposterous candy-coloured dreamworld than in Snyder’s Gotham that has been doused in dishwater. For Schumacher’s peculiar 1997 vision, Clooney is the perfect conduit for the comic-book one-liners and late 20th century cheese. One would sooner see the actor take on the character once more in all his vibrant hilarity than experience Affleck groan his way through one more cinematic calamity.
Perfectly striking the tone of joyous melodrama and genuine sincerity in Reeves’ most recent Batman outing, actor Robert Pattinson has exposed the substandard quality of Affleck’s performance, with the two characters simultaneously vying for supremacy in the role. Becoming a version of the character that has long evaded the cinema screen, Pattinson is certainly winning the industry battle, all whilst Affleck pursues a poor imitation of the caped crusader, born from Snyder’s own uninspired mind.
