I like Batman. Of course I do. Any comic book/superhero fan worth his or her salt likes Batman. But I’m not a super-fan of the character by any stretch of the imagination.
That being said, there are plenty of those around. One of them is my good friend Paul James (@DrPaji – give him a follow), who owns every bit of Batman merchandise it’s possible to own, has an awesome Bat-themed tattoo sprawled across his chest and even has a character named after him in the Batman mythos (Dr. Del Paji, who first appeared in Batman: Year Zero in December of 2013), after he won a competition run by Scott Synder on Twitter.
I had an in-depth discussion with Paul about his thoughts on Ben Affleck’s Batman, following the release of the final trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice just last week, and we both agree that he looks amazing. So, with some serious input from my good buddy (credit where it’s due!), here are ten things about Ben Affleck’s Batman that we think look awesome.
The Movement
From the trailers – particularly the most recent/final one, in which the Dark Knight takes out a group of thugs – for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we can see that the way this Batman moves is like nothing we’ve ever seen in live action before – and it looks fantastic.
The people behind DC’s animated productions have that movement nailed, and it finally looks as though the people behind a live action Batman movie have got it nailed as well.
Batman looks fast, precise and acrobatic – which is a definite and positive move away from the street-brawler we previously saw in the Nolanverse movies.
The Look
Finally, a live action movie has absolutely nailed the iconic Batman look. He looks like he’s been ripped straight from the pages of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Rises.
Ben Affleck has beefed up accordingly, giving us an appropriately muscular Batman for pretty much the first time – and the costume design folks have done a perfect job as well. We now have a comic book-looking cowl with full movement – which is awesome! No more “I can only look forward” or Patrick Bateman “give me a helmet” nonsense.
Not all of the previous live action movie Batmen have looked bad, but this is undoubtedly the first one to look practically perfect. Looks aren’t everything, but they’re definitely a damn good start.
Sexy Bruce Wayne
On a somewhat related note to that last point, it’s nice to see you, to see you nice, Bruce! This version of Bruce Wayne looks absolutely great! He’s every bit the sexy playboy billionaire that the character should be.
The haters jumped straight on the anti-Ben Affleck bandwagon in much the same way they did with Michael Keaton back in the late 1980s – and they were as wrong to do so now as they were back then.
From what we’ve seen in trailers and screenshots to date, he’s got everything from the pained and troubled reality of Bruce to the fake public persona. And boy does he look good! This could genuinely and essentially be the completely perfect live action Batman.
The Voice
Batman sounds great in this movie, going by what we’ve heard so far. His voice has been absolutely nailed by the people behind it. It’s fantastic that they’ve taken a leaf out of the book of CW’s Arrow, and used voice modulation when he’s wearing his Batsuit.
He sounds far more intimidating than any movie Batman who came before him – and it makes it so much easier to understand why people who know Bruce Wayne don’t recognise him when he talks to them as Batman. Let’s be honest – Christian Bale’s Bat-voice, for example, should have fooled absolutely nobody.
It makes so much more sense to do it this way – well, at least it makes far more sense than smoking sixty a day just to ask the immortal question, “WHERE’S THE TRIGGER?”
Guns
Yes! GUNS! The prospect of Batman using guns in a movie is an exciting one. Why? Well simply because it’s such a controversial decision that will add some spice to proceedings, divide opinion, and quieten a lot of speculators.
There are, of course, multiple possibilities for guns in this movie; rubber bullets could be one of them, for example.
And if you’re one of those people who says, “Batman doesn’t use guns”, then you had better check your Bat-history. He has used them multiple times – not least in an attempt to kill Darkseid in Final Crisis. “But that was Darkseid and he’s a god!” we hear you say! Superman IS perceived as a god in this movie. Argument over. It will be awesome seeing a more ruthless Dark Knight – it’s as simple as that.
The Batmobile
Chicks dig the car – and so do we! Any collector of replica Batmobiles should jump at the chance to add this one to their collection, as it’s absolutely awesome.
A Batmobile hasn’t looked this good on film since Anton Furst’s classic smooth curves and wing-shaped fins in 1989’s Tim Burton Batman movie – which is arguably most people’s favorite version of the car.
It doesn’t just look great either. Its hybrid engine allows for speeds of up to 205mph, it has fully-armoured anti-ballistics, and it has stealth. Yes, actual STEALTH! Plus, there’s a twin-mounted, retractable .50 caliber machine gun, all built by Batman from “stolen” Wayne technology, which shows he’s a genius engineer, as well as a crime-fighting badass. It’s also huge – we’re talking tank-sized here. Awesome.
Alfred
While Alfred Pennyworth obviously isn’t the man himself, he’s an absolutely integral part of the person Bruce Wayne has become – and Jeremy Irons appears to have nailed that snarky persona that every Batman fan loves him to have.
Alfred is essentially Bruce’s surrogate father and he’s one of the only things that keeps his feet on the ground – and one of the only people who dares to talk down to him. Irons has that down to a fine art, going by what we’ve seen so far.
Irons could be the best Alfred yet – and, given that both Michael Gough and Michael Caine were fantastic in the role previously, that would be no mean feat. Plus, HE’S REMOTE FLYING THE DAMN BATPLANE!
The Batplane
Speaking of the Batplane, here we are. When Batman’s not out on foot doing what he does best, he might need to get from A to B quickly, and, as the crow flies (not as the bat flies, because they’re pretty damn manic in their flying patterns!), he needs a plane. The Batplane.
This one looks like an awesome cross between a stealth bomber, the Batmobile, and a UFO, with the hovering capabilities of a harrier jump jet and remote piloting direct from the Batcave. It will be awesome to see it in mid-air combat with Superman, or colliding with Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet.
The Batplane opens up endless future possibilities for the franchise. Might we see the Algerian Sunni Muslim Bilal Asselah, aka Le Batman of Paris, the Night Runner, or any other member of Batman Incorporated? It’s undoubtedly an exciting prospect.
The Batcave
Like so many other aspects of this version of Batman, his Batcave just might be the best live action adaptation to date – it really does look absolutely awesome and very different to anything seen before in a Batman movie.
It’s effectively the home of the Dark Knight himself and is therefore extremely important to any Batman franchise; it’s a laboratory, a workshop, a garage, and a base of operations. And this version really does seem to have it all.
The inclusion of the waterfall in particular is a very cool addition, as is the tribute to a fallen former sidekick. Now we just have to hope and pray for a giant playing card, a giant penny, and a Tyrannosaurus rex!
His Age
Arguably, the single most exciting – and different – thing about Ben Affleck’s Batman is that he’s already going to be an aging and established superhero in his first appearance.
What this means is that audiences will be getting something new. We’ll all be spared the now well-known and overdone origin story and we’ll get to see Batman in action from the get-go.
Moreover, this will be a Batman with experience – a Batman Gotham City and its people already know and a Batman who has the issues that any human being has with a body that isn’t quite what it used to be. Frankly, it will just be extremely refreshing to see a Batman who isn’t a novice.
What do you think? Will Ben Affleck’s Batman be awesome? What do you think looks good/bad about him? Have your say below!
