Ben Affleck Is The New Batman? Are You Kidding Me?

At the San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the sequel for Man of Steel would feature Batman. Just the thought of a Batman vs Superman movie had fans, including myself, jumping for joy. The big question that followed this epic announcement would be who will play the infamous Dark Knight. Some people thought Christian Bale would return, but unfortunately he turned it down. Well after a few of weeks of speculation, Warner Brothers feels that they have finally found their man to play one of DC Comics’ biggest superheroes.

Ben Affleck

Hold on. Wait a second. Ben Affleck is Batman? Tell me this is a joke. Unfortunately, this is no joke. Ben Affleck is Batman. What’s next? Is Matt Damon going to play Robin?

The internet is buzzing after this blockbuster announcement, but the reaction from fans is rather mixed with more people responding in the negative direction. Where do I stand on this? Well, I have to agree with some of the haters out there who are outraged by this decision. Personally, I have to say that Affleck as Batman doesn’t seem to fit with me. I just can’t imagine him as Batman. To me it would look like Ben Affleck in a Batsuit. To this day I’m still trying to forget his disastrous performance as a certain Marvel superhero known as Daredevil. However, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since I think he might make a good Bruce Wayne, but we all know that being a billionaire is only half of the total role. You have to do more than just look good in a suit or a tux to play The Caped Crusader.

Now I’m not going to say that Affleck is a terrible actor, however he’s not a great actor either. I mean he’s a little “one-dimensional”, but has shown some range in films he’s personally directed including The Town and Argo. With him playing Batman, I have that bad feeling that the “one-dimensional” Affleck will return and phone it in. Then again maybe he won’t. I will say that Affleck will not go down as the worst choice ever to play Batman. That honor has to go to the “Anatomically Correct” Bat played by George Clooney. Surely Joel Schumacher would have to take most of the blame for the disaster that is Batman and Robin, but seriously bat nipples, a cock piece, and a Batman credit card with no credit limit. I rest my case.

While I’ll agree with the idea that either Karl Urban, or maybe a relatively unknown actor, would’ve been a better choice to play the legendary superhero, I’m going to give Ben Affleck a chance to prove me and the throngs of haters wrong. It’s not this is the first time we’ve hated a particular choice to play a certain role. Remember the hateful response when we learned that Heath Ledger was chosen to play The Joker in The Dark Knight? What happened? Ledger delivered a masterful performance that was an enormous step above what Jack Nicholson brought to the big screen back in 1989. Can Ben Affleck rise to that level? I don’t know, but he’s going to have to. The pressure is solely on him. If he fails, the future for the planned Justice League movies could also go up in smoke. However, if I’m wrong, I’ll be one of the first to praise him.

Man of Steel: A Glorious Return For Superman!

After the success of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy it was only fitting to see the return of Superman to the big screen. While Brian Singer’s attempt at bringing back the Christopher Reeve version of the “Man of Steel” in Superman Returns fell just short of a colossal failure, Nolan felt that going the route of a reboot was necessary. He brought on Zack Snyder, of 300 fame, as the director and David S. Goyer to write the script. The end result was a film for the ages and a glorious return of Superman.

At first I was a little skeptical that the film would succeed. The only theories I had to back this up were the last three Superman movies. Then as Man of Steel started I was whisked away once again to Krypton, and that’s where the nostalgia kicked in. Seeing Russell Crowe taking on the legendary role of Superman’s father Jor-El was special, and seeing him fight General Zod to defend his son felt like a Gladiator moment. Michael Shannon, whom I enjoyed seeing in Boardwalk Empire and The Iceman, really took the role of General Zod to new heights. I enjoyed seeing the conflict between these two characters just as much as when the roles were filled by the legendary Marlon Brando and Terence Stamp respectively in the original movie.

While the supporting cast was brilliant, the big question centered around Superman himself. Henry Cavill had some big shoes to fill. The shadow of Christopher Reeve loomed too large for Brandon Routh to succeed in the role in Superman Returns. Cavill however had a clean slate, although there was still plenty of pressure that came with donning the suit and cape. Cavill nailed it! He was fantastic as he brought a new perspective to the character. I could feel his conflict about keeping his secret along with wanting to come out and tell the world that he’s Superman. Also his relationship with Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams (excellent casting by the way), was handled much better. I’m perfectly alright with Lane knowing that Clark Kent is Superman. It just feels more real, and also makes for some great storytelling.

So what did I enjoy about Man of Steel? Well for one thing they made Superman feel more like Superman. No more holding back just how powerful “The Last Son of Krypton” really is. Seeing Superman learn to fly and eventually break the sound barrier was awesome. He even threw punches showing how strong he was. Heat vision was badass. However, the best part was his end battle with General Zod. Absolutely fantastic! As for the supporting cast, Lois Lane was empowering. Seeing her now have to keep Superman’s secret makes for a complete role reversal. The relationship with Clark Kent’s parents felt more central to the core story via flashbacks bringing more emotion that what was sorely lacking in the original movie. Let me also add that Antje Traue was outstanding, and literally stole the show as Sub-Commander Faora.

Man of Steel is a solid reboot for the Superman franchise. It’s a well done origin story along with superb acting by the cast. With Nolan producing and Snyder at the helm the future is looking really good. However, the big question would have to be who will Superman battle next? I’d love to see Lex Luthor who can become the arch nemesis like The Joker was in The Dark Knight. Then again I can also see characters including Braniac who’s presence is quite demanded by fans on the big screen as well as Doomsday to bring in a “Death of Superman” type of film. No matter what happens expectations from fans like myself will be at an all-time high, but I’m sure the team can deliver. For now I’m just happy to see Superman back where he belongs once again.

Now Playing: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD

As a child I learned the hard way that I would never become a professional skateboarder. That was alright with me considering the fact that I can escape all the bumps, bruises, and the occasional broken bone or two. While I wasn’t able to skate in the real world, I was able to do it in the virtual world with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series on the Playstation, Playstation 2, and Dreamcast. These games allowed me to do anything along with breaking a few in game body parts which was a lot of fun. Now they’re back once again.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is back! Better yet it’s all in glorious HD! Activision and Robomodo revived the classic formula and gave fans like myself a collection of the best levels from the first two games in the series. DLC will soon be on the way in the next month and will feature the best of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (with reverts). Hopefully will see some more DLC beyond that with levels from THPS 4.

When I first fired up the game I went right to the infamous Warehouse level and the nostalgia in me hit an all time high. Immediately I rode down the ramp, jumped over the pipe, smashed through the glass, and then landed flat on my ass. That sucked! After that I picked up my broken body, jumped on the board and went at it again and scored a nice combo. Once I completed my first run, I started to get used to the controls and then started to plan out a strategy to complete the objectives. Scoring a set number of points, spelling out S-K-A-T-E, and locating the hidden DVD. This is just a small sampling of the many things I can accomplish, and now they give me a map of their locations. I like this!

I also liked the music selection. Jamming to songs like “Superman” from Goldfinger, “Bring The Noise” from Public Enemy and Anthrax, and “When Worlds Collide” from Powerman 5000 while skating through levels was a blast. Half the soundtrack is back along with the addition of some brand new tracks that all seem to fit right in with the action. I did enjoy “We The People” from Lateef The Truthspeaker and “USA” from Middle Class Rut.

Multiplayer is handled pretty well with some fun game modes. I really enjoyed the Big Head matches where my character’s head would grow to ultra enormous size and explode in confetti unless I performed tricks.I got a lot of laughs out of it watching giant headed characters performing tricks just to stay alive. I also enjoyed the score attack mode which brought in some good competition online. What pissed me off was the lack of local split screen action. C’mon guys the original game had it making it fun with friends on the couch with a few beers.

While it’s not a perfect game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD brought back plenty of memories of the past even if it’s missing some of the original skaters and split screen multiplayer. Add on to fact that there’s hours and hours of addicting gameplay once you get used to the controls making the game a must buy for old school Tony Hawk fans along with anyone looking for a fun game to play.

Developer: Activision, Robomodo
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Players: 1-4 (Online Multiplayer)
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00)