As we reach the release of The Batman, due for release next week, I come to the end
of my videos on the previous iterations of the character, with one on Zack Snyder's Batman. Ben
Affleck’s older version of Bruce Wayne was notably different from previous live-action
iterations of the character when he debuted in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. This new
take became divisive, with some praising the actor's stoic performance and his display in
intense fight choreography, while others critiqued Snyder for changing major elements of the
character, and most notably, his attitude toward killing. But his portrayal was one that also had
comic accurate characteristics, whether that be in design or based on his character's
progression as one that ended up being developed into the character we all know and love. It is
of course a mixture of perspective and also knowledge when it comes to this character,
but as you might have seen in some of my older videos on Snyder's films, I quite liked the
differing interpretation here. I'm going to discussing this character's journey and why I
think by the time the Snyder Cut came around that I liked Affleck's Batman through the character's
deconstruction and ultimately, reconstruction. This video essay continues my Road
to The Batman series, where I've created content on the previous adaptations and plan to do
a Matt Reeves's filmography video later this week. But if you want to keep up to date on
any of my content surrounding The Batman releasing next week, then don't forget to
support this video by giving it a like rating, subscribing to the channel and turning on your
notifications. Also, feel free to check me out on twitter, facebook, reddit and instagram
at cortex videos, which is all linked in the description below. But without further a do,
lets dive into my video essay on Zack Snyder's Batman and
how the director reconstructed the character.
So Zack Snyder was aiming for something very touching about Batman in his two films,
which consisted of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and the Snyder Cut of Justice League. By
starting him off as a weary and fatigued 20-year veteran who has already lost his family twice,
Snyder got to have something of an arc for the caped crusader to once again go from
vengeful loner to a level-headed team leader. To begin, the character and Affleck's performance in
Batman V Superman is dynamic and sorrowful, an iteration of Batman we’ve rarely seen
on the big screen, and one that is a big contrast to the takes before. That quality
alone made this version of Batman interesting in script form, but Ben was able to bring this with
a little rather than his own movie first. And don't get me wrong I would love to see
that Affleck film that many have been calling for. But that wouldn't capture these unique qualities
that kicked off the character in BvS. Ben was able to bring his version of the character
to life using his voice, posture and eyes, communicating a deep-rooted pain, trauma and
exhaustion. One that was weary of the years spent trying to do good for Gotham City only
to face continued trouble and continued descent into the chaos that surrounds him. Other films
and versions had used this as a talking point, a visual cue or theme but this take went fully
into that, all while fitting within Snyder's vision of deconstructing these prominent
heros. In the film, Affleck’s iteration is older, more grizzled, and haunted by
the things he's seen, portraying a Bruce that is kind of fed up with trying to play nice, mainly
culminating after the arrival of Superman and the destruction of Metropolis. Now,
I will say that there are some pretty essential aspects to this iconic character, that, when you
start to mess with them, you begin to lose what makes that character that person in the first
place. But then, I personally thought this film did a great job communicating the
mindset of this older Bruce and why he becomes the grizzled take we saw. It's also one,
that as I will get into, is fully constructed again by the Snyder Cut, giving us a journey of
Batman fully finding who he is again by the end.
Indeed, one of the more controversial aspects I'm alluding too is the killing in BvS, alongside his
way of physically branding criminals. While these were disturbing acts, Affleck’s
take on the character leads you to believe that yes, this particular Batman probably would resort
to extreme violence at this moment. He’s a tired Batman. Tired of fighting, tired of
constantly falling back. The exhaustion further finds it's way into Affleck’s performance as
Bruce, in which he’s barely even trying to put on the "playboy billionaire" that we've
seen plenty of before. That’s not to say he’s justified or that his actions are right,
thery're not and that's part of the realistic edge that Snyder brings to these characters and this
world. And it certainly makes sense within the story that Snyder had started in Man Of Steel,
one that involved Superman having to kill Zod in the threat that he wouldn't stop causing
bloodshed after the death of his people. He had to commit that act. But what this also did was act
as a great starting point for the character of Bruce Wayne in this particular story.
We meet him at one of the lowest points in his life and career, and he has absolutely
no patience for the troubled put on the city and the issue of Superman, especially in the wake of
the tremendous loss suffered as a result of Superman’s fight. The character has room to grow
and be refined, and while that growth does indeed move into a climactic moment in which
the two characters bond over the shared name of their mothers, it’s growth nonetheless.
And an emotional one. The idea was to continue to explore this character through at least
three additional films — two Justice League movies and a standalone Batman movie. But the
troubled shoot of Justice League coupled with his own personal struggles led Ben Affleck to
walk away from the role. But before we saw the end of the actor, we did get the Snyder
Cut of Justice League one that was able to give a somewhat reconstruction of the Batman we know,
and one that stressed on something that the Whedon cut of the film didn't focus on.
And this is that Batman is a family man. In nearly every single one of Bruce Wayne’s big-screen
iterations, the Dark Knight is presented as a lone wolf fighting a one-man crusade
against crime. It’s the popular way of looking at him, but there are other ways you can focus
on giving us a quintessential Batman. Zack Snyder’s Justice League showed us that Batman
has accepted the healing power of teamwork, assembling a crew to fight against Darkseid.
It feels like a breath of fresh air, despite the fact that this is actually really common for
the comic book iteration of Batman. Whether it be Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon,
Tim Drake, or many more, he's always been a man of Bat family and alliance. And this is
something that the Snyder cut does so well when reconstructing his character and giving him
a whole new family. With a Bruce Wayne who is more open to others, it gives us a glimpse
into a Batman that doesn’t exist to casual moviegoers but is in fact the true Batman
who lives on the page. Batman was somebody who lost a family, and spent the rest of his life
building a new one. Even if the Snyder Cut doesn’t have Nightwing or the characters mentioned before,
it has a Batman you can envision leading them. Bruce embraces his fellow team
members with an openness you can imagine applied to the rest. It has a family-focused Bruce,
and not just one who mourns the death of his parents. He's reconstructed into a Batman
trying to keep and save his newly formed family, following Batman V Superman, which connects
the grief and loss of his past families. That shows how that can effect a man and while the
Snyder Cut gives us the re-formation of him as his journey continues.
Because the 2017 theatrical cut significantly reduced the roles of characters like Cyborg,
Flash, and Aquaman, Batman was made into much more of a lead protagonist. But with the full
arcs for those supporting heroes restored in the Snyder Cut, Bruce Wayne’s journey is more
about the Justice League itself than Batman as a solo hero. And therefore, his job in the
narrative is to assemble the team and form a family he once lost. By restoring the character’s
seriousness, the Snyder Cut also restores momentum to the overall story, making Batman a
true leader and a much more compelling character along the way. Everything he does is meant to
prepare the other heroes, heroes he believes can be better than he ever was, to conquer
the coming obstacles. As he climbs his way out of the power plant following the final battle,
being raised to his feet by Henry Cavill's Superman, it's almost a climbing out of the
darkness and the well that he once fell down. He now understands that the greatest power he
can give, is the ability to equip and prepare everyone else to do what’s necessary. It’s a
simple yet powerful arc for a character who usually takes the front, and it makes the Snyder
Cut as a film as good as it was. Of course, there were some moments I was mixed on like
the Knightmare scene with Joker and the warehouse killings following the fight with Superman in BVS,
but I still think there are arguments to be made for the message of the Knightmare
scene and also how awesome the fight coreography was in that warehouse fight.
It was a compelling Batman, and mainly a journey that he went through.
Maybe we'll never see that journey continue but we had some great moments
and primarily, we got a character that became a version of Batman that we can identify with.
But that was my video discussing Zack Snyder's Batman and why I believe the character was
sucessfully deconstructed and then reconstructed into the Batman we know. Obviously if there
were more Snyder film's we'd be able to see this go even further and see the full journey of Ben
Affleck's Batman. It really depends on this new Discovery merger with Warner Bros, but
then again, Affleck doesn't want to return to the role following the personal issues he was
facing during 2017. I guess there's always the chance, but I'm one of the fans who actually
supports both Affleck's version and the upcoming Pattinson take on Batman. The Batman 2022
is quite honestly my most anticipated film of this year and everything we've seen just looks
great from a filmmaking and character perspective. But I also loved Affleck's DCEU version
and we will still be able to see him in this role once again come the release of The Flash.
But I really admired how Snyder was able to apply his style on this Batman and really deconstruct
the character before giving us the version we saw in his Justice League cut. It was
satisfying by the end to see this character become the leader and man of family that he
ultimately is and it only just get's me excited for the future. Batman is the perfect character
because he can be explored and reinterpreted in different ways and we've seen that happen
over the many decades. Hopefully, we will get another iconic perfromance from Pattinson's
version, one that brings unique aspects of Batman to the big screen and deals with the character in
a way that fans are happy with. Only time will tell, but as I said, I'm personally
really excited. But let me know down below in the comments section what you think towards
Ben Affleck's Batman, and did you like Snyder taake on reconstructing the character over
two films. My final video
in this Road to The Batman series is a video essay on Matt Reeves filmography.
This will be releasing later this week alongside lots of videos on the 2022 Batman film
come March the 4th. To stay up to date with all of this content, then subscribe to the channel
and turn on your notifications. Also if you enjoyed this video remember to leave a like
rating and follow me on social media via the links in the description.
But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.