Kevin Smith Says He's Still Trying to Love 'Batman v Superman,' But That Ben Affleck Is Better Than Michael Keaton
Kevin Smith at this summerâs Comic-Con (Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AMC)
Kevin Smith has a long, storied history with the Man of Steel, dating back to his years working on Tim Burtonâs ill-fated film version that was supposed to star Nicolas Cage. (For that projectâs collapse, check out Jon Schneppâs documentary The Death of âSuperman Livesâ: What Happened?). It was little surprise that he had plenty of opinions about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, especially since his good friend Ben Affleck (star of his Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jersey Girl) was playing the Dark Knight. And at New York Comic Con on Friday, the writer, director, and host of AMCâs Comic Book Men continued to expound on the polarizing superhero face-off.
When the film first came out, Smith stated that, while he loved Affleckâs more brutal incarnation of Batman, he felt the overall result was a movie that âdidnât really have a heart. It was certainly fâing humorless â there was nothing funny going on in that world, whatsoever. But it had lots of spectacle⊠But you need more than just the pictures â you need characterization. And these characters seemed off-character.â
Upon subsequently revisiting the film, Smith expressed more positive thoughts about Zack Snyderâs blockbuster. And Friday at his Comic-Con panel for Comic Book Men, he again remarked upon BvS â revealing, most notably, that heâs endlessly rewatching the film in a desperate attempt to make himself love it. As Comicbook.com reports, Smith confessed:
âIâve watched Batman versus Superman extended edition 25 times since I got it, my wife has said âYouâve watched this sâ 25 times, you know what happens⊠fâing Martha.â And I just say, âI know, Iâm just going to keep watching it until I love itââŠ.So, yes, I do hope that we get a better version of Batman versus Superman, you know, like maybe the version in my head.â
Smith also continued to praise Affleckâs performance at the expense of other Batmans: âI mean it used to be Michael Keaton, and fâ, Mr. Mom doesnât hit too hard. But Ben comes in and blows up 12 people just coming in the door.â He also reminded the audience that â no matter what side of the Marvel-DC divide theyâre on â this is a golden age of comic book movies, and fans should be thankful they exist in such abundance. To read a full run-down of Smithâs Comic Con panel thoughts, head over to Comicbook.com.
Watch Smith share a sweet moment with his daughter:
