Lets acknowledge the Elefleck in the room: it was sunshine, rainbows and Skittles raining from the skies when the Dawn of Justice broke, that is until Ben Affleck was handed the cape and cowl. Cue a tsunami of social media sneering that was unprecedented in its malice and viral viciousness. Some bad will towards Affleck is understandable; a decade ago he was starring in movies Adam Sandler wouldnt touch, but hes moved on from Gigli and Jersey Girl to bring us the likes of The Town and Argo, completely transforming his career. Inside a decade, hes gone from Hollywood outcast to multi-talented, universally acclaimed filmmaker with the town at his feet. And he chose to star in a sequel to the underwhelming Man of Steel. Why? Well for one thing, its Batman, and you dont walk away from the Batcave unless you actually are Batman and youve just bested the League of Shadows in The Dark Knight Rises. But could it be because he sat down with the WB bigwigs and found a compelling, original proposition that he thought could be pretty damn great? Handsome, suave and philanthropic, Affleck practically is Bruce Wayne in real life, and hes got the jaw and physicality to do Batman proud. Perhaps more importantly, he has the creative nous to help shepherd this film to higher ground.