Ben Affleck is one of the most underrated superstars in the film industry, and he’s only getting better. Now that he is directing, along with still staring in movies, I just can’t get enough of him. The Town, Gone Baby Gone, and Argo are not only some of my favorite movies to watch, but some of the best movies out there. I also might be one of the only people that are actually excited about Ben being the next Bruce Wayne/Batman. People just need to realize that, of course, him playing Batman “is just not going to be the same.” If people never attempted a new version of a movie, we would still be stuck with Batman and Robin “climbing” up the side of the building with a rope. Everything in today’s age is growing more rapidly every day. It’s only been 2 years since The Dark Knight Rises was released. There was a longer gap between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises than it will between that and the new Batman/Superman film. People are already giving it hell for starting out fresh again, that they aren’t even willing to give it a chance. They are going to enter the movie theatres already carrying the axe to chop the film down when they exit the theatre. Everyone is judging the new Batman as if Affleck didn’t learn anything from Daredevil and he’s going to be the same person. IT WAS 11 YEARS AGO!!!! People need to learn to forgive and forget. The new Ben Affleck is excellent in both his acting and his directing and there isn’t a better example of that than Argo.
Argo is based during the true story of the American Embassy in Iran being taken over and everybody inside taken hostage for 444 days in 1980. The story actually follows the 6 Americans that flee the embassy in time and are hiding out in the Canadian Embassy wondering how they are going to get out alive. Ben Affleck portrays the CIA member that leads an escape plan out of Iran while the entire Iranian military is searching for the missing 6 Americans. With Ben both starring and directing the film, he doesn’t just tell the story, he makes you the main character. The way he brings out the actual fear that these Americans were going through will have you holding your breath from the first minute until the last. At about 2 hours long, the movie generates the greatest exhale of relief in the history of movie endings. I’ve never watched a movie before that had almost zero physical action scenes and still had you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Bringing in multiple awards in the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Argo is well worth the watch.
The movie is fun at times with John Goodman and Alan Arkin in supporting roles, and very, very daring also. The way Affleck sets the mood during the final stages of the escape plan is incredible. There are times when the music will build up the scene, and the way Affleck times the silence will test how long you can hold your breath. [SPOILER] If anyone knows the story behind it, you know that the job was successful and along with the actors, you feel the mass amount of joy as the plane takes off and they are finally free. And you can’t help but smile at the sight of John Goodman and Alan Arkin hugging and jumping around with joy at the good news. Ben Affleck is the real deal in the director’s chair and Argo is complete proof of that.
Theatre4Thought 