The reviews for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice are in, and they’re not kind. Although destined for box-office glory no matter what the critics think, the Zack Snyder-directed superhero epic, pitting DC’s two best-known characters against each other, currently has a lowly 30 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (where it is dismissed as “a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action”) and an underwhelming score of 44 on Metacritic. One imagines that Ben Affleck, who dons the cape and cowl to portray the Caped Crusader in the $250 million film, must be feeling pretty bummed out by the news. If there’s a bright side lurking within this dreary story, it has been discovered by Jezebel’s Bobby Finger, who has wittily paired unkind critical quotes with photos of Affleck looking sad and reflective during his Batman V Superman publicity tour. Perhaps, even while attending the movie’s gala premiere, the actor was already anticipating the critical bile to come.
Misery is known to love company, as demonstrated in this photo of Affleck commiserating with co-star Henry Cavill. Neither man looks like he truly wants to be there, and their somber clothing would be very appropriate for a funeral.
Does a visit to The Tonight Show lift Affleck’s spirits? Gaze upon this photograph and decide. Not only does Affleck seem exhausted here, even his famous stubble seems fatigued.
Interestingly, Affleck and Cavill had the opportunity to address the negative reviews in the most diplomatic way possible in a recent press junket interview. Cavill took the lead here, while Affleck affected a thousand-yard stare and withdrew into his own, very private hiding place to contemplate the larger philosophical ramifications of the Batman V Superman reviews. As the video below shows, Affleck was physically present for the interview, but his mind was somewhere else entirely: