Batman, right? He's a mean, moody guy. No obvious emotions. Gruff voice, could do with a lozenge. He is, indeed, vengeance, if the debut trailer to the forthcoming movie The Batman is to be believed. Nirvana, eh? They sure were a band.
The man behind the mask for The Batman is Robert Pattinson. The actor - who's previously appeared in films like The Lighthouse, High Life, Maps to the Stars and the Twilight series - is the latest in a long list of people who've played DC's Caped Crusader. He follows in the footsteps - quiet, creepy footsteps, footsteps so silent as to catch any crook off guard - of some big names indeed, like Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Adam West and Christian Bale.
But Pattinson isn't mean, moody and gruff all the time. I mean, the man likes a laugh. And a cry, as it turns out. Nintendo Life reports (via Gamespot Universe, where he was being asked about Tenet) that Pattinson has even shed tears at... a video game. C'mon, man, that is not very Batman, is it.
Advert
As you can see for yourself in the clip below at 3.05 - or here, on YouTube - Pattinson remarks that his favourite game of all time is Final Fantasy VII (we assume he means the OG 1997 PlayStation RPG, rather than 2020's Remake). And he adds that one of the game's most memorable moments is one of the only times he's ever cried at something on a screen.
"Mine is, I think, one of a lot of people's favourite games, Final Fantasy VII. Probably one of the only times I've cried in my life is when Aeris dies."
Rob, mate. Aerith. It's Aerith. But sure, okay, we'll forgive your use of the English-language name from 1997, since you're obviously referring to that game, specifically. Now, many of us will remember why Pattinson would have been upset at the fate of Aerith, but for those who don't and have maybe only ever played the Remake, a big spoiler follows in the very next paragraph.
She dies. Stabbed by Sephiroth with the Masamune blade, she collapses in Cloud's arms in a Forgotten City temple, and her spirit returns to the Lifestream. That's yet to come in Remake, which we reviewed here, but Aerith/Aeris's death in the original Final Fantasy VII was something many a player was taken aback by - and no doubt plenty of them shed a tear or two at seeing such an integral character in the game (to that point) so swiftly and mercilessly slain.
Advert
I mean, it's enough to shake any superhero...
Gamespot asked the same "what's your favourite video game" question to Pattinson's co-star in Tenet, Elizabeth Debicki, who replied: "I don't play video games, but when I was a kid, the only time I came close to being consumed by a game was Harry Potter. On my computer. Obsessed, like, summer holidays just vanished. But that was a long time ago."
Does that count? We'll allow it. Tenet is in cinemas now, The Batman is set for release in October 2021, and Final Fantasy VII - the original version, albeit with a few quality of life fixes - can be downloaded on just about every digital storefront under the sun. Here's the start of the Switch version, if you want to swim in some nostalgia for 11 minutes...
Featured Image Credit: DC Films, Warner Bros / Square EnixTopics: Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy