By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Robert Pattinson has been spotted wearing socks that aren’t your everyday vanilla type. The actor and musician was spotted wearing bright orange socks with black stripes on May 9th in London, England. This prompted a frenzy of speculation regarding his upcoming projects, ranging from a possible lead role in the highly-anticipated “The Batman” movie to an acting career revival following a five-year hiatus.
While it’s always fun to speculate about what may or may not be going on behind the scenes of a Hollywood movie, it’s important to keep in mind that all publicity is not necessarily good publicity. One unfortunate side effect of all the attention that Robert Pattinson has been receiving is that his privacy has been thoroughly violated. As the paparazzi continue to invade his privacy, it’s imperative that fans and others keep in mind that this is a person’s career that they have a right to protect, and that this is a sensitive area that deserves privacy.
Privacy Is Paramount
The right to privacy is an important one, and it’s been infringed upon many times in the past due to over-exposure. In today’s world, privacy is more important than ever before. Thanks to the evolving “Internet of things”, our “personal data” is readily available to the public, and this can have grave ramifications both professionally and privately. We need to ensure that our privacy is respected and protected at all times, especially when we’re dealing with potentially sensitive information.
Unfortunately, the entertainment industry treats its subjects very badly anyway, so it’s no wonder that there’s so much interest in what Robert Pattinson is doing. When celebrities go through a period of relative obscurity, the spotlight inevitably shifts to their next project, no matter what it is. This is something that we as a society need to put a stop to. The entertainment industry needs to realize that their “15 minutes of fame” can’t be measured in “YouTube views” or “GMA views”, but rather in the long term health of the celebrity themselves. When celebrities are constantly in the public spotlight, surrounded by cameras and reporters, it inevitably leads to premature aging and mental deterioration. We need to ensure that our “golden years” are filled with peace and happiness, and not tainted by overexposure to the media spotlight.
The Batman Is Back!
While the world was distracted by “Fifty Shades of Grey” and its avalanche of sexually-suggestive merchandise, “The Batman” was arriving in theaters, setting box office records and garnering rave reviews. Based on the comics of the same name, “The Batman” is the caped crusader’s 75-year anniversary and a comeback tour that is definitely worth waiting for. A dark and gritty take on the caped crusader characteristic, the film is an adaptation of one of the most iconic and beloved comic book storylines of all time, featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Robert Pattinson, Ben Affleck, Gary Oldman, and Jamie Foxx.
With a production budget of around $65 million, and a massive marketing campaign preceding it, it would be reasonable to expect that “The Batman” would break even at the box office. As it turns out, the film was a massive success, and arguably the biggest hit of 2018 thus far. It’s currently sitting at over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an impressive 100% score on the “User Rated” part of the website. While the reviews were generally extremely favorable, there were a few who were skeptical, criticizing the film for lacking in originality, and for being too faithful to its source material.
There are certainly elements of “The Batman” that could be considered problematic. For example, the film is a tad long, clocking in at over three hours, and contains a massive amount of exposition and “talking head” scenes. This is definitely a cinematic interpretation of the Caped Crusader, and it wouldn’t be the first time that something like this has been done – for example, 1966’s “Batman” and 1978’s “The Dark Knight” are both considered “epics” not just in film, but also in comic book form. What’s more is that the film doesn’t really offer any new ideas, and is somewhat reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight Rises”, in terms of story and character.
While it’s great to have a big-budget Hollywood production with A-list stars, we need to remember that these projects still need to make profit, and the studios will often go to extreme lengths to do so. When these productions are mega-hits, like “The Batman”, the studios will try to re-crack the formula, and that usually means cutting corners and compromising quality. This is why it’s important to take critical analysis of these kinds of projects with a grain of salt. As long as people are talking about “The Batman” and wanting to see it, the studios will undoubtedly be content.
Batman Socks And Other Things
While most people are probably more concerned with the upcoming film, there are plenty of other things that Robert Pattinson is doing that deserve attention. For starters, he seems to have made a concerted effort to become less of a hermit, and more open to the public, as evidenced by his May 9th outing in London. It would be an understatement to say that he’s been very private since his split from singer “Kylie Jenner”, but perhaps the most interesting development is the fact that he’s been seen wearing socks in the shape of a bat. This prompts the question: Is he a closet “Batman” fan, and is he trying to send a secret message to the world, or is it just a coincidence?
Of course, the most interesting aspect of this is that it seems to be a deliberate choice on Robert Pattinson’s behalf to dress in a manner that is reminiscent of Batman. It’s important to keep in mind here that this is a person who has been extremely private over the past several years, so this may very well be a case of “coming out of the closet” as a deliberate effort to send a message to the world. This could have important ramifications for his personal life and career, particularly as many people are curious regarding his romantic status. He’s been linked to many A-list celebrities over the years, including singer “Katie Price”, model “Chyna”, and of course, the aforementioned “Kylie Jenner”. While it is undoubtedly tempting to assume that all these connections are based on Hollywood’s usual “celebrity sex tape” scandal, the truth is somewhat more interesting: many of these couples have kept a very discreet lifestyle, rarely being photographed together or in public. It would appear that Robert Pattinson is trying to emulate this discreet lifestyle, and by doing so, become a more relatable and approachable figure to the world. Who knows? Maybe this is all a part of a bigger plan to reinvent himself as an actor, and not just a singer. Who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see.