Read Ashley's review of Joker.
Director Todd Phillips “Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fracturedsociety. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
Joker is in theaters on October 4th, 2019.
Joaquin Phoenix stars in the first origin film of the Joker, Batman’s arch nemesis.
Arthur Fleck is a failed comedian who’s trying to support his mom and survive in Gotham. Accepting his mental illness and that other people don’t understand, he he tries to make others laugh and only gets bullied for it.
Joaquin gives an amazing performance, I would be shocked if he didn’t win an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. This movie is very different from other comic book films. There’s no CGI, there’s no “big bad” guy, and it is very - very dark. Taking on mental illness and the effects that bullying has on people, it dives a bit deeper and has a very serious tone. It shows how a villain is made and what society’s impact can have on a person.
The movie is getting a lot of backlash for the violence, and I’m not really sure why. I felt like Heath Ledgers joker was WAY worse. The killings and violence in this movie were not overly gratuitous, everything that happened was for a reason and to show how Arthur became Joker. Another thing I’m hearing is people were upset he was made to be a “Hero”. I’m not sure what movie these people were watching but at no point during this film, did I feel, that he was a hero. He’s very clearly a villain and I saw no grey area there. If people think other people become evil for no reason - that’s simply not true. Something happens to you in your life that will effect who you become, and that’s what they were showing in this film.
One thing that bothered me was the set. It looked like New York City when it’s pretty clear that Gotham is more like Chicago. Maybe a small detail for some, it felt a little less real to me even though Gotham is a fictional place. I’m not sure why they went that way? I wish I knew.
I think you should see the movie for yourself and form your own opinion on it. It’s a slower tone than what you’re probably used to for this genre. I managed to make it through this whole time without watching one single trailer and I was surprised by how different it was.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Ashley K. (Contributing Editor) is a frequent traveler currently living in San Diego. She's a super nerd who enjoys all kinds of movies and doesn't always think the book was better. Click Here to check out Ashley K's Articles.