(photo courtesy of slashfilm.com)
Joker is a
somewhat menacing examination of the descent into madness but nothing else.
There is a lot of maniacal laughter or cackling but no meaningful additions
about the Joker ethos. There is nothing particularly memorable here in terms of
quotes or perspectives. I left only with memory of the laughter and a
predictable tale of urban alienation that leads to an explosive reaction in
society. The attempt to cover the Joker
in blood and to tie him with the batman is especially pathetic and throws off
an important timeline in the comic books. There is no reconciliation or
expansion of the character’s significance despite the sense of loss and attention
seeking; nothing memorable about his role
as the prince of crime in Gotham city. They paint a portrait of a
pathetic individual who suffers from mental illness who decides to wear a clown
mask as a form of reprisal of the perceived wrongs of society and that’s about
it. There is a realistic edge to the portrayal but this bogs the film down and
it meanders as we, the audience, look for something meaningful to attach to it.
The film is not particularly impressive but there were moments which suggest what
this film could have been. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight is still the standard.
The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, an aspiring
standup comedian with a medical condition- the pseudo bulbar affect (PBA). He
eventually battles through madness and becomes known as the notorious Joker. It
is a tale of urban alienation reinforced by Arthur’s interaction with several
characters that deepen his sense of loss and inadequacy. Robert De Niro puts in
a memorable turn as veteran comedian Murray Franklin along with Zazie Beetz as
Sophie Drummond. Arthur’s mother, played by Frances Conroy, also plays a
crucial role in the film.
Positives
The primary positive is the realistic approach used to
developing the character of the Joker. I never knew of the particular condition
that affected Arthur, pseudo bulbar affect (PBA), and that was a real eye
opener. The next time one watches the joker in action this will always be at
the back of their mind. Before we never fathomed that the Joker’s constant
maniacal laughter could be possibly linked to a particular condition. The film
also establishes that the Joker is mentally ill and this becomes clear in some
of the best moments where he develops an obsession with Sophie. His
delusional episodes are a clear indicator why he should be locked up in Arkham
asylum despite his savagery. His PBA condition and mental illness can be
universally applied going forward because after this film most will accept the
fundamentals of joker’s psychosis. This is an alienated man who is denied any
form of reconciliation and his response is typically violent. This element of
urban alienation, or alienation in general,
can be applied to the current mass shooting phenomenon in the USA. The
clown element is one way to stand out on Arthur’s part but the main issues is
whether or not it is a fundamental problem.
There is this yearning to be accepted by any means necessary
and there is the concern that the more negative trends and the complete
disregard for society is very attractive. In the film we hear that the wider
problem is the rich and the Joker becomes a typical anti-hero or
anti-establishment figure challenging societal norms embodied in characters
such as Thomas Wayne and the comedian Murray Franklin. It makes you wonder how
many jokers lie in wait throughout the world and just need that spark to erupt
in wholesale disorder. I guess this is why we have the Batman alternative.
Negatives
The primary negative is that the character of the Joker does
not come to fruition in this film. There is a descent into madness and an
examination of how affecting alienation can be but nothing transcendent. This
is half a film because a film about the Joker shouldn’t just be an examination
of madness or PBA but about crime in the city of Gotham. Joker is renowned for
his role as the clown prince of crime but this is not present here. He is
presented as just a typical sociopath, or psychopath if you prefer, but not the
true clown prince of crime. There is actually no real discussion of a crime
problem just the hatred for the rich and a violent clown that expresses that
hatred. The standard portrayal of the
Joker in film was done by Heath Ledger in The
Dark Knight and it was made very clear what he represented in society, an
agent of chaos. This is not evident in the current Joker where we only get an insight into madness. There are no
memorable quotes to take from this film, just cackling. There is no indication
in this film that the joker could actually be a major crime figure. This was
very disappointing because the film meanders a lot with many monotonous or
unnecessary scenes that drag out the discussion of madness. Although the Joker
has to deal with a lot of social issues it is clear that one motivating factor had
to be his involvement in the crime underworld, which is mostly absent; no
dealings with the mob /organized crime. The character of the Joker without
crime is not an effective character.
My last gripe with this film is the absurd connection with
the Batman. Some may argue that it was a good thing but I thought it was absurd
because it never established the joker as a crime mastermind. His limited form
of social upheaval was not the motivating factor for the introduction of the
batman. It is a good thing this film will not be a major cultural phenomenon
because this would flip the script of the Batman origins. Many will not accept
the connections established between the joker and a young Bruce Wayne. It came
across as shallow and actually limited the development of the joker’s character
independent of the batman. The film lost me at this point because it was more
important to discuss the development of the joker independently of the batman.
No connection should be established between these 2 absolutes apart from what
they represent to society. It was absurd
and completely unnecessary and robbed the film of its impetus. It was probably
an indicator that they really did not have much to say about the joker as a
character apart from him being typically mad and alienated. I was actually
looking forward to a post credit-scene where the Joker and the Batman actually
meet. Nothing doing, just songs about
smiling. Lame. Are they really saying that when the joker first meets the
batman he is actually an old man? The timeline for this film is way off.
Actually trying to make the Joker the reason for the emergence of the Batman is
even worse going forward and sets up some hackneyed revenge scenario.
All in all, I was very disappointed. They got too bogged
down in the reality of it all. I want to see the origins of the real prince of
crime, not this charlatan played by Phoenix.
Heath Ledger’s Joker remains the standard and he never had this much
screen time. Next time the filmmakers must learn to make each second count and
write a better, more kinetic script. This is the Joker we’re talking about, not
some average Joe.
