Written by Shiggins
Comic book movies have come far, haven't they? We've had great ones, awful ones, epic ones, funny ones, romantic ones, scary ones, stupid ones. We're even meant to be getting a horror movie about the New Mutants one day. However, I don't think we've ever had an Oscarbait one before now, so already Joker was turning a few heads and waggling some eyebrows before it was even released. Is there more to the film however that could possibly make DC reach the great heights it has missed since 2012, or is it just a desperate plea from yet another filmmaker to gain some recognition from Mr and Mrs Oscar?
Note: Minor spoilers ahead.
Joker comes to us from director Todd Philips (The Hangover trilogy, Due Date), about a man named Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) who is suffering from quite a few mental illnesses and other problems, most notable of which is known as the pseudobulbar affect, in which he ends up laughing hysterically at inappropriate times against his wishes. Things are rough in Gotham City, 1981, and so Arthur is constantly finding himself starting to snap, and he's slowly edging towards becoming DC's greatest villain and mass murderer... The Joker!
During this film's development, Martin Scorsese himself was brought on to be a producer, and it's very clear why. To call Joker inspired by Taxi Driver is like saying the Playmobil Movie was inspired by the Lego Movie. From the aesthetic of a dreary city, to the dark and suffocating atmosphere, to the multiple shots of our protagonist staring into mirrors for over 50% of the film... This IS a Martin Scorsese film, and it carries a lot of his traits. To be fair though, it does pull that off quite well and Gotham definitely comes across as a dead city full of pained people, miserable in their environment and with what life has given them, with the only exceptions fittingly brought out whenever we see where the rich elites reside, such as the exterior of Wayne Manor. Gotham feels like a character of it's own, and we feel for it as we watch Gotham start to madden alongside our protagonist, Arthur.
Everyone else has said it, and I have to say it too because it's the truth and I'd never lie to you; Joaquin Phoenix is utterly amazing as Arthur in this film. Probably the best performance I've seen this year. He owns every single second of Joker, filling it with tension throughout. Sometimes he's on-edge, shaking from what he's about to do or see. Other times, he's scared or upset because of everything he has to take on. And by the end of the film, when he's fully embraced being the Joker, he's hamming it up perfectly. I won't spoil what the scenes were, but there were moments in the second half when I whispered to myself "By God, that's it. That's the Joker." For me however, the best example of Phoenix's acting in Joker is when he can't stop himself laughing. The picture of Arthur laughing his ass off, howling away like a psychopath, while his eyes are drenched in worry and on the verge of tears, begging his mouth to stop, wishing he could explain why he's laughing... It's haunting. And it's brilliant.
I should point out that the mental health issues presented in this film, such as Arthur's pseudobulbar affect, is used with the right amount of respect and restraint. They exaggerate it to fit the film's style obviously, but it isn't as ludicrous as say, 2016's Split, and there is a clear understanding of how to present it without using it as an excuse for Arthur's more disturbing actions.
Unfortunately, the story is a mixed bag. Arthur's development is well-handled and heads to where we've all been expecting, but it does feel somewhat rushed at times. The "breaking point" for Arthur comes a lot earlier than I felt it should have, and his immediate embrace towards his new life is somewhat jarring when compared to what we'd seen of Arthur previously. I'm almost certain a scene or two were cut that could have really helped with selling this transition.
It has to be said that Arthur might be the luckiest and unluckiest character I've ever seen. Scenes like when he gets bullied or beaten by strangers in Gotham is fair enough because we know Gotham is such a scummy city that it's full of monsters around practically every corner, but there's times when fate seems to drive Arthur for him. For example, there's a scene where he needs to get inside a building without being seen, but it's got police surrounding it. As soon as he arrives there, the police get distracted by something, he sneaks in with no problem, and the room he enters to get what he needs is cleared out for the scene itself. And that might seem like a nitpick, but Arthur's luck really is consistently convenient for him when it's needed to be by the script.
Zazie Beetz is probably the biggest victim of the story, since she really feels like a pointless add-on, rather than an integral part to Arthur's story. Yes, I know what she means and what she represents and all that, but it still needs to make sense and be important to the plot as well. Characters can't be pure symbolism, they need to add to the story as well. Honestly, they should have made her this film's version of Harley Quinn somehow. Imagine how great she'd be at that!
Every performance is great, again with Phoenix stealing the show, and Robert De Niro does well as the questionable talk show host Murray Franklin. The screenplay itself is very strong, dialogue never seeming too cheesy or forced, even as it makes sure to give Phoenix enough time to deliver his Oscar-winning speech, and he keeps things moving. You might not always sympathise with Arthur, but you are always engaged with him and that's what I think is important here.
And this might annoy some people to hear, or read, but the absence of Batman in Joker's life really does create an issue. When I think of my favourite scenes of any other Joker, it's almost always how motivated they are because of Batman, and how fascinated they are by Batman, and how much they want Batman to be both alive and dead at the same time. Remember Mark Hamill's Joker at the end of Arkham Knight - "I need you"? Or Heath Ledger's interrogation scene in the Dark Knight? That's when Joker is at his best, and having no Batman does mean Arthur ends up with very few goals for his story.
Personally, I did very much enjoy this film. I didn't love it though. Plenty of little story frustrations constantly build up, and I felt quite disappointed by the ending. The film does a great job developing Arthur into the clown however, if that's all you want to see. Personally, I think Heath Ledger still wins when it comes to "Best Joker", but Phoenix is definitely the second-best gritty Joker, and this style of film is a perfect counter to the MCU style of movies. If DC don't want to be compared to Marvel, this might be the best way to do it, which is what I hear they're planning anyway... Bring on the Captain Cold movie?
Movie Rating: 8/10
Best Part: Arthur's eyes as he laughs.
Worst Part: Zazie Beetz is completely mishandled.
Best Performance: Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker.
Shiggins:[Admin]
.
Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment