Joker: The Frown behind the Smile
Updated: Oct 15, 2019
Hey Guys! Frosty Phenix here! So I saw “Joker” this week and I have to say...I was impressed. DC character inspired movies have been very hit or miss these past few years. Warner Brothers can’t seem to hit the same formula for live movies that their rival, Marvel Studios, was able to crack. Joker sits as one of the jewels of Warner Brothers along with Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Shazam. This article will have spoilers...continue at your own discretion!
There were a few expectations that viewers had for this character/movie, conscious or subconscious. I imagine you probably thought the following:
Is this another super hero movie?
Will Joaquin do as good of a job as Heath Ledger?
Since it is The Joker, will there be a lot of violence?
Will Harley Quinn be in this?
Will this blend into a Batman type movie series eventually?
Answers:
No
Different interpretations
Yes, but the interesting part is that it’s targeted vs his standard civilian casualties
Nope
It sets up an ending that Warner Brothers could take into a Batman/Joker Series of Movies
For the most part, Arthur was just your everyday, down on his luck man who lived with his mother and had a low end job. Throughout several different instances going wrong in the movie, Arthur’s life goes into a downward spiral and begins to descend into his own thoughts and trying to comprehend the world around him while also trying to find comfort in comedy. Killing 3 Wayne Enterprise employees in a self defense situation that goes left, his failed attempt at stand up comedy goes “viral” through his favorite night talk show and finding out through a letter written to Thomas Wayne from his mother that he may be Thomas’ illegitimate son. It’s quite a lot to handle, especially when funding is cut for the program he was in that supplied him with the medicine he needed for his condition. All of this comes to a head when he kills his mother, one of his coworkers and his idol talk show host in the middle of being interviewed on said show. He is locked up in Arkham, but not after all of his actions cause Gotham to go into chaos, resulting in Thomas and Martha Wayne being shot in a back alley by a man with a Clown Mask as their son, Bruce, watches and is left alone.
Here is what I found interesting, how they added that Arthur (Joker) is actually someone that suffers from a real mental illness. He even carries a card with him to explain his condition to those that may not have understood. The name of his condition could be under a various number of real life conditions but we’ll soon hear about what his condition is by name. A message to the viewers that Arthur writes is “Funny thing is when you have a mental illness, the world expects you to act like you DON’T”.
Critics are giving mixed reviews, with people interpreting scenes in different ways. Joker more than doubled its budget in box office earnings, earning title for top October Opening Release of all time. I definitely recommend checking this movie out for a different perspective on the clown prince of crime. Joker is out in all theaters.