I’m going to ask you to do a favor for me before you see Joker. I want you to forget that you’re about to see a movie based on a comic book character. Not only that, but I want you to forget you’re seeing a movie based on Batman’s greatest villain. In fact, I want you to forget that this movie is called Joker.
You’re about to see a terrifying character manifest in a gritty 1970s-era pulp film.
Yes, I said “film” because I’m a snob.
Joaquin Phoenix takes on the mantle of the Joker in this (hopefully) stand-alone movie that needs no sequel and doesn’t connect with the current DCEU. This version of the character exists on its own without the need of the Batman to counteract with. Instead of the constant back-and-forth maniacal villainy he typically displays, this realistic version depicts a very mentally unstable person as he slides into his dark destiny as the clown prince of crime.
The question has been asked if Phoenix is able to accomplish the task of being the better Joker over Heath Ledger’s version. The vague answer is that it’s comparing apples and oranges. Ledger is the perfect foil to Christian Bale’s Batman. He knows he exists in a perpetual dance with the Dark Knight and never wants the merry-go-round to end. Even being a grounded character of sorts, there’s camp that melds well with the majority of the comic iterations.
READ THE REST OF KENNY’S REVIEW AT SHOWTIME SHOWDOWN
You can also listen to Kenny D’s review on the latest episode of Radio Ronin …
