Batman's arch nemesis, the Joker is perhaps the most sinister and terrifying super-villain of comic book culture. The line why so serious has become a part of pop culture in the way few have. When played by actors such as Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Jared Leto; the fictional antihero has assumed cult status. Grammy winner and Academy Award-nominated actor Joaquin Phoenix stars as the Joker in the first standalone film about the criminal mastermind of Gotham City.
It is a deeply disturbing trailer that details the sad clown's dark tale – the bullied and rejected Arthur Fleck is a failed standup comic with a dysfunctional relationship with his mother. Robert De Niro's casting as chat show host Murray Franklin is seen as something of a cinematic coup.
The Joker has always been a complex, murky character plagued by his own demons. The character's sinister clown makeup and hideous laugh have always been the stuff of nightmares.
Inevitably, people on social media are comparing this Joker with the ones that have gone before. While for some Heath Ledger's Joker; which won him an Oscar posthumously will always be the best one. For many others, Jack Nicholson’s menacing portrayal remains the one to beat. However, Phoenix's beats all the Jokers that have gone before, feel a lot of commentators.
A lot of fans think that Joaquin Phoenix's joker – vulnerable, yet hateful – is going to be the most iconic one yet. The Joker promises to be a psychological thriller; not the standard superhero fare of the good guy triumphing over the baddie.
This promises to be a layered narrative about mental illness and derangement leading to the creation of a criminal mind. The troubled relationship with his mother appears to be a large part of this.
Joker is a departure from the norm in that it makes the viewer sympathise with the villain. We see what led up to the creation of the villain, not the villainy itself.
The trailer promises the most terrifying of Jokers ever because the film appears to delve into the backstory of the super criminal. It is chilling to see the sadness and the loneliness that supposedly led up to the creation of the Joker.
It likely also traces the story of the Joker's troubled relationship with the Wayne (Batman’s) family.
Joaquin Phoenix has been nominated thrice for an Oscar. Some commentators feel that he will at last win the coveted Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker.
Heath Ledger is pictured with Joaquin Phoenix here. Joker releases on 4 October 2019 and for many fans, that is an eternity to wait for a movie that promises to be fascinating, terrifying, engrossing all at the same time.
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