When a comic book movie is mentioned, the typical movie goer thinks of fun, action, joyful experience. They wouldn’t be far off to be fair however, in 2019 the comic book genre was forever changed.
Joker completely flipped the stereotype on its head as it was considered to be an instant classic. This film took a realistic approach to a fictional world and showed when you treat people below you poorly. It can come back to hurt you.
Many people including myself were skeptical when this film was first announced for many reasons. First off, the director which is Todd Philips would be the same director who brought us movies like the Hangover and Old School, so he wasn’t very familiar with tackling a serious subject matter like this one. Secondly, we have seen so many incarnations of this character that it felt like a cash grab and unoriginal.
Welp, walking out of the theater on Oct. 4 with my parents I realized we were dead wrong that they couldn’t make an amazing movie. Seeing Gotham through Arthur’s eyes in this film completely changed your views on the beloved family the Waynes. Showing the audience that this family we have grown to love is just another rich, power-hungry, greedy person was such a smart decision.
Todd Philips does such an amazing job at painting Arthur as a villain we understand. Any villain who is considered great always is understood by the audience. You may not agree with what they are doing however, in a way you understand where they are coming from.
Something that this film does so well is depict mental illness. Which a very serious topic within our society today especially men’s mental health. There is a huge stigma when it comes to men’s mental health that you may hear about. “When men express emotion, they are not “real men”” said by the Circle Health Group. This stigma and mental health is shown through various scenes within this film.
The whole message behind the topic of mental health was wonderfully crafted by Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix. This is because we see it within our society today. Mental illness is shunned or frown upon by many people. Just because they aren’t “normal” citizens feel incline to make fun or hate the mental ill. Which of course is a reason the people who struggle with their men are scared to seek help especially men.
“Todd Philips turned a famous character into a voice of for the forgotten and overlooked, and made an origin story that resonates with our current moment” said Frederic Dodds from Variety and I could not agree more.
The complaint or criticism this film receives is that it is very similar to another classic film Taxi Driver. Audiences around the world called Joker a complete rip-off off which I do not agree with however, understand where they are coming from. Having this similar of a story just with a comic book storyline as a backdrop is bound to get compared too. However, in my opinion, Todd Philips created his own vision and coherent story that will be remembered forever.
This film would go on to be nominated for eleven Oscars and winning two in Best Actor along with Best Score. Along, with shattering records at the box office grossing one billion dollars worldwide. With all of these accolades to go with, it was certain this movie would go down as an instant classic.
With the very disappointing release of the sequel it brings me at peace to turn this film on. Watching Joaquin Phoenix put on an unsettling and just depressing performance had me felt like I was watching history. You always hear of the iconic performances when it comes to acting, I think this deserves to be in that conversation.
If you haven’t gotten the chance to see this masterpiece, run to your TV and turn on this beautiful depiction of mental illness. Once you hit play, don’t forget to put on a smile.
