Cover Photo Taken From Imax Theatre’s Official Movie Poster
Cover Photo Taken From Imax Theatre’s Official Movie Poster.

Joker: An unpleasant tragedy of a tempting fantasy


Look inside the mind of the Clown Prince of Crime, Joker, by watching DC’s gritty and dark movie adaptation.


By Benildean Press Corps | Monday, 7 October 2019

Setting the stage for the new era of DC Comics films with low budget experimental character studies, Joker goes all out with an origin story that holds no punchlines in an intense psychological masterpiece. 

 

Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy, War Dogs) and starring Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Gladiator) as Arthur Fleck, Joker zooms in on failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime and brings chaos in early 1980s Gotham. Slowly losing his sanity, the film emphasizes on Fleck who’s suffering with mental illness caused by society and everyone around him. 

 

Other characters are Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II) as talk show host Murray Franklin; Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2) as Fleck’s love interest Sophie Dumond; Frances Conroy (“American Horror Story”) as Penny Fleck; and Brett Cullen (The Dark Knight Rises) as billionaire philanthropist Thomas Wayne.

 

Put on a happy face

Premiered last October 3 in Philippine cinemas, Joker is a slow burn of a film that takes its time to slowly progress the character change of Arthur Fleck into a creepy Joker. The pacing feels slow during the first act but eventually as the full-fledged Joker appears right in front of the audience’s eyes, it doesn’t simply stop there. Throughout the whole film in Arthur’s perspective, the gradual change of how he’s gotten worse truly builds up to the moment where he truly becomes as the Joker. 

 

Furthermore, the riveting score by composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival) adds to the spine-chilling and frightening experience. With the scenes with Phoenix as the Joker, the score complements the disturbing presence of the character that sets up the twists and turns in the Joker’s desolation.

 

A versatile actor with a plethora of great acting roles in films such as Her and Walk the Line, Phoenix was born for the role of the Joker that gives him a spot in the running for Best Actor for next year’s Oscars. Phoenix delivers a powerful and exhilarating tour de force of a performance that feels fresh to the genre. The wide range of talent that Phoenix possesses is astounding and the main highlight of the film.

 

Amidst the controversy surrounding the film regarding the promotion of guns and chaotic nature, it is the filmmakers’ endeavor to present the harsh realities of the world with class disparity and not promote violence.

 

Overall, with a career-defining performance, a powerful score, and a striking message to ponder on, Joker is in fact a horror film which gives a glimpse of what society we live in today.


Joker continues to laugh its way in Philippine cinemas nationwide.

 

 

 

Last updated: Wednesday, 2 June 2021