***MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD***
This weekend I found some time to see the new Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. The film is an origin story for Batman’s biggest enemy the Joker. The story follows the life of a mentally ill man named Arthur and how nothing ever goes his way. Arthur just keeps getting kicked while he is down until he eventually “snaps” and becomes the Joker.
The movie is a little over 2 hours and for the first half of it, you feel every minute. It is long and drawn out and really drives the point home that Arthur can not catch a break. After about the first 25 minutes the audience understands that nothing ever goes right for this man but the film keeps hammering it in. By this time, viewers already feel bad for Arthur and yet the movie keeps dragging it out for about another 20 minutes. We should be feeling sorry for Arthur but with how long this plot point goes on for, turns those feelings into ones of boredom or impatience. In fact, one man in the theater fell asleep and was snoring for the rest of the movie right around this point in the film.
The movie finally starts to get better when Arthur murders one of his old co-workers and the audience starts to see the Joker personae start to take form. After this pivotal scene in the movie, the character development starts to really ramp up, the mental illness problems of Arthur really start to take shape, and the twist and turns in the movie come full view. The pay off of these events doesn’t warrant the long-drawn own first half of the movie and causes it all to fall flat.
Another big problem with the film is in one of the final scenes. Once again they included the iconic shooting of Thomas and Martha Wayne. This plot point in any Batman story has been overused and is completely repetitive and cringeworthy at this point. A simple camera shot of the cinema marque and Thomas, Martha, and Bruce Wayne leaving the theater would have been a more welcoming way to show what is about to happen to them without jamming the shooting down moviegoers throats.
The film isn’t all bad, it does have some good qualities. The acting was on point and was a big help to the slow-moving film. The camera work was also done really well. The transitions between scenes and shot angles were good. In fact, during the first half the movie I caught myself more interested in these aspects versus the actual storyline.
The thing that I probably liked the most though was the character of Thomas Wayne. Up to this point he is regarded as a great man, philanthropist, and all-around good guy. While he may look that way to the ill-informed public, he is like any other sleazy CEO type in this adaptation. It is hinted at that he has affairs with women, doesn’t care much for people, and only cares for himself and his family. Seeing a different side of the great Thomas Wayne was interesting.
The movie wasn’t the best in terms of storyline and action, but seeing a different point of view on the Wayans and Gotham was interesting. I am glad I saw the film but is probably one I won’t be rewatching any time soon. I am sure all the comic and Batman junkies (like me) have already seen the film, but for the people on the fence, this is one you can wait to rent or watch on some streaming service. It’s not worth the $15 price that movie tickets are going for.
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