Joker is a fresh take on the superhero genre that depicts the transformation of a pitiful man into the famous supervillain of the title. The film explores themes that are much darker than most movies of this genre, given the current preference of our age for marketable, family-friendly superhero mashups.
Joker achieves this with the superbly written character of Arthur Fleck (along with help from other well-written characters). Fleck is a downtrodden clown who lives with his mother and suffers from mental illness.
The breakdowns of his professional and personal lives leads him down the dark path to becoming the DC villain Joker. This path leads him to murder, the accidental creation of a violent political movement, and his acceptance of the futility of his sanity.
The casting of Joaquin Phoenix for the role of Joker is perfect. One of the strong points is Phoenix’s portrayal of the physical elements of Fleck: his unrestrained laugh and the malnourished, beaten look of a man who has been pushed to his limit by society. (To prepare for the role, Phoenix actually lost 50 pounds.)
*** NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD! Don’t continue reading if you don’t want to know what happens in the film. ***
Beyond Robert de Niro, who plays a small role, Phoenix is the only well-known actor in the film. This accentuates the fact that the character of the Joker and his development are the main aspect of the film. Yes, this is a DC movie, and a young Batman does make an appearance, but that’s secondary.
The rest of the cast does an exemplary job of playing roles that help provoke Fleck’s downward spiral. My favorite secondary character was Randall. At the start of the film, he seems to have a somewhat friendly relationship with Fleck, even giving him a gun for self-defense.Towards the end of his transformation into the Joker, Fleck violently murders Randall, seemingly for no reason.
At the start of the movie, Fleck only dons his clown persona for his job as a clown; he is still somewhat mentally contained. Over the course of the movie, however, Fleck slowly becomes the Joker and becomes increasingly violent as he spirals into insanity.
His dancing is an indicator of this development. Towards the beginning, he dances carefully and slowly in his bathroom. This contrasts with his dancing towards the end of the film, when he dances chaotically on the stairs outside his apartment building, in full makeup as a clown.
A more subtle indicator of Fleck’s transformation occurs after he speaks with his state-appointed therapist, who tells Fleck he can no longer get his meds for free. After this scene, Fleck loses control of his mind, leading to his final, permanent change into the Joker.
Along with rich character development, Joker has an underlying social message about the dejected state of Fleck, and the chaotic actions of the “clowns” (his devotees and followers). The clowns are lower class citizens of Gotham who, along with Fleck, share a bleak view of society; they protest the wealthy class’ mistreatment of average citizens. The name “clowns” represents the ruling class’ general lack of care for their cause.
Another theme of Joker is the need for a father figure. The abuse suffered by Fleck at the hands of his mother's boyfriend facilitates his descent into madness, and his obsession and interactions with both Thomas Wayne (a wealthy scion of the Wayne family) and Murray Franklin (his comedy role model) illustrate this theme as well.
The lack of a father is also a symptom of the withdrawal of men from society, with only the rich, such as Wayne’s son, having complete families.
My only gripe with the movie would be pacing. Joker spans over two hours, and much time is spent re-enforcing character development, like Fleck’s imagined relationship with his neighbor Sofie, which only serves as another display of the advancement of Fleck’s mental illness. It is only a slight issue, however, and doesn’t ruin Joker’s overall flow.
Joker is an excellent portrayal of the classic DC villain, and it opens up a whole new type of superhero movie, one that doesn’t have to be PG-13 and bubbly. With an excellent performance from Phoenix and a great cast of supporting actors, the plot is advanced with a chaotic yet natural flow, and the themes and messages of the film are projected clearly.
Overall, Joker is one of the most notable movies I have ever seen, and sets a precedent of excellence for future character-centered films.