Isolated and rejected by society, failed comedian Arthur Fleck desperately tries to find his place in Gotham City. Hiding behind the painted face of a clown at his job and the fake smile he shows to the rest of the world, Fleck begins to spiral into insanity. After being mistreated everyday of his life, Fleck finds himself taking on a new identity as a crazed killer: The Joker.
The new Joker movie was released to theaters on Oct. 4, 2019. After being open to the box offices for only three weeks, the Joker is the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. Despite being clouded in controversy, in its third week of being released the Joker has made a whopping $850 million worldwide, and is expected to reach over $900 million.
The reason that the Joker has spiked controversy among viewers is because of its dark and gritty style, there is concern that it will perpetuate current gun violence issues in America. Film producer Michael Uslan isn’t worried about the critics. In an interview with Vulture magazine he said, “There will be people who love it and people that hate it. It is going to be a very unique experience.”
The Joker received a 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a four and a half out of five stars on IMBd, both generally high ratings. Viewers gave the new box office thriller an 89 percent rating, revealing that almost everybody seems to be loving the Joker. “I’m a pretty big movie guy, so my friends and I all went to see it last weekend and I really liked it. It definitely had a few faults, but I would recommend,” junior Matty Koplan said.
In the most recent DC Comics movies, the infamous Joker villain has been portrayed by Jared Leto, in the newest Joker movie Joaquin Phoenix played the role of the main antagonist. Critics and fans were impressed by Phoenixs’ chilling and shocking performance. Phoenix delivered in every way he could, perfecting the nuanced transformation of the Joker.
The plot and the themes of the movie leave the audience in awe. Although it is challenging to differentiate which parts of the movie are really happening versus which are happening in the Joker’s mind, confusion adds to the elusiveness of the film.
By the end of the movie the audience has been presented a series of possibilities, rather than concrete facts. This leaves the movie up to interpretation of the audience, which may frustrate some viewers. “Some parts were just confusing and I honestly just wanted some answers,” sophomore Miles Wiley said.
Overall, the Joker is worth the watch, more than once. There is a lot of symbolism and allusions to unpack within the movie, as well as amazing cinematography.
