The Joker movie has already been breaking box office records and gathering praise from reviewers left, right and center. It looks like DC finally managed to recover from the downward spiral they were in for a little while after the Nolanverse ended.
In fact, Joker is currently being tipped to win quite a few Oscars at the Academy Awards, and here’s a few reasons why.
It’s A Movie About A Villain
We’ve had some “anti-hero” movies like Venom and Deadpool, but there’s never really been a movie about a villain. How do you manage to make an audience root for a villain without turning him into a hero? It’s a difficult balance, and one that Joker nails perfectly.
The Visuals Are Amazing
The new Joker costume is pretty much the perfect mix of what you’d expect of a crazy Clown Prince of Crime and the real-world realism that DC likes to inject into its (good) movies. The design was well thought-out and stands out in the most crowded shots.
Phoenix Is The Best Joker
It’s hard to compete with Jack Nicholson’s classic portrayal of the Joker, but Joacquin Phoenix takes it to the next level. It’s a completely different take on the character, but without ignoring all the little things that make the Joker the Joker.
It’s Controversial
Controversy is never a guarantee for success, but it does help get something out there. Pretty much everyone, even people that don’t care about comic book movies, know about this movie and are kind of wanting to watch it because apparently it would “glorify” violence according to some critics. Side note: it doesn’t.
There’s No Batman In It
This might sound like a weird bonus to mention, but this is an actual Joker movie without having to rely on other well-known names from the DC Universe to carry the plot forward. This entire movie is one big origin story and doesn’t follow the regular build-up of other superhero origin movies where they run into a villain ten minutes into discovering their abilities.
It’s R-Rated
Deadpool. Logan. Watchmen. The best comic book movies have always been R-rated, and the mere fact that Joker can now be added to that list means that the writers didn’t have to pull their punches. They can show off the joker in all his lovely violence-loving ways without having to adhere to some rating system where blood and cursing are to be avoided.
Critics And Fans Love It
We have to be honest about this: critics and fans rarely agree on movies since they watch movies with a different set of eyes. Critics look at the cinematography, the writing, the acting, the costumes. Audiences just sit down, grab popcorn and wonder “will I like this?”. Well, word on the Joker is that the cinematography is great and you’ll like the movie too.
