Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG
I have been thinking about this for a while to figure out what I think.
After a lot of thought I think it would be a better movie without him being the joker. If you get rid of the comic book ties I think the movie would be better and keep you immersed more.
It’s also little shallow in its treatment of mental illness.
Phoenix was great and I like that the movie was clearly his perspective and using that as an unreliable narrator.
I’m interested in how this affects comic book movies going forward. Will this lead to more character study as comic book movies or less non comic book movies being made?
|
Agree on everything. Your second point is one I’ve been thinking about a lot since. If you sever all connections to the Batman universe from the film, you lose nothing, and I feel like you would actually gain a little more freedom to explore.
That said, I think it would also cause the movie to be held accountable for the issues inside of it. The direction isn’t great and they handle the mental illness and “incel/shooter” angles with remarkable weakness. I think a lot of that is excused because “it’s a comic book movie” or “it’s the Joker, what do you expect.” I already find those excuses kind of weak, especially considering as far as I can tell this character isn’t “The Joker” at all, but more the inspiration behind the character we know.