Audiences won’t be laughing at end of ‘Joker’
photo credit: dcmovies.fandom.com
October 19, 2019
The movie “Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix was released Oct. 4 and it is maddeningly entertaining to watch. It follows the main character Arthur Fleck in an original take on the story of Joker’s backstory, as he falls deeper and deeper into his own psychological depravity. “[The Joker’s] enemy changes constantly, from people who assault and look down on him, to his own mind at some points. This makes the movie stand on its toes without the use of a congruent antagonist, giving movie-watchers the idea that life is against Arthur. — Braydon Pyles, sophomore
The plot of the movie was not like most in my opinion, for a number of reasons. In most stories, the protagonist is given one main person or organization in which to combat. Such as Scar in “The Lion King,” to the business that President Business runs in “The Lego Movie.” However, in Joker, Arthur’s enemy changes constantly, from people who assault and look down on him, to his own mind at some points. This makes the movie stand on its toes without the use of a congruent antagonist, giving movie-watchers the idea that life is against Arthur.
For a movie about Batman’s nemesis, this Joker movie feels gritty and realistic, emanating a mature feeling contrary to most superhero movies. In the first few minutes of the movie, Arthur’s mental disorder is revealed. It causes him to have fits of uncontrollable laughter, despite his mood. This is a two-sided coin in the plot. On one side. it adds so much embarrassment and fuels much of the beginning conflict in the film, such as getting him beat up by some kids on a train. However, I do feel that this was added for plot convenience as a way to force people to call him a freak, and it is only shown to go into effect when it will detriment him the most, like when he goes on stage during a comedy performance.
Another aspect of the realism is when Arthur accidentally sets off riots throughout the town. This happens in an event that is major plot spoiler so I won’t divulge it, but the result is the entire city of Gotham thrown into mayhem. This reflects the economic disconnect from Gotham’s rich and poor, with the poor hating their position, being openly mocked by Thomas Wayne on television. This reflects what would happen in the real world because when a group of people feel oppressed, they move for change, which is exactly what happens when the poor of Gotham don clown masks and shout “Kill the rich!”
