I was anticipating Joker more than almost any movie this year, and it didn't disappoint. I thought it was an incredible film. I left the theatre thinking I had seen something special. So what's the problem?
Well, I tried to watch it a second time, and could barely get through it because the surprise was gone, and all I was left with was an incredibly bleak, depressing experience. This is NOT a film that makes you feel good after viewing it, and for a comic book film, that is a HUGE problem IMO. I don't know that I will ever want to watch it again.
Don't get me wrong, as a drama it's a fantastic piece of work, but they could have changed all the character names...removed any and all Batman references and simply called it "Clown" and it would have been just as good.
I think as adults we sometimes forget that we all fell in love with comics and superheroes as children, and like it or not, that is what their original intent was.
Personally, I like my superhero films to speak to that inner child. I like to leave the theatre feeling GOOD after watching one of them. They should inspire hope. DC was finally starting down the right path with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam because they were copying what worked for Marvel, without really understanding WHY it worked for Marvel. Recently several prominent filmmakers have criticized Marvel films as irrelevant, superficial, and not to be taken seriously. While I wholeheartedly disagree with this sentiment, because these films DO inspire. I saw adults moved to tears in more than one Marvel film. And most often they were tears of JOY. Joy at seeing their childhood heroes brought to life.
So where does JOKER fit into all this? My greatest fear is that because this is arguably DC's biggest hit to date, they will once again course correct without understanding WHY the film was a hit for this specific character, and
that they will try to paint the entire DC cinematic universe with this same brush.
The results of this would be catastrophic. But we all know that's EXACTLY what WB is thinking. How can we make _________ more like JOKER? They've already openly stated they have no idea what to do with Superman. They believe he's irrelevant in today's world.
I think perhaps JOKER was a little too relevant to what's going on in today's world. It was an eerily dark reflection of our current reality. I only hope WB realizes that sometimes people go into a darkened theatre to see the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, to escape from the horrors of reality, and to leave feeling more hopeful than when they went in. This is after all, what superheroes are for.
Well, I tried to watch it a second time, and could barely get through it because the surprise was gone, and all I was left with was an incredibly bleak, depressing experience. This is NOT a film that makes you feel good after viewing it, and for a comic book film, that is a HUGE problem IMO. I don't know that I will ever want to watch it again.
Don't get me wrong, as a drama it's a fantastic piece of work, but they could have changed all the character names...removed any and all Batman references and simply called it "Clown" and it would have been just as good.
I think as adults we sometimes forget that we all fell in love with comics and superheroes as children, and like it or not, that is what their original intent was.
Personally, I like my superhero films to speak to that inner child. I like to leave the theatre feeling GOOD after watching one of them. They should inspire hope. DC was finally starting down the right path with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam because they were copying what worked for Marvel, without really understanding WHY it worked for Marvel. Recently several prominent filmmakers have criticized Marvel films as irrelevant, superficial, and not to be taken seriously. While I wholeheartedly disagree with this sentiment, because these films DO inspire. I saw adults moved to tears in more than one Marvel film. And most often they were tears of JOY. Joy at seeing their childhood heroes brought to life.
So where does JOKER fit into all this? My greatest fear is that because this is arguably DC's biggest hit to date, they will once again course correct without understanding WHY the film was a hit for this specific character, and
that they will try to paint the entire DC cinematic universe with this same brush.
The results of this would be catastrophic. But we all know that's EXACTLY what WB is thinking. How can we make _________ more like JOKER? They've already openly stated they have no idea what to do with Superman. They believe he's irrelevant in today's world.
I think perhaps JOKER was a little too relevant to what's going on in today's world. It was an eerily dark reflection of our current reality. I only hope WB realizes that sometimes people go into a darkened theatre to see the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, to escape from the horrors of reality, and to leave feeling more hopeful than when they went in. This is after all, what superheroes are for.
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