The notion that “Joker” transcends its pulpy source material is belied by the numerous geek-pleasing references to other events from Batman lore
WHEN THE Venice film festival announced that it would screen a movie about a grinning, green-haired Batman supervillain—from the director of “The Hangover”, no less—it sounded like a joke. Comic-book flicks are not usually granted competition slots at prestigious festivals, and yet that very film, “Joker”, went onto win the top prize, the Golden Lion. Judging by the last two recipients of the same award, “Roma” and “The Shape of Water”, “Joker” could well win an armful of Oscars as well.
The protagonist, Arthur Fleck, is a mentally ill aspiring stand-up comedian who lives in a rundown flat with his ailing mother, Penny . He pays the rent by working as a clown, but the only time he makes anyone laugh is when they are cornering him in a dark alley and beating him to a pulp. That would be enough of a creation myth for most self-respecting villains: in a typical Batman film, Arthur would be reborn as the Joker a scene or two after being beaten up.
The upside of this repetitive narrative is that there is plenty of time to admire Mr Phoenix’s creepy performance—particularly his dramatic, Oscar-friendly weight loss. The downside is that Arthur is obviously a hopeless case from the beginning, and just as obviously he is going to be a flamboyant killer by the end, so there is no tension. There is just a two-hour wait for him to put on his colourful suit, smear on his white make-up, and start shooting people.
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