Getting The Joke: 7 Stages Of ‘Joker’ Madness You’ll Feel Too
I’m 17 hours post ‘Joker’ and here’s what you need to know going in. And don’t worry; spoiler-free.
Five minutes after Joker credits …
What did I just see?
Was it entertaining?
Fifteen minutes …
Remember, it’s not like the comics. It’s not like the comics. IT”S NOT LIKE THE COMICS!
Seventeen minutes …
Ok … maybe it’s not like the comics, and I knew that going in, but seriously? Why am I so surprised that it’s not like the comics?
Nineteen minutes …
Soundtrack — superb
Visuals — splendid
Phoenix — exceptional
Twenty-some minutes …
…. but was it fun? I’ll answer that tomorrow.
Sixteen hours …
Smart. That’s what I’d call Joker; Smart. But not fun.
To be precise, it’s fun watching Phoenix dawn the make-up. Exciting to see Phillips build Joker. Enjoyable spending time in another iteration of Gotham. Incredible ending. But all around, was Joker a hoot? No. It ain’t Marvel and Phoenix ain’t Evans or RDJ. He’s Joker. Or at least one interpretation of him.
Joker is a film about the haves and have-nots, and after watching it, I can see why the haves are scared of it. Is Joker to be glorified or emulated? Nope. But with him as the vehicle, the film makes a point. And it’s a point I can’t shake nearly twenty-four hours later. A point they could’ve made with any character, but a point nonetheless enhanced with Joker at the center.
Divisive? Sure. The whole theatre took a breath when the film ended and just kinda sat there staring at the screen. Worrisome? Eh. I’m not worried. Others are. Obviously. They think Joker will cause some kinda stir and motivate certain sensitive souls to act up? But, really? Sounds like the kind of person driven to harm others because of a movie is the same breed of human that shoots up a McDonalds because they gave them a small fry instead of a large. What I’m saying is, if Joker is a trigger, then so is everything else. Actually, that’s precisely what I’m saying; in today’s world, everything is a trigger for someone.
Some will say they liked Joker because they think it’s the stylish thing to do. These are the kind of people who hate on Marvel for being “too corporate.” Others won’t like it, because even though they got the message, the message makes them uncomfortable. Some, simply, won’t care about the message because they don’t go to movies for messages.
Still, others will chew on Joker like a toothpick until all that’s left are splinters and silence. They’ll audit the significance of the film against the sour taste it leaves behind, and waft through clown purgatory. Stuck in the middle. Lost in the in-between. Something about Joker, they’ll say to themselves, was perfect. And in that perfection; darkness.
Undeniable and unquenchable, Joker urges the audience to pay attention to the little guy. The least and the lost. The ones who we all could do a better job helping, but are too selfish, and too busy, to even notice.
Sixteen hours and one minute…
Joker’s not like the comics.
It’s not supposed to be.
Joker’s not everything I grew up with.
It’s not supposed to be.
Joker’s hard to watch and impossible to ignore.
It’s supposed to be.
