The Jokers Origin Story

   The latest DC movie debuted, the Joker movie, a thriller and drama about a man who feels disregarded by society, directed by Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix has the pleasure of playing the “Clown Prince of Crime”, with a new, twisted version of the Joker.

   Phoenix’s performance has awarded him the unofficial title as “one of the best Jokers of all time.” Actors on the list are Heath Ledger, Mark Hamill, and Jack Nicholsen.

   The only actor who has never pulled off the Joker, is Jared Leto, the last actor to play the “Clown Prince of Crime”. Leto actually threw a fit that there was a movie for the Joker and he wasn’t playing him. He directly messaged the head of Warner Bros. about putting a stop to the movie.

   Luckily, Warner Bros. had already greenlighted the Phillips’ take on the movie, so Leto had no chance to ruin this film. 

   Even though Leto doesn’t like the movie, it doesn’t mean that others won’t, because reviewers are absolutely loving this flick, even high schoolers (that were accompanied by an adult). Magic Betancourt, a junior at Pahrump Valley High School, said, “I very much enjoyed the movie. The cinematography was beautiful and left a lot of room for theories. The psychological effect of seeing things from his perspective and in his head is excellent as well.”

   The film score was like a professional musician playing their instrument in an orchestra, full of ups and downs. Plus the tune complements the Joker in the most magnificent way during the gut-wrenching scenes. 

   Some critics enjoyed the acting portion such as Benjamin Gomez, a junior at Nevada State High School, who stated, “I think Joaquin Phoenix did an excellent job playing Joker. It would be hard to see someone top his acting in some of the scenes in the movie. What really sold me was the laugh. It takes the cake because it’s fitting for the character as its guttural, weird, and eerie. I thought he put on a spectacular performance.”

   The media has also portrayed the film as a threat to society with its revolutionary ideas, but with all the new reviews about the movie, news outlets like CNN have to bite their tongue on their previous story (Joker Premiere Sparks Security Concerns).

   While there have been attacks linked with Batman comics, The Dark Knight Rises Shooting which was at the Aurora Movie Theater. The theater was packed with Batman fans, which made it the perfect setting for attackers, more specifically for James Holmes. On July 20, 2012, Holmes opened fire with a gun after setting off multiple smoke bombs, twelve people died and dozens were injured because of Holmes, and his reason why was because he identified with the Joker.

   The media’s wariness of the film is understandable, but that doesn’t mean that it will cause pandemonium across the U.S.

   When asked if the movie unleashes a chaos of clown mobs, Isai Gomez, a 16-year-old male, said, “I don’t think it will because in the end, it’s a movie with a few power statements that don’t really mean anything.” 

   The film did, however, cause a new tourist destination in New York. In the Bronx, New York, between Shakespeare Avenue and Anderson Avenue, are the famous stairs that Joaquin Phoenix danced upon in the movie. People have flocked to dance around the steps as they are recorded with music playing in the background.

   Joker, was a success that has inspired millions of memes, and that’s as much as the film will ever affect society.