The Three Jokers - DC on Film Opinion

21st Century Jokers on film.
Joaquin, Ledger, and Leto.

Joaquin Phoenix and director, Todd Phillips, gave us another interesting take on the Joker from Batman's rogues gallery, with their movie Joker. This has lead me to think about the three modern movie Jokers of the 21st century, i.e. Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and, of course, Joaquin Phoenix. Specifically how they fit in relation to the character and in relation to Batman.

Joker - Joaquin Phoenix

This interpretation of Joker can definitely be seen as Day 1 Joker. He's just an unhinged guy in clown makeup. He's no match for Batman but he doesn't need to be since Batman is barely an idea in Bruce Wayne's head.

This Joker needs a few years to mature before going up against Batman. The fact that Joaquin's Joker would be older than Batman may give him some air of authority over Bruce that a Joker of equal age wouldn't command.

I personally don't buy that the Joker is a response to Batman. They may become yin-yang to each other but Joker's origin was never really as shallow as wearing a costume because Batman does (or because he's scared of clowns in the same way Bruce was scared of bats).

I've also never seen Joker as someone who would go up against Batman in a hand to hand fight. He's far too smart for that. Joaquin's Joker isn't dysfunctionally insane either. Sure he sees things from time to time that are all in his head but he's very clear on his plans when he sets his mind on a goal.

Personally if we see this Joker again I'd love to see him a few years on, going up against a Batman that's still finding his feet and refining his detective skills.

The Joker - Heath Ledger

Heath's Joker could be Joaquin's Joker with a few years under his belt. When we meet him in The Dark Knight he's fully realized as the Joker but has not yet made a name for himself in Gotham City. However he's connected enough to have henchmen and to orchestrate some pretty major blows against the city and its mob bosses.

As much as Heath's Joker claims not to scheme or make plans, destroying a hospital is not something you do on a whim - there's some serious behind the scenes logistics going on there. Not to mention sewing a mobile phone detonator inside a person in order to escape jail must have required some pre-planning.

Heath's Joker is widely regarded as the best on screen Joker in terms of being true to the character. It really is a shame we only got to see him in one movie.

That said, Joaquin's take on the character, while not the same as Heath's, clearly could exist in the same kind of world, giving that similar vibe of uneasy edginess the character needs.

The Joker - Jared Leto

Suicide Squad's Joker, played by Jared Leto, wasn't well received by fans. Personally, it's not my favorite version but I didn't dislike this interpretation either.

I think the key to Jared's Joker is understanding that this version has been the Joker for a long time. Just like Ben Affleck's Batman, in this DCEU, this Joker is world weary, and even more established as a crime boss. He has the resources to commandeer military equipment and even a military helicopter.

He seems less about causing chaos and more about being evil and threatening just because he can. He's much more a force of nature than even Heath's Joker.

He may not be my favorite Joker but I'd still be happy to see him be given a proper film where he goes up against Ben Affleck's Batman. This Joker should never have been relegated to a cameo in a Batman spin off movie.

With more time audiences could have understood what Jared's Joker was all about. I'm hoping there's still a chance given this DCEU isn't dead with the upcoming releases of four movies set in the same time line including; Birds of Prey, and Suicide Squad 2, which both have direct connections to Jared's Joker.

---o ---o--- o---

Anyhow, those are some of my thoughts on these three 21st century Jokers. Since we're unlikely to ever see Heath's Joker again (unless they Peter Cushing or James Dean him), would you like to see Joaquin's Joker go up against Batman? What about Jared's Joker? Would You like to see where that version was going with more screen time and story?

Comments

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Guest Post: New Novel - Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return

A lmost a year ago I featured Go West Girl , Book 1 of author, Kit Mackenzie's Alias Jeannie Delaney series. Now, the next book in the series, Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return , is soon to be released in August, and is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you love a powerful female lead in a traditional western packed with action and adventure, this is the novel for you. The story centers on Cowgirl Jeannie Morgan who grew up in Coyote Creek, Wyoming, where she became persecuted for her lethal gun and a sexuality that swings both ways. Tomboy beautiful and tough as the nails in a miner's boots, she is on the run with a bunch of boys who would die for her. Her snake strike gun, soul-slicing gaze and dangerous magnetism leaves a trail of intense emotions, killings and would-be death threats in her wake. Heading south, she finds herself becoming a legend. She's in deep trouble, but her home town demands her return and they pin a badge on her. It'

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

Movie Review: Madame Web (2024) Minor Spoilers

I 'm willing to bet a lot of people haven't seen this film, and probably will never plan to watch it. Madame Web was poorly reviewed by critics and largely ignored by audiences. For myself, I'll only see a Sony superhero movie in cinemas if Spiderman is actually in it. For everything else I can wait until it hits a streaming service I'm subscribed to. Sony's Spiderman/Marvel adjacent movies aren't actually terrible movies. They're not great movies either but I've never put one on and not watched it all the way to the end. I do find them watchable... just not really rewatchable. Madame Web is an origin story for the title character (Dakota Johnson), and three other future Spider Women (that I'm not all that familiar with) who suddenly find themselves being pursued by a dark figure with very spider-like powers. The problem with this movie, in my opinion, is the writers forgot that the main reason anyone comes to see a comic book superhero movie is to

Thank You Kamala Harris Because JD Vance Wasn't All That.

W hen I first heard the news that JD Vance was selected as Trump's running mate for Vice President I must admit, I had no idea who he was. However I was hopeful that we'd finally get someone in the US election who could actually string a coherent sentence together, that wasn't either catchphrases, or a meandering mashup of barely related thoughts, organized into dot points as a memory aid. A quick glance at the man's achievements, ex-military correspondent, university graduate, and author of a book about the lower and working classes of middle America (I think? I don't know? I haven't read it. I just appreciate he wrote a book with a point of view), definitely showed he had potential. Unfortunately he quickly revealed he's every bit as good as former President Trump when it comes to saying things that make any swinging voter do a double take - he really said that? Not withstanding that JD was formerly in the anti-Trump camp, as outlined in this PBS article

Book Review: Fourth Wing & Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros - The Empyrean Series

I wasn't familiar with Rebecca Yarros prior to receiving the first two books in her Empyrean Series, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame , as a gift. (Note: links will take you to the audible product page versions of the book on Amazon and are affiliate links. You should be able to find links to physical copies of the books from there if you prefer). It's been a long time that I've read a book that I don't want to put down after the time I have to read for the day is over. These two books, which are not insignificant in size at 498 and 623 pages respectively are page turners from beginning to end (almost but I'll get to that later). The story is set in a fantasy mythical world where dragons and magic are common place. Fourth Wing opens as Violet, the younger, weaker daughter of a fairly infamous general in a dragon riders army, is pushed into the first year of dragon rider school, rather than her preferred, and prepared for, path of scribe school. Both her mother (the afor

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog