MovieChat Forums > Joker (2019) Discussion > So much potential... bit of a let down

So much potential... bit of a let down

posted 5 years ago by Rorikon (16393)
5 replies | jump to latest

Overall a great movie. There are some still scenes were Joaquin as the Joker was ominously looking like the Joker (in comics or just evil badass look) when he isn't smiling and letting the clown face do the smiling for him as he just stares at the camera (at you), chilling. The bathroom scene, the camera stare down with full makeup before and after green hair dye, the down the stairs step dance, lots of movements that mimic the Joker persona. Certain times I saw Keith Ledger in him.

What disappointed me was the laugh and the final scene. It would be cool if Joaquin's laugh got more ominous and sinister to something a little similar to Mark Hamil's or even Keith's (when interrogated by Batman at the police station) after he got sent to Arkham Asylum or when he came out as the killer. The laugh done by both Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix were uninspiring (would've been great if Joaquin did the bad laughs as intentional then it got better at the end).

Final scene with the new psychiatrist would be a cool addition to end the show if it was a white woman of a certain Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel interviewing Arthur.

[–] Threadkiller (2952) 5 years ago

Besides Phoenix's earnest performance the film was decidedly "meh" for me. A lot of hoopla over not a whole lot.

[–] tbone382001 (212) 5 years ago

I agree. I didn't think it was nothing special. Most are loving it though.

[–] AdamS (336) 5 years ago

Gotta remember, he only just (fully) became the Joker around the time of his dance down the stairs.

Afraid to many people comparing him to a fully realized Joker, some months or years later.

Incidently, he likely killed his neighbor and that shrink (who wouldn't get the joke that killing her was funny).

[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

First of all, Keith Ledger?? You mean the guy from the videogame Shellshock 2: Blood Trails' art department?

Also the final scene wouldn't work with Dr. Quinzel because she would be dead then.

[–] AdamS (336) 5 years ago

Cant imagine how that was a let down...
It was not meant (or officially) to be part of the DC universe of other movies.
This was (likely) a one-off.

Sounds like complaints that he wasn't the Joker from the start.
It was an origin story... how he started off, then eventually became Joker.
He became (the beginning of) Joker only near the end (when he went on the talk show).

Notice the whole rest of the movie, as he slowly shed Arthur Fleck... becoming Joker.
As the curtain was about to rise (as DeNiro was introing him)…

He broke into a slow dance... he was Joker there.
Danced out, completely without nerves, twirled around, planted a big kiss on the old lady, sat down and sat.... not nervously sitting, no fear, just breathing in his lost childhood dream for a second... unnecessarily looking in his joke book...
He had practiced this out at home...

But now, suicide wasn't the plan... he was a different person now... he was happy.
He saw a new purpose... everyone must see the hilarity as he now does.