The Judgement of the Joker
When one goes to the movie theater to see the new “Joker” movie, it's no surprise to see a couple police officers guarding the perimeter of the cinema. Although some theaters nowadays will usually check bags before people come in, extra precautions are being put in place with this new contentious movie. Controversy sparks from the violence portrayed, and has caused paranoia that this in turn will give people the idea that they, too, should create violence in the real world.
This argument is rooted primarily in the problem of gun control in America. The logic behind the criticism comes from what some see as careless and insensitive directing. They believe that because this movie was made, the creators of it are pro-violence. However, this is a movie, and like many before it, there's going to be some violence in it. The creators have spoken publicly about these accusations, and have had to acknowledge the hate and clearly state that this movie was in no way meant to promote violence. This seems like an obvious statement to make, and one that they shouldn't have had to defend themselves for.
Many people are upset with the unsettling and unnervingly realistic aspects of the protagonist. Specifically, many people that the film will inspire the same type of shooting that occurred in Aurora, Colorado in 2012, in which James Eagan Holmes went on a killing spree dressed as the Joker during a showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” The families of the Aurora Theater victims have publicly said that this movie hits too close to home. These people lost their family members and loved ones, and so, after something so horrible has happened to them, it of course makes complete sense for them to not want to watch this movie. Understandably, any reminder of a Batman-inspired movie will make them recall their losses. However, the continuation of more and more Batman movies in the future is inevitable. While a regular Batman movie is less likely to create controversy than a movie completely centered around the bad guy, it is at no fault of the filmmakers.
“Joker” gives the backstory to the infamous and mysterious DC villain from the Batman comics. In this spin, Joaquin Phoenix portrays Arthur Fleck. He does not suffer from strange scars on both sides of his mouth like Heath Ledger, nor does he experience an unfortunate acid accident to create a permanent smile like Jack Nicholson. Instead, he is a highly deranged man living in a beat down city with no one to consider a true friend; he is alone.
While he has a tragic story, know that Arthur Fleck is not a good guy. Throughout most of this movie, you’ll feel bad for him. By the end of it, you’ll forget most of the reasons why you felt bad. He is a villain that commits a bunch of heinous and horrifying crimes. The Joker has always been a villain, even with new actors to play him. In the end, his character doesn't change.
It’s because of where our country is right now that a movie about a bad guy can be seen as too much of an issue. However, looking at the past you can see that this isn’t the first of its kind. Many movie villains have shared this theme of being the lead protagonist and not hiding their violent, monstrous nature. However, this doesn’t make them the good guy of the movie, nor does it mean they are carrying the burden of being an inspiration to watchers. Movies like “A Clockwork Orange” or “American Psycho” have done the same thing in which the movie is shot from the villain's perspective. The movies were pretty brutal, probably more so than “Joker.” Today, things are more easily categorized under being controversial or offensive.
If someone out there has the mind of a psychopath and wants to create yet another mass shooting for America, this movie isn’t going to decide that for them. A movie does not have that power to make someone into a killer, and this argument about “Joker” being able to do so is careless. It isn’t fair to claim that any people involved in the film's making is taking a side on gun control. It isn’t right to accuse these people of being insensitive for making a movie about a comic book fan favorite because of the horrible things that have happened in our country.
People shouldn’t be taking “Joker” so seriously as an analysis of life, or an ode to a corrupt American society. It’s a movie about a DC villain, and it’s pretty good.