As much as I've come to despise Robert De Nero since he started his anti-Trump tirade, I finally broke down and rented the Joker movie. Batman is hands down my favorite super hero character of all time and Joker was always my favorite villain. I loved the Nolan trilogy, so I thought the character study of Joker was an intriguing idea. Also I've always liked Joaquin Phoenix, especially in Gladiator. "Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood."
I hated the Joker movie. As much as I love how the old campy super hero stories are becoming darker and more violent, this one seemed like an overreach with unnecessary violence, just for the sake of being violent. That works for Quentin Tarantino movies, but not here. The writing was terrible. The story was boring. And I was disappointed in Joaquin Phoenix's performance. How he won an Oscar for that movie I have no idea.
Anyway, here's my ranking of Jokers:
- Heath Ledger
- Cesar Romero
- Jack Nicholson
- Joaquin Phoenix
Your thoughts?
I rank Joker maybe a 1/2-star above Uncut Gems, which I consider to be the most overrated, overhyped movie of the season. Whoopie, Adam Sandler playing a heavy. Give that man some kind of trophy. At least with Joker there was a slight bit of depth to go with the nihilism, which ultimately both of these movies thrive on. Joker at least doesn't hide the nihilism or try to disguise it with a convoluted script and plot.