With the release of comic book movies like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Shazam!,” moviegoers are eager to see how their favorite characters are interpreted on screen. However, the recent release of “Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, was met with caution and fears that the movie might spark violence.
According to The Washington Post, multiple theaters in California and Oklahoma closed due to possible and credible threats of violence. Theaters in New York City asked plainclothes police officers to attend screenings. Some movie theaters are also restricting moviegoers from wearing costumes. While some saw this as an overcautious response, it was not.
Seven years ago, there was a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and over 70 injuries. The attack happened during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a movie that uses the same source material as “Joker.” With the release of “Joker,” families of the victims of that horrendous incident showed concern of repeat incidents with the increase of gun violence today.
“While a connection between the Aurora mass shooter and the ‘Joker’ character has not been corroborated by investigation, a review of associated online postings reveals that individuals frequently equate the two,” a bulletin from ABC News said.
Warner Brothers went to social media and Twitter stating that, “neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Joker” has broken multiple records such as Biggest Worldwide Launch of All Time for October and the Best Starts for director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix. The film has made over $96 million in its first weekend with positive responses from moviegoers on the performance of Phoenix and Robert De Niro.
While being hailed by critics at the Venice Film Festival before release with a score of 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the score went down to 75 percent due to critiques on the portrayal of the Joker as a sympathetic character along with depictions of violence and how having mental illness affects people.
Having a villain as a protagonist isn’t a new thing in movies. Iconic films like “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Godfather” and “American Psycho” center around villainous protagonists and how they interact with the world and the people they meet. Even Disney villains have drawn people because of their villainous yet memorable characters, some like Maleficent are now having their side of the story told, creating sympathy for their actions. Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” is first not interested in following the footsteps of his criminal grandfather, but him losing his family to other mobsters and getting involved leads him toward that path of the criminal underworld in an interesting way. Moviegoers are drawn to these films so they can dive into the psyche of these characters and find out their motivations, not necessarily because they condone the actions the characters take.
The character of the Joker is no doubt a hardened criminal and murderer in the history of the Batman comics, but he is also an intriguing character based on his lack of backstory and multiple depictions. One of his defining character traits is that he is an unreliable narrator toward his backstory with fans making theories regarding his true identity and motivations with his sense of madness. Additionally, there are comic book series that not only change the origins but also who becomes the Joker in stories such as “Flashpoint” and “Batman: White Knight” that offer fans new ways to enjoy the established characters. With multiple depictions by actors such as Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill, each actor is able to bring something new to the Joker.
There should not only be a word of caution to people who are interested in the movie, but it should reflect on how we view movies. Fiction these days is being rooted in the world we live in and offers us a chance to see new ideas and how society is reflected in entertainment today. It’s also better to be safe than sorry when going to the theater, knowing that the police are here to protect us from those who wish to do us harm. “Joker” is a film not intended to incite violence, but rather one intended to take a look into what causes violence and give audiences a fresh look into a character they know and enjoy.
Graphic: Mars Hogue/ The Johnsonian
