Yes, it is true, there is a fever of superhero movies that are already bordering the exhaustion. At least, while Marvel keeps making dumb movies in their Avengers series, some filmmakers, not many, are trying to do something interesting with the characters that we have seen more often than our own family. And I remark “trying”. If Christopher Nolan first brought his spectacular author-epic style to a very personal Batman trilogy, and James Mangold opted to bring a pseudo film-noir taste to his X-Men franchise Wolverine starring Logan (2017), now it is Todd Phillips who has decided to wash the face of another classic DC Comics character The Joker, and repaint it for Joker (2019).
First of all, it is noticeable that writer, producer and director Todd Phillips is better known for his comedy movies, in where can outstand dumb teen flicks like Road Trip (2000) and School for Scoundrels (2006), more adult-oriented but still dummy comedies Old School (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004) and Due Date (2010), and one of the most notable comedy trilogies of the last decades formed by The Hangover (2009), The Hangover Part II (2011) and The Hangover Part III (2013). But an intention of changing genres was noticed in his previous film, the based on a true story War Dogs (2016), which it still had the director’s trademark acid comedy style but with a plot mainly in the crime and thriller genre.
With Joker (2019), Todd Phillips wrote the screenplay together with Scott Silver, known for popular drama thrillers The Mod Squad (1999), 8 Mile (2002) and The Fighter (2010). The movie is an original standalone origin story of the iconic villain not seen before on the big screen. It’s a gritty character study of Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, and a broader cautionary tale. It is starred by Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Jolie Chan, Marc Maron, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Douglas Hodge, Mary Kate Malat, Shea Whigham, Bryan Callen, and Dante Pereira-Olson.
Joker (2019) was rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language, and brief sexual images. That already marks a difference between this movie and the typical fantasy superhero popcorn flicks. It has its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival the 31st of August, and the welcoming was more than enthusiastic. It achieved the Golden Lion award for Best Film, and also the award for Best Soundtrack thanks to the score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, a frequent collaborator of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, who also participated in the soundtracks for The Revenant (2015), Sicario (2015) and Arrival (2016).
Before its theatrical release in October, Joker (2019) will still be part of the line-up of the festivals Toronto International Film Festival in September and New York Film Festival in October. Here you can watch its latest trailer:
