Unless you’re under some obscure rock in Gotham City, you’ve heard of this controversy surrounding the upcoming JOKER film. Threats of violence.. Incel worship of the clown prince of crime..
Our modern social media era has taken this all very, very far.
The ‘deep web,’ we are told, took it into the very dark realm..
Enter an old friend, from FLICKERING MYTH.. as usual he has a few good points about entertainment.. in this case he has a great and highly readable piece on the new Todd Phillips version of the JOKER that I insist you read.
(those who have followed me online since the 1990s may recall that Anghus used to pen a few pieces for my website way back way .. )
The salient points:
Personally, I’ve always found the rabid fanbase that surrounds The Joker and Harley Quinn to be a little unsettling. It’s easy to see why these characters have become so popular. And finding these characters fascinating is understandable. The internet consistently reveals that there are people out there who have taken the basic tenants of fandom a little too far. Those socially askew individuals who don’t just seem to enjoy the psychotic fictional antics of The Joker, but find some kind of real-world truth from his madness. People who aren’t just entertained by the character but seem to be actively rooting for him.
MORE..
As an audience, this is when we should all be having a laugh at The Joker. Ultimately, the joke is on him. His mad world view is rebuked by the people of Gotham and (hopefully) the audience. There are elements of The Joker’s perspective that can be appreciated. The fact that humanity puts too much faith in the idea of saviors. That everyone is capable of being corrupted. But in the end, the people of Gotham prove that for all his bluster, The Joker is just a deranged killer looking to justify his actions with high-minded ideals.
And finally..
In some ways, Todd Phillips’ Joker feels like a test for society. Like that aforementioned moment at the end of The Dark Knight where humanity was given the opportunity to put their finger on the trigger and act on their most base instincts. It would be nice if a movie like Joker could be just that; a movie, and not some kind of litmus test regarding the uncontrollable influence of art on an impressionable public.
Here’s hoping that our society proves to be as sane as the citizens of Gotham in Nolan’s masterpiece.
