One of the greatest directors ever, Martin Scorsese, has given us an opportune statement on the definition of cinema versus so called amusement park thrillers. While his comments are so true and valuable toward the discourse in filmmaking well, his assertion that comic films can’t make the same art is wrong. Todd Phillp’s “Joker” though a lost opportunity to command the stage politically is such an obvious attempt to make emotions cinematic like the masters. “The Joker”, set apart from
DC comics alone and as an independent film is a masterpiece like Scorsese’s "Taxi Driver" exposing pathological mental illness but it was very much able to take it to the next level of science fiction noir with an untapped substantive relatable perspective. Films like “ex Machina”, “Rogue One”, “Time Bandits”, “Captain Marvel” and yes as Director Gunn suggested even “GOTG”, all work toward unearthing deeply soulful characters yet they all fail to take the powers of the characters to realistic outcomes. While during several scenes they may reach it, overall the action and stunts don’t reflect real world consequences or even accurate science; doing so would make them more like the great war films, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Full Metal Jacket”, “Platoon”, “the Thin Red Line”, “Glory, “Dunkirk” and “Paths of Glory” to name a few.
Wonder woman lep from a building but we didn’t see the bullet wounds and blood she suffered charging the line. Why were we denied her suffering? The charge during “Avenger’s End Game”, failing to adhere to the rules of the game, offering instead snippets into their arsenal of characters one by one but denying the majority their abilities. That scene alone could have been a film on its own. It wasn’t “Excalibur” or “Gangs of New York”, it was popcorn fun; not steak and potatoes. Most if not all superhero films shoot dramatic scenes the same as their action scenes; as if the dialogue alone is relatable enough. The main focus should be relating the purpose of the characters desires and needs not just spilling them out. The mission of his or her soul can be told while they are running for a battle, the battle within and of its substance therein must be felt like a painting in each scene, from the view of a pensive truthful hard fought will via the actor’s expressions; slow and deliberate; that is cinematic. Tom Hanks telling the troops on Omaha Beach, it’s time to gather weapons and ammo after that massacre’s onslaught; an extra already on the front-line telling Hanks, he was where he was supposed to be all along. The extra followed orders and in obscurity was just a side note much like Ted Danson later on in Spielberg’s masterpiece, ..”Good luck.” “Thank you.” “No, I mean it. Find him. Get him home.” Such heartfelt reality is missing from comic films seemingly for no reason other than the flash and hype. What is most powerful and needing in the human condition? To say that Spiderman, the Hulk or even Batman can’t rise to this level of actualism is false. They are too watered down in their timing, a momentum enslaved to attention spans.
Phillp’s Joker did not glorify the intelligence of the main character. Even off the meds he lacked the wit, and was even unfunny, while desiring to be humorous. The chic of the genre was forgone for gritty existentialism. A text book sociopath. Joaquin couldn’t bear to elevate to super villain status, entrenched in hyper realism as if his soul wouldn’t allow him such an immoral indulgence. Phoenix’s duty to be human exposes the desperate need for more accessible health care for mental illness especially for victims of violence like Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker. The creators have stressed this film is not political; Fleck repeating that in anguish several times during “the talk show scene” an ode to Scorsese’s “King of Comedy”. While political parallels could exist with Trump and are felt intensely during certain scenes it seems more just a reflection or personal interpretation of our times. This is what makes this film for me a lost opportunity. Too many issues were left unattended politically, socially, psychologically and of course materially neglecting the Joker’s insidious talent. This joker was denied his focus. This could be saved by a sequel but important points were not made in this origin story. The theories of Joker as a fighter of corrupt men who doesn’t kill Batman even after many opportunities still exists but it was not pursued in favor of a random attack against unruly people. His laughing making him vulnerable to agitation, when off his medication, his ultimate mission to lash out against those who are mean to him as if a barometer for how to treat people with respect and kindness in a world where so many ignore or fail to accommodate others selfishly. This is Joker’s mission here again, not against corruption or greed. His motivation unrealistic in scope in so far as its outcomes were left out for possible illusion, reversal. Why? Why didn’t Joker become more adept in his scope as a future millionaire villain? What if the young Batman in this film was our witness to the Joker’s true potential and infamy? While you may say these plot points can’t relate to the human condition and are therefore not cinematic, I say of course they can if the scene is rooted in artful composition. Imagine if such scenes were filmed by Ingmar Bergman. Suddenly young Batman stares longer and walks more deliberately and Joaquin finds his voice on those stairs before he dances.
“The Joker” is among the 5 or so closest comic films that have come to bridging this divide that Scorsese makes, but it ultimately fails to grasp it fully by treating its obligatory comic canon as side notes; not an integral part of a relatable human condition. In comparison, films that have come closer to making these poignant cinematic connections; “ex Machina”, “Rogue One”, and to a father extent “Captain Marvel” and “GOTG” all likewise chose to neglect real time impact and implications of superpowers via intimate meaningful human reactions. Scorsese is wrong to think this can’t be achieved as we can plainly see in many scenes in these films and others.
