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Joaquin Phoenix's Joker Reveal Is Incredible (& So Much Better Than Jared Leto's)
We've got our first look at Joaquin Phoenix in his Joker makeup - and it looks fantastic. A 1980s-set origin movie for the Clown Prince of Crime inspired by the crime movies of Martin Scorsese (who was at one point attached as executive producer), Todd Phillips' Elseworld's DC film has raised a lot of eyebrows since it was first rumored in Summer 2017. "Just what is it?" has been the main question on many people's lips as Joaquin Phoenix jumped on board and casting for a Trump-like Thomas Wayne circulated.
We're no closer to knowing that, but we are beginning to get a feel for the Joker of the story. The first look at Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur was revealed last weekend by the director, showing an entirely unassuming, slightly gaunt man, while set photos showed a man with a sharp dislike of clowns.
Now, a video of what appears to be Joker's final form in the movie has been revealed and, well, it's definitely something. This sort of teaser is rare, and gives a disturbingly intimate look at a movie shrouded in secrecy. And why wouldn't they? The Joker looks great!
THIS JOKER IS SO DIFFERENT (YET STILL JOKER)
Stating the obvious somewhat, this is a radical redesign of the Joker. There's been four previous Clown Prince of Crimes on the big screen - Cesar Romero in Batman (1966), Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Jared Leto in Suicide Squad - and while each looked entirely unique, they were all a clear distillation of the comic book character.
Phoenix, plainly, is not; his inspiration is more John Wayne Gacy than it is The Man Who Laughs. However, what it lacks in visual cues, the design makes up for in the sense of maniacal derangement. That classic clown look is offset by a clearly haphazard application, and lighting accentuates the gaunt face Phoenix has slimmed down. Add the dancing clips projected on top, which are haunting in their gleeful lack of purpose (and we'll look at properly shortly), and there's no mistaking this for Joker.
JOAQUIN PHOENIX HAS THE SCARY, SUBTLE MANNERISMS DOWN
But it's in the performance where we really get the Joker. Phoenix smiles, chuckling lightly to himself, before taking a breath, giving an almost resigned twitch of the eyebrow, and having his face fall to something much more static. It all happens in three seconds of screentime, but the actor gives so much.
There's an inherent sense of self-pleasing in the smile, the twisting of something that clowns typically do for the audience here clearly for Arthur's own benefit, and then the realization that it's all a facade; the more morose expression is the truth behind the makeup. Even that eyebrow twitch, so subtle, conveys a lot: there's a sense of control there, an aspect that defines all previous Jokers and gives an unknowing sense of dread.
THE REVEAL VIDEO TEASES ARTHUR'S DESCENT
Moving onto the context of Joker, it's a great reveal. Shared as a video on Phillips' Instagram, it's a 30 second clip scored to The Guess Who's "Laughing". The camera slowly moves in on Phoenix's Arthur in the same getup as the previous image, with flashes of a dancing clown projected onto him as a small smile begins to appear on his face. As the song reaches its peak, the projection merges with the film and we cut to that close-up of Arthur's face, now smeared with the Joker makeup as delivers a big grin.
It's atmospheric for sure, and the editing tells its own story. The projections are of Phoenix in full Joker form, their flashing a tease of the psychosis hiding deep beneath Arthur. As they increase, they show that bubbling more and more to the surface until it all consumes him. This will inevitably be the main story thrust of the film, something similar to comic Joker origin The Killing Joke.
THE JOKER VIDEO AVOIDS SET LEAKS
Superhero movies are big business with intricate marketing campaigns, yet so often the first look at a new take on a classic character comes via blurry set photos. Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Shazam are just some recent examples, while major plot aspects of Avengers 4 have come almost entirely from set leaks. Not only do these go against a movie's marketing strategy, they give a bad initial impression to fans.
DC's been getting much better at this recently, with Patty Jenkins sharing several Wonder Woman 1984 images from the set to pacify potential leaks, including confirmation that Chris Pine's Steve Trevor is back, somehow. Joker is taking a similar tactic, with Phillips releasing professional photos of Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur/Joker before they film on location and it's leaked. It does nothing to impact the design, but is an appreciated move on Warner Bros. part that ensures a movie's not shaped by the quality of its set security.
