The recent Joker movie was something completely out of the left field for comic fans. Joker had always been a character that was considered insane because he was just that, completely insane. He has no rhyme or reason for doing what he does. He is just a psychopath who enjoys killing and chaos. He believes that everyone is actually just like him and it is him, who has woken up. All of us are sheep in his eyes and he’s slaughtering us before society does it for us. I mean the premise is quite noteworthy when it comes down to it. However, the new Joker movie gave the character a sympathetic touch. It did in one movie what Breaking Bad achieved in five seasons. The joker movie makes us sympathetic to the clown’s cause. We finally get to witness the origin of the Joker in this universe. It is quite nice to see a joker who was an everyday man. Even if the entire movie is a bit like the origin story in the killing joke it is still unique enough to keep us gripped and on the edge of our seats in anticipation.
The movie starts with a crazed Arthur going about his daily life, dealing with his less than an ordinary medical condition. This condition makes Arthur creepy but he is shown to be a harmless man at the end of the day. He is quiet and decent but somehow life just keeps on getting worse for him. The eventual psychotic break that the character goes through is thrilling to watch. His entire persona shifts from Arthur to Joker and then chaos ensues. But no one could have expected such a pristine performance from the lead man Joaquin Phoenix himself. His subtle art of tact is on full display in this movie. We get to see him flex his acting muscles and take us on an unforgettable journey of sorts. One on which the road runs red with blood.
Originally the Joker movie was listed alongside other major DCEU titles and everyone assumed that it will be the continuation of Jared Leto’s character from suicide squad but after the teasers and cast were made public it was readily apparent that the DCEU took a turn for the better. The sheer magnificence and presence of Joaquin phoenix on-screen made people shake in their boots. It is at this point that I must warn people who have not watched the movie because the theory I am about to discuss will contain a lot of spoilers.
Now, at the end of the Joker movie, we see Arthur Fleck take his final form as the crown prince of crime. As the Joker rises and chaos ensues, he inspired every thug in the city to take up arms against the elite. In their bout for the control of Gotham City, a couple of thugs assassinate Thomas and Martha Wayne enacting the famous batman origin story.
Meanwhile, Arthur kills an anchor on live tv and is arrested by the police and bundled into a police vehicle. This vehicle then crashes and the joker is saved by his lackeys. It is a surreal moment of triumph for the villain and the brilliance of the movie is that we feel happy for the lead character when this finally happens which is weird for law-abiding citizens. However, the most interesting part is that when the movie ends in the Arkham mental center we see that Arthur remembers the killing of Martha and Thomas Wayne, which is impossible because the Joker was nowhere nearby when the murder happened.
A lot of fans have theorized for a long time that the entire movie only happened in the mind of Arthur but no one ever gave any concrete evidence. The fact that Arthur ends up remembering something that he could not have possibly witnessed is now said to be the damming evidence that these theorists need. It seems that people firmly believe that Arthur imagined everything and all of his actions only took place in his mind making the entire Joker movie less than real. But the premise is certainly interesting. What do you think about this theory?
