Flickering Myth

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Why are people getting so crazy about Joker?

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Anghus Houvouras on Joker…

There’s one film right now that is generating a catastrophic level of buzz online. A movie that has some people ridiculously excited while others are working themselves up into a foaming frenzy on what the film could potentially represent. Based on early expectations, the movie looks to be a massive financial hit and will probably clean up during award season. It’s the kind of pre-release buzz that studios would be willing to chop off a few fingers for.

Of course, I’m talking about Last Christmas from visionary director Paul Feig (Ghostbusters) and Emilia Clarke (Terminator: Genisys) as a super-attractive woman who just doesn’t feel like celebrating the holidays anymore. Better clear some space on the shelf for those BAFTAS.

Actually, I was referring to Joker, which has just been screened for the first time at the Venice Film Festival. Critics are singing the praises of director Todd Phillips’ dark crime story and, most notably, Joaquin Phoenix’s expectation-shattering performance. There’s an anticipation for Joker that has turned into a frenzy on social media.

People online are already declaring Joker a new high bar for the cinematic quality of comic book adaptations while the woke & vigilant social justice warriors seem very concerned that the message of the movie will embolden an anti-social mindset that will speak to the borderline loonies of our society and inspire them to commit real world acts of violence. All of these concepts spoken by people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Movie hype has become such a bizarre tapestry of wild and incredulous predictions. We’ve gone from movies ‘generating buzz’ to becoming life-threatening live wires reducing conversations to charred embers. There are obsessed fans who have strangely unrealistic expectations for a movie about a comic book villain directed by the guy who did Old School. I’m not saying the potential is there for Phoenix to walk away with an Oscar, but high holy hell: wait until you see the damn movie before engaging in such baseless talking points. The same goes for the social justice warriors who are convinced Joker is going to be a love letter to incels and believe the movie will assist in normalizing their warped ideologies.

I’m excited about what Joker could be: an awesome ode to the gritty dramas of the 1970s while carving out some interesting new creative territory for the clown prince of crime. At the same time, I understand the basic concerns people would have for Joker’s potential anti establishment theme in a time where mass violence is at an all time high… in America anyway. For you non-Americans who manage to run fully functional societies without weekly mass shootings, the idea a movie like Joker or The Hunt causing concern for their potential to inspire harm must seem laughable.

And yet, there are people out there online pushing the narrative that Joker is a dangerous movie.

It’s strange to watch concepts reserved for propaganda being applied to a movie. And it happens with other movies as well. Star Wars fans have spent countless hours acting like de facto publicists for Disney trying to explain that Rian Johnson did not, in fact, derail the franchise requiring J.J. Abrams to salvage a mess.

I do like the use of the word ‘confirmed’. As if JJ Abrams is incapable of spinning a few yarns on behalf of Disney.

On the other side, there are people STILL talking about The Last Jedi and how it ‘ruined’ Star Wars, thus necessitating J.J. Abrams to put out ‘confirmations’.

If you really want to plunge down a bottomless rabbit hole, spend ten minutes of your day engaging with Zack Snyder fans. I want to see the Snyder Cut of Justice League and think his Ultimate Cut of Batman v Superman is a fascinating movie. There are some people out there talking about Zack Snyder every damn day. Multiple thoughts about Snyder, his version of Justice League and the unnecessary criticism he gets from critics, Marvel fanboys and anyone unfortunate enough to have sat through the theatrical cut of Dawn of Justice. These are some strangely committed fanatics who spend more time thinking about Zack Snyder than his agent, wife or any blood relative.

There are far too many people invested in these ludicrous narratives. Way too many words, thoughts and posts devoted to movies that haven’t even been released. I can’t say what Joker will or won’t be… because I haven’t seen it. And other than the few hundred who watched the screening in Venice, neither have you.

So do yourselves a favor: Turn off your phone, step away from your computer and stop getting yourself worked up over Joker. Whether you’re the obsessed fanboy still sore over The Dark Knight not getting a Best Picture nomination or a socially cautious individual looking for the latest perceived dumpster fire burning down our modern world… just relax.

At the end of the day, Joker is just a movie. It’s not going to vastly improve your existence nor trigger the end of days.

There’s some beautiful irony in having to plead for sanity over a movie about The Joker.

Anghus Houvouras

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