If you’ve made it past the headline, congratulations are in order. Undoubtedly, the topic of comic book movies is far more controversial than climate change or peace in the world, but it needs to be said: Todd Phillips’ Joker is a better film than the Russos’ Avengers: Endgame.
But why are you stoking the fires of fandom, you may ask? The reason is simple: Film journalism is doing a massive disservice to a ground-breaking comic book movie as it refuses to admit it might’ve got things wrong.
Less than two months ago, Joker received the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and multiple standing ovations. The film industry knew it had something special on its hands and the world sat up and took notice.
Suddenly, the discourse around the movie shifted as sprinkles of misinformation and whataboutism spread. You weren’t supposed to want this film to even exist because some random stranger on social media used their platform to say it’s dangerous and will incite violence.
Have we not already agreed that human beings are responsible for their own actions and entertainment isn’t to blame? Are we now going to censor Tom and Jerry because of violence too? It’s a disingenuous argument that treats everyone like they’re idiots.
Nonetheless, the narrative was set: Joker was bad for us and anyone who disagreed was an incel. If you don’t believe me, check out a few of the review snippets on Rotten Tomatoes that say absolutely nothing about the film but turns into an essay of why it shouldn’t have existed.
While many people cast blame on Rotten Tomatoes for the current state of film journalism, the site isn’t at fault here. All it does is it aggregates scores from various publications and journalists. The thing is, it is seen as the measuring stick of a film’s quality and used for comparisons nowadays. Fans screenshot scores to illustrate and argue points, praising or blasting the site for the number in question.
Right now, Joker is sitting on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 69% from 391 reviews, while Avengers: Endgame is on 94% from 486 reviews.
Are you kidding me? Take nothing away from Avengers: Endgame; it’s a popcorn flick that delivered many outstanding moments of fan service, but it isn’t a film that forces you to think too far beyond what’s on screen or even question its intricacies. It’s about as subtle as a hammer to the head.
In many ways, Endgame is like a Taylor Swift album. It’ll find its way to hundreds of thousands of people and break several records. There might even be a song or two that gets you smiling and bopping along. But it can’t be compared to the likes of a Prince or Led Zeppelin. It lacks the nuance or finesse to be something more than disposable entertainment.
Yes, it’s still art and cinema—despite what Martin Scorsese might think—but it is what it is. And one thing it isn’t is transformative.
Joker is uncomfortable, unnerving and not a film that you can put on if you just want to switch your brain off. It’s an experience that forces you to feel, think and confront emotions that you might not want to. Isn’t that the very purpose of art in the first place?
While Avengers: Endgame is likely to keep all its records and remain a watchable film for years to come, let’s not fool ourselves here. The movie brings you momentary joy, while Joker leaves a scar.
Terrible (failed) trolling, tasteless hipster douchebag
I agree.
Have NO idea why so many lost their MCUs on Endgame—it was almost as if it could’ve been filmed in someone’s backyard, with paper maché props and fans would have STILL called it “perfect” or whatever it is they’re calling it nowadays. Big big time/temporal issues with Endgame, too.
Thank you! Finally someone in journalism who understands the film for what it was. Now about Endgame I would slight disagree, in way of saying it does in fact have a lot of emotion and struggle behind it and you do have to know a lot of backstory, but I can also agree with you in saying it isn’t as deep as Joker. Joker was deep. It really does make you feel the emotions, and that’s a sad thing when people just up and shove it aside as if it’s not important simply because they don’t understand that said emotion. Joker was revolutionary I believe. It was dark. It was emotional. It was deep. It was fantastic.
Not a popular opinion nor one that makes sense in the slightest, but it is YOUR opinion. Speaks more about yourself than anything else
Joker😘😘
I slightly disagree with Scorsese, but not by much. Comic book movies are cinema, the cinema of spectacle. They use many of the regular tropes of earlier films to manipulate rather than evoke emotion. They try and appeal to the lowest common denominator. And while there’s nothing wrong in that, you’d be hard done by to find anything of any substance that hasn’t been done before in better, more intimate films. The new Joker film is a slightly different beast, delving into the past for inspiration. Taxi Driver and King of Comedy are clearly touchstones for the film, evoking the loneliness of Travis Bickle and the need for acceptance, even adoration of a Rupert Pupkin. None of this is done subtly enough though, and it can be quite jarring seeing shot for shot scenes and storytelling techniques lifted from those earlier classics. Auteurs such as Scorsese and Tarantino often borrow from beloved films from the past but always bring something new to the table. The only original thing in this film is Phoenix’s performance. Todd Phillip’s, while honouring these earlier films, brings little new to the table and sells out the audience at the end of a film they’ve invested time and emotion in. He takes the easy way out, and unlike Taxi Driver, with its open ending, which will forever be debatable for cinema fans, it feels somewhat of a cheat here. A worthy experiment, I just wish it had been more original. It takes these early Scorsese films of the 70’s for its template and runs with them, almost to the point of plagiarism. Despite all of the problems with the film, I was drawn in for its entire running time and have thought about it a lot since. But only in comparison to the earlier films it tries to emulate. Put in that perspective it falls somewhat short. But any film trying to emulate Taxi Driver, one of the greatest character studies ever caught on film, with a never better performance from De Niro, and a director at the peak of his powers, both brave and bold, is fighting a losing battle. This film may feel new and different to younger audiences, which I applaud somewhat, but I would hope it would lead them to those earlier, far superior films of the past, which are just as relevant, and ultimately prescient, despite being 40 years old, of the world we live in today.
Can you be anymore stupid
Why comapre joker and emdgame there not comparable in the slightest and im actually not sure you truly watched endgame because there is just as many emotional scenes as they were in joker.
Is it possible for the writer to be any more pretentious they were two different things and theres no reason to compare if you prefer dark stuff thats fine.
O fuck yes lol 100% green shitty banner is any indication then my little pony is 5% better lol
Give us a chance to guess: you REALLY liked Endgame? 🙄
I agree with the general consensus here. Why are you comparing them? They are completely different. It’s not like comparing the first Avengers film with Justice League. That would make sense. Some may say Joker falls under the same genre as Endgame, but it’s not that simple. Both movies are brilliant but in their own way.
Well done for saying it Serg…
It gives me hope when journos challenge the narrative of the Media and Entertainment Industrial Complex (copyright pending).
F* Leftist Snowflakes. If you need a trigger warning, don’t leave your mom’s basement.
So you are calling a film about supposedly the villain Joker from DC and after seeing it, you realise that the character is anyone BUT the Joker, and yet you come here and sing lyrical about this film like many tards here. DC is becoming so much of a laughing stock that they are doing all they can to overhype their films seeing their failures. Aquaman comes to mind as another overhyped film