Joker Trailer 2 Review: 9 Ups & 3 Downs

4. The Obvious Comic Reference (With A Major Change)

Make no bones about it, Joker fans, this movie is going to be divisive. It might look incredible and Joaquin Phoenix might look brilliant, but there are INEVITABLY going to be people who complain that it's just not close enough to the comics. That there aren't Batman symbols hidden for us to find or nods to specific comic panels all the way through. That conversation has already started, in fact.

So it's great to see this trailer confirm that we're getting a take on The Killing Joke origin story - at least the idea of a stand-up comedian who has the worst day ever and is driven to his transformation into the Joker. Grounding this movie in the comics is a smart idea for existing fans of the character and for the movie's potential bottom line.

But even better is the fact that there is an obvious subversion of that story too. This stand-up comedian apparently gets some sort of fame (even if it is perverse) and rather than feeling ostracised and abandoned by society, his "blossoming" into the Joker seems to be part of feeling accepted rather than spurned. He sees something in the uprising that reflects who he could be and how he could reclaim his life essentially. And that change looks like a great one already.