The Joker Reveal: Reactions To Joaquin Phoenix's Killer Clown

4. Far Better Than It Has Any Right To Be

The King of Comedy
20th Century Fox

[Josh Brown]

There isn’t a synopsis that makes the blood run cold quite like “a Joker origin movie directed by Todd Phillips, the visionary behind The Hangover trilogy”, and yet the first drips of official footage from the project have somehow transformed that idea into the best DC have had in years.

Casting Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime was already an inspired appointment, and his weight loss showed his dedication to the role, but the first images of him in full Joker makeup have sealed the deal.

The haunting Instagram test was particularly powerful, channelling shades of The Man Who Laughs and, strangely enough, Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy. That, combined with the set photos, seem to point towards everyone involved ‘getting’ the tone and atmosphere the movie needs, rather than relying on Phoenix’s performance alone.

The look itself, from the long, dark green hair to the dishevelled threads of the costume will draw obvious comparisons to Heath Ledger’s iconic incarnation, but everything else seems completely different, and far better than it has any right to be.

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