Joker - Review

With the end of an era for comic book fantasy adventures from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, we are left to pick up the pieces and find the next big thing to drive the genre of stories and films forward in bringing comic book characters/stories to life.  This leads us to DC films along with Warner Brothers looking to finally define their new direction after the moderate success of Shazam! with this grounded and definitive take on the origins and transformation of one of the most iconic villains to grace fiction, Joker directed by Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover Trilogy) and wrote this story with Scott Silver, not drawing on any of the comic books or adaptations for the character outside of a few inspired elements like “The Killing Joke”.  It mainly draws many inspirations and somewhat odd similarity to 2 iconic Martin Scorsese films such as Taxi Driver and The King Of Comedy but with the focus on Joker as the lead protagonist to explore and develop from start to finish.  Is it this purported masterpiece of a film or is it really a compellingly dark yet uneven character study that is only salvaged by the strengths of its parts that hold it together?  Let’s dive right into the tragic tale of Arthur Fleck and explore where he is at, in his story.

We follow a part time clown worker/ex-Arkham patient named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), discussing his shabby, painful days of working and caring for his mother Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), who was a former secretary of Thomas Wayne (Bret Cullen).  We learn through his daily life routine that he has a neurological condition that causes him to laugh when he feels nervous or stressed, while barely making enough to get by if kids weren’t roughing him up or getting docked for a sign stolen from him.  Arthur cares for his ill mother, while aspiring to be a stand-up comedian like his idol, Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro), a late-night talk show host admired by many in Gotham.  That isn’t helped by the rundown, grimy setting of Gotham City, with people being frustrated with the rich society that refuses to help make their lives better and Thomas Wayne vying to run as Mayor of Gotham City as a way to improve the city for the better.  However, it gets even worse for Arthur Fleck with his job and his life prospects in general.

After being given a gun by a colleague and accidentally dropping it in the kids’ hospital ward, he gets fired and starts to laugh hysterically of his predicament, when a group of rowdy and rude wall street men harass him.  It gets to the point where Fleck kills them and he realizes in a quiet moment alone, just how powerful and liberating it was to take the life of those that have stepped on and ignored him entirely.  It also seems to bring out his confidence to express his love for Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) and becoming an item to him, as he sees how his violent action has brought about the courage in Gotham City to rise against the wealthy with Thomas Wayne adding fuel to the flame with his dismissal of this movement.  Through revelations, distorted truths, and ultimately an admission from within, this is the seed of change that would transform the introverted Arthur Fleck into the iconic Clown prince of crime, The Joker.

This is not your traditional comic book film at all but more of a solo character study drama that follows from start to finish, Arthur’s transformation from a meek, unstable man hanging on by a thread to a confident, brazen literal incarnation of chaos and anger of a completely lost soul.  His character arc is the driving force that moves with such powerful force, that it keeps the film’s script holding together, despite the inherent problems within the script’s storyline and on the nose, heavy handed dialogue dominating the few moments of subtle, impactful nuance that does exist here and there.  This is coupled with the extraordinary, heavy instrumental score and committed lead performance that makes this character of Arthur Fleck a compelling return for the introverted character and transformation arc that dominated much of 1970’s cinema.  It is for those reasons that elevate the film as well as bring to light the importance of mental illness in lieu of character development and to the overall point the film makes regarding the character becoming the Joker.  But the real strength of this film, exudes the same intention and creative drive as Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, to reinvent the character and find a way to ground him while staying true to the core elements of the character and they pull it off with the personal character story they have at work here.

Where the issues reside with the story overall, is within the script and the story created around this character study as well as the dialogue writing at work here.  It is difficult to avoid comparisons to Martin Scorsese and his style of filmmaking, particularly its main inspirations being Taxi Driver and The King Of Comedy with elements of different 1970’s films that can be discerned, notably Sidney Lumet’s Network as a clear example.  It does take certain plot beats and character driven moments of those films and pretty much injects different components of the Joker and Gotham City into it (while still staying true to the core essences of the character and world), it does so to a less impactful or remarkable effect than its source materials.  There are also times, through the dialogue that the film tends to be heavy handed or untrusting of the audience’s intelligence to spell out the themes and emotions of the character at times.   This doesn’t take away from the moments that do work and despite how thin and ultimately shallow the story is, the personal journey of Arthur Fleck into the Joker is what keeps the entire film afloat. 

The main driving force of this film and why it works effectively well is from the brilliantly, transformative lead role of Arthur Fleck played by Joaquin Phoenix.  His dedication to the acting craft as well as his own research into making his performance authentic is nothing short of stunning to see it play so well into making a character, we can empathize with but also despise for what he truly becomes by the climax.  As the meek yet passive Arthur Fleck, we truly feel for his journey to find his place in the grimy, uncaring Gotham, while dealing with his uncontrollable mental illness of laughing caused by the physical abuse to the brain.  When he finally transforms into the Joker, he completely owns his unique take on the character and brings a new dimension to the iconic villain that will no doubt inform the direction of future incarnations down the line. 

Another flawed but commendable aspect of the film is the supporting cast as a whole, ranging from minimal and non-existent to surprisingly effective for the short time present in the film.  The most notable one that utilizes his role completely to the fullest is Robert De Niro as the talk show host Murray Franklin, channeling the swagger and dismissive attitude of the characters he has played, specifically from The King Of Comedy and stands out in the 2-3 major scenes he has throughout the film.  Zasie Beetz as Sophia doesn’t really get much to do in her small screen time as the love interest but she does handle the big twist regarding her connection to Arthur very well.  Even Brian Tyree Henry makes the most of his one scene along with the quick appearance of notable characters of Gotham but really serving to develop Arthur transformation and acceptance of his chaotic self.  Overall, the cast are relatively fine in their bit roles but Phoenix is the one who shines and will get most of the attention for his exceptionally powerful take on this character.

Let’s get right into the look of the film, starting with the art direction and cinematography especially in designing the cityscape and environments featured throughout the film.  It is easy to see the rundown, dilapidated apartment complexes and worn nature of Gotham from hospitals to trains are inspired by the 1970’s grimy aesthetics of New York at that time.  It works effectively in putting us in a city that could lay the foundation for the creation of Batman and Joker, compliments of the talents with production designer Mark Friedberg, set decoration by Kris Moran, and art director Laura Ballinger with their teams to craft this look of Gotham based around the rundown areas of both New Jersey and Sunnyside/Bronx of New York City.  The same can go for the cinematography of the film by Lawrence Sher (shot many of Phillips films including The Hangover trilogy and War Dogs), who absolute draws us into the headspace of Arthur in a very intimate, creepy way that allows us to experience his perspective of Gotham with capturing the aesthetics of crime dramas of the 1970’s period.  The look of this film is truly stunning to watch unfold and captures a balance of the hyper-realism that defines the atmosphere of Gotham City within the streets of New York City, from everyone that worked on the artistic departments for this film.

This is a dedicated section to the costume and makeup artists for this film, especially in crafting a new look for the iconic character as well.  The costume design by Mark Bridges really brings back the workman, poverty-stricken qualities of the 70’s perfectly with the look of each citizen of Gotham contrasting with the outlandish clown getups Fleck wears throughout as well as the classy affluent looks of the wealthy and famous characters in the cast.  The makeup team have also made each character look distinctive and fitting of that time period and setting but they truly out do themselves with a different yet respectful look for the final Joker look that standouts out and maintains the classic look of the character as well as a homage to the Scorsese films that it was inspired from.  It was worth noting the artistry put into making these characters come to life and be different from other interpretations and incarnations that have come before this film. 

Lastly, the editing along with powerful sound design of the film’s effects and soundscape in tandem with the exceptional score that truly feels interconnected to the overall identity of this film.  The sound design team do an exceptional job with instilling a heavy and booming punch to the moments of violence that occur in the last act of the film as well as adding a sense of tension in the quieter moments accentuated by the uncontrollable laughter from Fleck, made impactful by the sharp and concise editing from Jeff Groth, utilizing the 2 hour runtime without feeling like wasted time.  The final compliment and greatest strength of the film is the composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, who provides a very operatic yet naturally haunting acoustic score with only a few pieces featuring synths appropriately but what she has crafted allows for us to really feel the dark and creepy mindscape of Arthur with the visuals (it helps to have also scored the fantastic HBO miniseries, Chernobyl as well).  The crew did an exceptional job in elevating and providing the punch the film needed to resonate effectively, where the film does fall short in and that is a credit to the fantastic teams of filmmakers at work here.

This is quite a film to come back into critical writing for, but it is a credit mainly to how much of a different yet refreshingly grounded take this is for such a remarkably timely yet fan favorite villain of the Batman/Gotham universe itself.  Joker succeeds where it matters, in crafting a grounded character driven tale of how someone like him can exist within our own world, the same way Christopher Nolan redefined Batman for modern audiences but not quite as gracefully as that film.  Mainly from the issues that reside from the heavy handed, simplistic dialogue sprouting the themes and emotions to us as well as the shaky yet violent climax, despite the amazing lead performance for that scene alone elevating past the flaws of the narrative plot in the script.  However, what keeps the film afloat and makes this work is the mesmerizing performance by Joaquin Phoenix in crafting a Joker that will truly define the way this character morphs with future cinematic versions going forward for DC films.

Score: *** out of *****

Joker is a timely yet effective character driven drama of a man pushed to his limits and committing to what he was always meant to be, a Joker.  Taking inspiration from the finest of this type of narrative singular character focused filmmaking, be it from Scorsese films or even other films such as Network and even Falling Down, it follows the structure of those films to the letter, but with the emphasis on Joker and Gotham City itself, along with the key players that live there as well as changed by the Joker in this particular incarnation.  The exceptional and fantastic art direction, aesthetically distinctive and 1970's period influence with the costume/makeup, and wonderfully creepy score elevate the film and give it the impact that makes it work in tandem with the memorable performance from Phoenix himself.  Where the film does falter is it somewhat derivative, weak script writing at work with the logic of the plot being fast and loose by the climax, only scratching the surface of the important themes and mental health issues but only in lieu of the character journey at work here, and not having a stronger story to take full advantage of this Joker until the last act.  This is mainly worth seeing for what will be one of the many remarkable lead performances of 2019 that drives and defines this film’s legacy for years to come.

Marvel's Captain Marvel Review

With the big film releases finally emerging, there has been one comic book/superhero sci-fi adventure/mystery film that has loomed over the first quarter of 2019 before the release of the hotly anticipated transitional finale for this era of the MCU and it is Marvel’s Captain Marvel written and directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson, Mississippi Grind) with writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet (recently wrote Tomb Raider).  There has been a ton of controversies and arguments going on between the purpose of the film’s “agenda” as well as its importance to the overall canvas of the MCU.  It was fueled by the press releases as well as Brie Larson as Carol Danvers comments regarding diversity in film criticism.  As you can surmise what happened next, it has divided the internet conversation in half but ironically, people are still excited to see this entry as expected since each MCU film has been reliably good to fantastic with only a handful being legitimately mediocre.  Does this human/Kree hybrid rise to the occasion and become another iconic hero of the ever-growing roster of Avengers or does it falter severely where it matters, in it story and character writings to make her as well as her cast/world standout within the genre?  Let’s traverse the past and present to discover our true identity with the story itself.

In a distant galaxy far away, we follow an intergalactic peace keeping force known as the Starforce, and headed up by team leader/Commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) with Vers (Brie Larson) being his newest member and prodigy along with Korath as second in command (Djimon Hounsou), Minn-Erva as Team Sniper (Gemma Chan), Att-Lass as Point-Man (Algenis Pérez Soto), and Bron Char, the strongman of the team (Rune Temte).  They are tasked by Supreme Intelligence (Annette Bening) to track down a shapeshifting alien race known as the Skrulls with the small band of terrorists led by Talos (Ben Mendelsen) causing havoc around the galaxy.  The two groups get into a battle that causes the Skrulls to seek refuge in Sector EC-37 also known as Earth, with Vers separated from her team to crash land on Earth alone.  She discovers that not only is she in her planet of origins, but that it is the year 1995 on Earth.

As she reorients to her new surroundings, she becomes overwhelmed by the memories that are coming back to the surface of her life on Earth as the hot shot pilot Carol Danvers, who flew with her best friend, wingman Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) known as ‘Photon’ with hints that she has been brainwashed and her memories were suppressed to be more susceptible to the training for the Starforce and Kree culture.  While she is learning of her past, she encounters a younger, idealistic Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as a S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison agent, along with Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) as a rookie field agent in her adventure to find her true identity and reason for having these powers.  It becomes a mystery adventure through Earth as Vers discovers and becomes Carol Danvers as well as a superhero that could very well be the key to keeping the galactic war of the Kree and Skrull at bay from ravaging Earth.

First off, this is an origin story with a mix of sci-fi thriller and mystery driven adventure, making for a reliably fun and intriguing introduction to the character and her cast/setting.  With that stated, it does start off a bit slow and sluggish with the introduction of the Starforce and a ton of side characters on the cosmic side of the series that either serve a perfunctory role or pay lip service to their connection in other Marvel films.  Carol Danvers story is of discovery with identity and self as the overall themes/conflict for her to overcome.  It is that universal conflict in the story that shines the strongest thankfully, in spite of how easy this could have been diluted or pandered to certain agendas, other than the few spots where it does happen for a badly done joke or reinforcing her character arc.  When she is given the chance to shine on her own as a character and interact with Fury, she comes across relatively well if a bit sarcastic and overly confident at times that makes it difficult to be drawn to the character or build interest to see more of her adventures in future installments with team ups and solo outings.  At its core, the story works in establishing a new hero into the MCU series as a whole and establishes some interesting new changes to the established storylines that provides interesting wrinkles to the world building of the series.

The most interesting and strongest elements revolve around the supporting cast on Earth, even though it starts cosmically at the Kree Homeworld Hala and a rescue mission being very meh and uninteresting for the first act.  The interaction and seeing a younger Fury does a great job providing some humanity to the character and gives a different side to the character we have not seen at all throughout his tenure as S.H.I.E.L.D and Rogue Agent.  We also get some great, emotional anchoring moments with Danvers best friend Maria Rambeau played by Lashana Lynch, providing much of the emotional arc for Danvers.  The story picks up as soon as Danvers lands on Earth and it keeps the story flowing naturally and never truly feels sluggish for its runtime in a positive way, despite some odd editing and ultimately an anticlimax of a finale.  There are times when the flashbacks with Danver’s past as well as her journey to learn and reclaim her true identity is cleverly done and really resonates the strongest to make her an interesting character to develop in future installments.  There is also a twist that changes the very foundation of an established species and that was refreshing to see, even though the real villains are kind of generic and ultimately cookie cutter zealots for the hero to punch hard in the face.  However, there are problematic issues with the story in regards to consistency and its structure of story/character arcs.

The term inconsistencies describes this film perfectly, as it shifts from a space-faring adventure to a road trip mystery adventure from the first act to the next, making for some odd shifts in humor and drama at times.  Danvers is really inconsistent as a character too, one minute she is very sassy or snarky, the next all stoic and strong with very little nuance in those character changes, which could be attributed to the numerous rewrites and lack of focus in direction to shape her character or provide Larsen enough material to make the character her own.  She plays well off of the supporting cast but has not established her mark on the character unlike the other actors but has the potential to do so.  It also has humor that either works or lands flatly and painfully, as well as retconning key plot elements from other Marvel films to give this one importance when all it does is just provide an unnecessary answer to a question that might not have needed a jokey response to it (as unexpected and funny it was personally), as well as a very awkward plug-in that could ruffle some hardcore fans of the cinematic/comic series.  Despite all these problems, the story succeeds where it counts in establishing the lead hero that can grow into a more interested and developed lead, a great supporting cast to play off of, and ultimately provides a good starting point for more creatively driven entries for Danvers to be in, with a different talented and focused direction/writing team behind it hopefully.

Let’s get into the cast, starting with the lead herself, Carol Danvers played by Brie Larsen.  She is both charming and a bit of a blank slate at the same time, which is an interesting way to kick off the critique on her character.  The positive is that Larsen does the best with what she has to work off of, to make the character likable enough to at least see character change and growth for later stories.  Which is a shame that we learn about her character and life during flashbacks in intervals, providing a different spin on the origin story structure but it does muddle the story a bit for her character at times.  Ultimately, Larsen does seem to really be game for the role but needed a more cohesive story with a better written script that plays to her strengths as an actress to really make Danvers just as enjoyable and iconic as the other notable heroes established in this series.  For what we got as a result, was a lead performance that was suitably good but does not quite feel properly crafted and comfortable with the character just yet but has the potential in the next film to be given the time needed to make the character feel properly established in the MCU. 

For most of the film, Samuel L. Jackson tags along as a younger, open minded S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison agent Nick Fury and he provides not just a grounded, familiar presence to the story but also showcasing a different side to the character that is refreshing to see of this character.  It must be mentioned in conjunction to this performance, that the CGI de-aging is frighteningly well used and makes him look appropriately aged for the setting.  He also provides some levity and good-natured humor to the story in the right spots and yet still be a well thought out and integrated side character for this adventure.  There is an answer to one of his visual characteristics that might split audiences regarding its execution and joke that personally works in the moment but might be seen as relatively lame and disservice to the core traits of the character in general.  Despite being a bit of a second fiddle in the second half of the film for Danver’s actual friend and partner in her story universe, he provides some sense of familiarity and enjoyment to be had throughout the film in delightfully fun ways.    

We also have the supposed villain, Talos played by Ben Mendelsen that provides much of the goofy, sci-fi elements of the film.  Pretty much playing his usual villainy role to over the top, hammy Australian ways, he definitely provides a bit of fun to the role as always and even uses his natural accent for the character.  The twist revolves around this character and his species, which does diminish his presences a bit as a serious character but it provides the humanity of the conflict that the heroes are fighting for.  He also serves as a memorable introduction to the shape-shifting aliens and the prospect of a larger role for this alien species is left open and could change if a certain event story arc is made into a reality.  Anyway, a fun “villain” for the first half of the film that was always a pleasure to watch whenever he was in a scene.

The other standout of the cast happens to be Maria Rambeau played by Lashana Lynch, who unexpectedly provides the emotional anchor for Carol Danvers later in the film.  She makes the later character defining monologues have weight to them and truly provides the most compelling dramatic performance of the cast.  The two monologues given to her upon reflecting on the past and inspiring Carol Danvers to reclaim who she is and allow that identity to define her actions as a hero really provides the beating heart and soul of Danver’s journey (despite the writing/direction from the filmmakers not quite conveying this through Larsen’s performance strongly enough).  Despite only really serving the story near the second half to finale of the film, she makes for a remarkable supporting character for Larsen to play off of in the later parts of the film. 

The rest of the supporting cast all fit within the context of the story to provide some scene stealing moments or just fit right into the path they end up for this kind of story.  There is also the Starforce team that all serve a pivotal role in the story later, but are essentially Danver’s squad with Yon-Rogg leading them.  They are perfectly fine in the roles and ultimately only serve to be a formidable force later and they fit right into forgettable characters played by notable actors in the roles.  As for Supreme Intelligence played by Annette Bening, she was decent in the role as a sage for Marvel to develop from and is tied to the major change to the actual comic lore for the story told here in cinematic form.  However, the scene stealer of the supporting cast is the cat named Goose, who provides the most unexpected and darkly humorous moments of the film as well as a cutely comical joke backstory for a certain iconic look.  There is also the surprise return of Clark Gregg in the iconic character Agent Coulson once more but only for a small bit and is unfortunately underutilized along with Sam Jackson at times (despite Jackson still factoring in the story as a reason for Danvers to return to Earth and motivation to fight in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame).  Monica Rambeau played by Akira Akbar was a decent and likable character for the young kids to enjoy seeing and she has a few cute, endearing moments with Danvers that works rather well to establish the character change she goes through by the end of the story.  Despite the script and direction letting down the lead character a bit, the supporting characters truly provide the foundation for that character to grow naturally into the MCU as a whole as well as providing some great dramatic and humorous moments.

Now on the technical side, the film is proficiently made in many departments as it has been in numerous Marvel films, starting with the cinematography and art direction for the film.  It was shot by Ben Davis (Marvel Alumni for 3-4 other films in the series) and the film is relatively filled with enough bright, natural colors and worldly tones to look relatively fine, if a bit bland and uninspired in its composition at times.  The consistent positive and flaw of this aspect of filmmaking comes from having to keep a consistent look for the series to maintain with each film, despite one or two that slip through and define their own style (Guardians of The Galaxy is still a good example of this).  That being stated, everything looks appropriately cosmic and grounded in the designs of the worlds and settings for the time period, even if it does the visual and audio nostalgia of the 90’s in both cute yet awkward times throughout the film.  So, in that regard, the film is shot relatively well and fits with the visual style of the series, despite not really standing out from the more inspired and creatively remarkable entries in the MCU.

Let’s get into the VFX effects and costume designs for the film, which are a range of quality inspired creations to questionable but still visually flashy effects to give the action some punch.  The VFX is of reliably good if at times flawed quality here, with the first half feeling a bit unpolished at times and being muddled by the smoky effect that obscures the shots and set a bit too much.  It eventually looks fantastic in the finale, when the powers of the characters are unleashed and provide some of the most spectacular looking action set pieces near the end.  The costumes for the characters are relatively appropriate to the characters and settings, but for Danver’s eventual iconic look, it is truly a fantastic looking suit and definitely pops visually, even if the character herself does not in the writing and direction side.  So, for the visuals in general, it looks reliably great with some eye popping VFX work in the second half of the film along with some distinctively defined costume designs for the hero and majority of the cast.

Captain Marvel - Main Theme By Pinar Toprak (To Listen To A Sample Of The Music)

Lastly, the sound design of the film from the unique effects to the soundtrack itself by Pinar Toprak (a promising female composer).  There is an emphasis on synthesized sounds for the action beats as well as the natural sounds of Earth with the cosmic elements throughout the film.  The sound editing is handled extremely well and add some weight to the action beats in general.  As for the score itself, it is done very well and combines many of the different works from previous films to craft a new audio identity to Danvers in very effective ways that help drive the story forward as well as her character arc.  The use of 90’s music from Rock to Hip-Hop was fine and cute to listen to, outside of the oddly used song for scenes that do not fit it at all (looking squarely at the cringy “I’m Just A Girl” by No Doubt for the climatic battle near the end).  Just like with visuals, audio shines with so much great creative choices and direction to craft a great soundscape for Carol Danvers and her character/world.

With the dawn of new female voices in media rising to the occasion in acting, writing, and directing, this one proves to be more than capable of delivering on a fun if formulaic adventure that does suffer tremendous from a mismatch of narrative tones and character writing for the lead hero specifically.  Marvel’s Captain Marvel is held together by the strong second half of the film that better establishes Danvers’ as a hero and delivers the inspired visual spectacle we have come to expect from these films, outside of a one-sided, anticlimactic finale with a fantastic supporting cast, and a wonderful sound design to boot.  This means, it falls right into the average entries in the series that serves yet another origin story with a slightly different approach via fragmented flashbacks and focused on a female driven character, even if Carol Danvers proved to be the least interesting character in the whole film ironic enough.  Now the hope lies with the talented legacy writers of the series and directors of the next entry to really solidify and make her character better defined than what we got from her own film.

Score: *** out of *****

Marvel’s Captain Marvel is a reliably fun but generic origin story for a new hero that could play a major role in the upcoming entry with a fantastic supporting cast, well-crafted sound design, and visually awe-inspiring action beats in the second half that make it worth a view on the big screen.  However, the whiplash in character attitude and development with Carol Danvers in this story makes it hard for viewers to click with throughout the entire film unfortunately and feels like the fault of an unfocused direction and script to nail down her character properly.  It is a shame the rest of the cast outperforms her tremendously, especially Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, and even a cat in humor and great character moments that add to them personally instead of detracting from the film.  In a way, it does feel like a filler entry in the series that would have been better served as an opening for the next phase of films than a middle act break before the big finale takes place.  So, not quite the agenda driven film people were fearing but not quite as creatively inspired or crafted as some of the strongest entries in the MCU.  Worth a view for fans but for anyone not a fan, following the MCU series, this can be skipped over.