The Genuine Article
This post inspired by the guys at Tim's last night that thought it was funny to get me riled up about Nicholson.
Honestly, alot of people aren't fans of Batman or the Joker. Some outright hate them. I am not one of those. In fact, they are my two favorite comic book characters of all time. But even then, even if not for that, I would applaud this movie. Because hopefully, director Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger will succeed in erasing my least favorite sentence from human language.
"Jack Nicholson was the best Joker!"
The Joker is not meant to be funny. Especially with the clown reference in his appearance. That's the irony of his character. The Joker is meant to be scary. Terrifying, really. That's the whole point. To say that Jack got the whole comedic aspect of the Joker spot on and that's what made him great is where most people fall short of their own point.HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY! The fact is, most of his jokes are bad, or tasteless, or just plain mean. He is, in fact, insane. But his power lies in the fact that he is a true sociopath. He has nothing but Id, he exists soley to pursue his own wants and needs. And what the Joker really needs is to prove himself . . . to Batman. And this is because to him there really is no one else. He and Batman are two sides of the same coin. Everyone else is backgroud; extras in the film of their existance.
Now don't get me wrong. I adore Nicholson. But the script he was given was written by someone who had no idea who these characters were. It was directed by someone that admitted right out he never EVER read the comics. And that is a recipe for disaster. That Joker was no more the real deal any more than Micheal Gambon is a better Dumbledore than Richard Harris was. See my point? Nicholson did a great job with what he was given, but that was at best sub par. I mean, not only did they humanize the Joker by giving him a name but they RATIONALIZED his killing by making him a criminal beforehand! That defeats the purpose! How much could it possibly take to drive a gangster to kill people? Did he really need an acid bath to go that far? Bullshit! He shot people in cold blood with ease even before taking the dive. Pointless.
Love 'em or hate 'em all you want. Everyone is more than welcome to their own opinions. But until Bale we never had a true Batman worth watching. And if I am correct, the same goes for Heath Ledger. But I know one thing for sure: Jack's Joker couldn't hold a candle to this new one.
Long live the Joker.
Honestly, alot of people aren't fans of Batman or the Joker. Some outright hate them. I am not one of those. In fact, they are my two favorite comic book characters of all time. But even then, even if not for that, I would applaud this movie. Because hopefully, director Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger will succeed in erasing my least favorite sentence from human language.
"Jack Nicholson was the best Joker!"
The Joker is not meant to be funny. Especially with the clown reference in his appearance. That's the irony of his character. The Joker is meant to be scary. Terrifying, really. That's the whole point. To say that Jack got the whole comedic aspect of the Joker spot on and that's what made him great is where most people fall short of their own point.HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY! The fact is, most of his jokes are bad, or tasteless, or just plain mean. He is, in fact, insane. But his power lies in the fact that he is a true sociopath. He has nothing but Id, he exists soley to pursue his own wants and needs. And what the Joker really needs is to prove himself . . . to Batman. And this is because to him there really is no one else. He and Batman are two sides of the same coin. Everyone else is backgroud; extras in the film of their existance.
Now don't get me wrong. I adore Nicholson. But the script he was given was written by someone who had no idea who these characters were. It was directed by someone that admitted right out he never EVER read the comics. And that is a recipe for disaster. That Joker was no more the real deal any more than Micheal Gambon is a better Dumbledore than Richard Harris was. See my point? Nicholson did a great job with what he was given, but that was at best sub par. I mean, not only did they humanize the Joker by giving him a name but they RATIONALIZED his killing by making him a criminal beforehand! That defeats the purpose! How much could it possibly take to drive a gangster to kill people? Did he really need an acid bath to go that far? Bullshit! He shot people in cold blood with ease even before taking the dive. Pointless.
Love 'em or hate 'em all you want. Everyone is more than welcome to their own opinions. But until Bale we never had a true Batman worth watching. And if I am correct, the same goes for Heath Ledger. But I know one thing for sure: Jack's Joker couldn't hold a candle to this new one.
Long live the Joker.