The Dark Knight. With spoilers I guess.

[Teroniss]

Am I the only one disappointed in Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker? True, while he was perfectly psychotic, he was a bit over the top. It frankly took away from the rest of the Joker's personality that I grew up on. I mean, while the killing jokes were there, they weren't very Joker like. There was no gag killings, it lacked funny, it was just explosions, shooting and stabbing......Where were the gags, the acid spraying coat flower, the laughing death gas. In my opinion, this Joker was simply played as a maniacal mass murderer with makeup on rather then the whole "I'll kill you with a smile on your face, and mine" that I always remembered the Joker as.

[Darkmoon]

The gag flowers and laughing gas doesn't really play in a continuity that strives for reality. It's the same reason why Ra's Al Ghul is immortal in name only (and there's no lazarus pits).

I thought the Joker worked well because everything, in the end, was funny to him.

[Sunblink]

The gag flowers and laughing gas doesn't really play in a continuity that strives for reality. It's the same reason why Ra's Al Ghul is immortal in name only (and there's no lazarus pits).

I thought the Joker worked well because everything, in the end, was funny to him.

I dunno, I thought his magic trick was pretty funny...

Until I realized what exactly I was laughing at, then I died a little inside.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cvstos]

Dark Knight = made of win.  I think it may actually become my favorite movie of all time - knocking off even Ghostbusters.  We'll see, I'm still waiting for the initial "OMG" glow to wear off. 

[Darkmoon]

I dunno, I thought his magic trick was pretty funny...

Until I realized what exactly I was laughing at, then I died a little inside.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

Yeah, that was one great magic trick.

[Mao]

It might have been a great magic trick, but I wouldn't want him to preform it at *my* birthday party.

[Darkmoon]

I dunno, so long as it wasn't performed on anyone I really like...

[Mao]

Oooh, I like the way you think.

[VSMIT]

Best part of the whole movie.

[Zina]

The Joker played a lot of jokes and tricks. Most of them were only funny to him, though.
Example:
SPOILER

Tricking Batman into saving Harvey instead of Rachel? Joker, you card.

[King Of Hearts]

Just watched it over the weekend. Here's my view.

This is an excellent portrayal of Joker... not in the way how his psychoses is played out... but as an actual foil to Batman, many writers forget this almost symbiotic relationship between the two.

I am reminded heavily of the story "The Killing Joke" as the movie in itself is more of a battle of philosophies between the Joker and Batman. Joker out to prove that all it takes is just "one bad day" for a regular person to be like him, even in the final scenarios where it was Batman and Two-Face facing off... you still see that is actually an extension of Joker and Bat fight.

...In the end Joker won, The white knight is corrupted... and even if the rest of the world dont know... Bruce and Jim will never forget.

[Sunblink]

I am reminded heavily of the story "The Killing Joke" as the movie in itself is more of a battle of philosophies between the Joker and Batman. Joker out to prove that all it takes is just "one bad day" for a regular person to be like him, even in the final scenarios where it was Batman and Two-Face facing off... you still see that is actually an extension of Joker and Bat fight.

Actually, my ex-boyfriend, who is a major Batman fanboy, gave me The Killing Joke in a .rar file after I saw the movie and told me about the similarities, so I completely see where you're coming from.

I'm extremely amazed someone else mentioned the similarities. XD

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Jairus]

Didn't they give Ledger and the writers a copy of The Killing Joke?

[Darkmoon]

They did.

[King Of Hearts]

yeah, and one other comic that for the love of me cant remember the title... Heath wasnt a big Comic fan... but the Killing Joke was one of the best Joker material for him to learn from.

Nolan did great work in using comic flavors in the movie... Batman Begins IIRC was thematically similar to Batman: year One, which I would also recommend to anyone.

Another thing that I liked was how Joker was fluid about his origins, another nod to the comics as Joker himself doesn't remember clearly anymore.

[Jairus]

Another thing that I liked was how Joker was fluid about his origins, another nod to the comics as Joker himself doesn't remember clearly anymore.

I have to admit that when I first heard that, I was a little worried, but once I though about it it made the Joker all the more terrifying. He literally comes from nowhere, spreading chaos and terror in his wake. He's Batman's opposite in every way: we know where Batman came from, we know what he stands for, we know what drives him, and we know that he represents an element of order in the Chaos that is Gotham City. The Joker has and is none of that. And that is frightening.

[Darkmoon]

Is it really that the Joker doesn't know, or is it that the Joker just likes to spin stories?

[Jairus]

Is it really that the Joker doesn't know, or is it that the Joker just likes to spin stories?

Well, as the Joker pointed out in The Killing Joke, if he had to have a past, he'd prefer it to be multiple choice. Maybe he doesn't know (or doesn't remember), but still enjoys spreading rumors and stories to give himself this enormous reputation.

[King Of Hearts]

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/tsukiwriter/01joker.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/tsukiwriter/02joker.jpg

The current DC stand on Joker's origin...

[Gryphon]

I'd like to repeat once again that in the context of this movie the Joker uses words to mess with your mind. It doesn't matter if it is the truth as long as it puts his foes off guard and messes with people's minds. That said outside of the movie his past has been retconned, retold what have you. And quite frankly, as long as the story is good who cares?

You know who should be in the next Batman movie? Hitman. And not as a villain. As a counter to Batman. Seriously. He's the only person who actually shot the Joker, kneecap the Riddler and kill several inmates. All for beer and pizza money. Yeah.

[Alondro]

There's some indication Joker may have a 'power' per say, in that in some of his remarks in the comic he seems to have an awareness of alternate realities and dimnsions, even after recons and crossovers.

He's the only character in the Batman universe to ever show a 'fourth-wall' awareness.

From Wikipedia: "In the Marvel vs DC crossover, he also demonstrates knowledge of the first Batman/Spider-Man crossover even though that story's events did not occur in the canonical history of either the Marvel or DC universe."

And: "On page five of "Sign of The Joker", the second half of the "Laughing Fish" storyline, the Joker turns the page for the reader, bowing and tipping his hat to mock politeness."

Also, it should be noted that he became sane during a period where all super-beings lost their powers.  His insanity itself may be his super-power!

His intelligence and awareness may be so high it's pushed him into insanity as the rest of his brain simply can't keep it all sorted out.  All those worlds, all those conflicting realities; it would make all existance seem like nothing more than a huge joke on life itself!  And since he had criminal tendancies all along, no matter what background you go with, the insanity naturally became an intense criminal psychosis.

[Teroniss]

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/tsukiwriter/01joker.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/tsukiwriter/02joker.jpg

The current DC stand on Joker's origin...

Now see, this is the Joker I love, the Joker I grew up with. Teh funny psycho clown as it were.

[thegayhare]

I just saw it last night and I thought it was great

I was truely glad they had brought back the scarecrow, even if only for a short scene

and I loved Ledger's Joker

there were some great joker pranks, The judge's directions, joker collecting his own bounty, and "He'd said he'd fill me with light... like Christmas" not to mention the slogen on the joker's semi



also I liked the fact that for the clowns Joker used clinically insane people as his henchmen

I hope Joker does show up in a future film.  Perhapse something involving Harley Quinn.  Voice changes could be covered by a prison accident something that damages his throat,  an assasination attempt, or acid joke backfire.

also Joker fans might like this

Patient J

[Caswin]

Am I the only one disappointed in Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker? True, while he was perfectly psychotic, he was a bit over the top. It frankly took away from the rest of the Joker's personality that I grew up on. I mean, while the killing jokes were there, they weren't very Joker like. There was no gag killings, it lacked funny, it was just explosions, shooting and stabbing......Where were the gags, the acid spraying coat flower, the laughing death gas. In my opinion, this Joker was simply played as a maniacal mass murderer with makeup on rather then the whole "I'll kill you with a smile on your face, and mine" that I always remembered the Joker as.

While you have a point there, you can't really blame Heath Ledger for how the Joker was written.  He just took the material he was given and turned in a darn fine performance with it.