Joker, Woke Culture, and America
Why, despite wanting to like the film, I don’t recommend watching it.
I’m not the biggest Batman fan in the world, but of the DC pantheon, he’s probably one of my favorites, and so I’ve been looking towards the dark, gritty Joaquin Phoenix-powered Joker film since the trailer first dropped.
That said, I skipped on reading reviews prior, and tried to go in to viewing it last night with an open mind.
Sadly, I was disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually think Phoenix’s acting is brilliantly captivating. He brings an empathy and terror to the character, and the transformation from Arthur Fleck into Joker was one where you can’t look away.
But, I’m a viewer who cares about the themes of a film, and Joker ended up being too problematic for me to fully enjoy. If you’re someone who is blind to racism and sexism, angered by classism, and upset about the constraints of woke culture and just want to see a downtrodden white dude fight back against the system in an explosion of violence, you’ll probably love this film, and can stop reading now.
Also, from here on out, spoilers abound. Can’t say I didn’t warn you. Here’s a photo to prevent those who don’t want to see the spoilers from seeing them.
