While on the treadmil tonight a YouTube music clip came up, it was a version of Eminem Lose Yourself and the background was to the Joker. Not the Heath Ledger Joker but the actual Joker movie. What a rail road film it was. I loved it. I know many didn't and that's OK but the Joker stands to be one of the BEST origin films to date. Coming from DC that's a big call when Marvel has absolutely dominated the current genre of films.
But it takes me back to one of the BEST Batman films ever and that's The Dark Knight. The second installation in a Christopher Nolan trilogy. To be honest I wasn't expecting it to be such a smash hit. I didn't particularly like the first one. The use of Scare Crow probably wasn't the best adaptation. I did enjoy Penguin with Danny Devito many moons ago.
But as the film commenced we were introduced to the Joker, one of the most famous of Batman villians in all the films. Mainly because of his selection in the 60s or 70s T.V adaptions. I'm not sure what years it came out but I remember watching re runs as a kid in the 80s and 90s with my grandfather. It was great quality time and I came to fall in love with the Batman shows.
The 90s brought us multiple different Batmans and if you're a youngin it was a time in cinema where most sequels never used the same lead characters. They would just continue as if nothing has occurred, which makes viewing quite challenging when rewatching these movies. We did get Arnie as Mr or Dr Freeze that was pretty awesome.
So when I went into watch The Dark Knight I wasn't expecting much except for a time killer and a few cheap rushes of a caped crusader tieing up bad guys and a few tacky one liners.
But this was different, it was dark, it was in the shadows it was a masterpiece and I remember thinking once it was over Two Face appears! I totally thought Dent was going to be the third instalment but they kept going which was awesome!
But the true star of the film was Heath, his portrayal of the Joke was on another level of acting. So good that they can never replace him as the Joke despite the Joker origins story being close and good it is not the same. Which is why the directors can not pit the Joker up against Batman again. Definitely not with Afflick which was I don't know, a bad choice as a Batman, quite didn't make as much of an impact.
Future Joker and Batman movies will utilise the newer form of the Joker which was seen in the suicide squad known as Mr Jay. I think that's a really good alternative and a totally different Joker persona. This one is more reckless and chaotic where the other Joker was more anarchist, purely wanting to see the world burn. An alter ego to Batman.
Either way The Dark Knight will forever go down in Batman history as the Best Batman film. Sorry Bane, you come close but that rendition of the Joker can not be bested.
What are you're thoughts, do you think there are better Batman films? Let me know in the comments section below.