Joker Poster

Joaquin Phoenix stars as the title role in "Joker," a dark R-rated origin story based on the popular Batman villain that is more pyschological drama than comic book movie. (COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.)

Director Todd Phillips’ “Joker” isn’t the first comic book movie with a dark tone and serious themes, but it is the most removed from what people expect from a film linked to a superhero property.

Make no mistake, “Joker” is a dark, disturbing psychological drama and character study that exists in a bleak, nihilistic world. There are no fun action set-pieces. There are no feats of heroic derring-do. In fact, there’s no hero at all.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.