In the midst of their slate of big-budget action-driven superhero films,
Warner Bros. has released a, comparatively, low-budget character-driven film based
on one of DC’s most iconic villains, the Joker. Giving the Joker his own film
and making it a psychological thriller is rather fitting, but making it unconnected
to the larger, and still-ongoing, DCEU is a bit of a gamble, if only due to the
risk of confusing audiences about continuity. This risk seemed to pay off
early, however, when it got an eight-minute standing ovation at the 76th Venice
International Film Festival, where it also won the Golden Lion, the festival’s highest
prize. After I saw the film in its opening weekend through a 35mm print, I
walked away feeling like I generally agree with its praise, but there are
certain elements that are not for everyone.
