This is not a review of the movie as a whole, just on his one part. (BTW, movie was awesome)
WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!!
Anybody who has read into the Batman universe knows how twisted the caped crusader's enemies are. None of them are sane, everyone has a gimmick, and they are dressed like a circus of horrors(or circus of values is Bioshock still haunts your nights). None have reached the level of arch-nemesis of Batman other than The Joker. He is insane, has a very unsure history, and is dressed like a carny. He seems to have a wanton disregard for rules, plans, life, or anything besides the here and now.
Over the years, his back story has changed drastically, from being in a horrible chemical spill, falling in a chemical vat, or being just plain insane. A consistency in his history, though, has been that there is no consistency; in the new movie he changes his story several times as to how he got his horrific scars that make his "smile." Unfortunately, if you go into the new movie expecting a purist joker, with the bleached skin and green hair, be prepared to be disappointed; it is make up. The scars are real but his face is just normal "peach."
That being said, you only see him out of it for a split second once, and it really doesn't affect the plot at all. What really throws the punches in Ledger's portrayal is his perception that gotham is merely a toy chest for him to play with. He truly carries the air of a man who does not care about anything; he lives from moment to moment, savoring every ounce of pain and misery he draws from his victims. He brings a new level of depth to the character never seen in live action before. You never learn who he is, where he comes from, or how he got so bizarre. The mystery allows for the idea that The Joker is not a sum of the disasters that led to his disfigurement like in the 1989 version, but he is merely an insane man who gets undeniable thrills from killing and torture.
Ledger brings a darkness that has not been seen in the character before. His previous iterations ranged from psychotic clown to light hearted prankster but never before has he been pure evil. The closest we have ever come to this version is in the graphic novel "The Killing Joke" but even that falls a little shy. Ledger's voice work pounds home his insanity amidst a myriad of cackles and guffaws. He takes a beating from Batman but rolls over laughing. He even goes so far as to offer "advanced interrogation" techniques to Batman.(Never start with the head; they go all fuzzy and don't feel the rest of the pain.) Only once does he show anger but it is more of his frustration that he lost a game of chicken as opposed to being angry because his men were killed.
He plays the part of a sadistic bastard(for lack of a better word) who plays everybody like a fiddle, messing with them until they snap and kill people. It is impossible to tell when he is being serious or sarcastic, he often punctuates his speeches with violence and joking statements; most of the time, however, his jokes are his violence.(Watch for his disappearing pencil) Ledger's voice is dripping with sarcasm with every statement that oozes from his mouth with the possible exception of his final monologue.
From a writing standpoint, this is the best Joker ever seen in tv or film. He essentially explains the entirety of his relationship with Batman in a scattering of speeches. Over past versions of the Joker, the character has matured vastly. No longer does Gotham need an enema, it needs a better class of villain. He still challenges Batman to remove the mask but he kills people instead of raining money down on them or suing it off him. In the original series he stole diamonds and ran counterfeiting rings while he now burns the money because he can. He is a genius and an anarchist.
Overall, I would rate this as the best version of The Joker ever. As far as the movie goes, you should go see it, then buy it when it comes out.
Kiltman
WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!!
Anybody who has read into the Batman universe knows how twisted the caped crusader's enemies are. None of them are sane, everyone has a gimmick, and they are dressed like a circus of horrors(or circus of values is Bioshock still haunts your nights). None have reached the level of arch-nemesis of Batman other than The Joker. He is insane, has a very unsure history, and is dressed like a carny. He seems to have a wanton disregard for rules, plans, life, or anything besides the here and now.
Over the years, his back story has changed drastically, from being in a horrible chemical spill, falling in a chemical vat, or being just plain insane. A consistency in his history, though, has been that there is no consistency; in the new movie he changes his story several times as to how he got his horrific scars that make his "smile." Unfortunately, if you go into the new movie expecting a purist joker, with the bleached skin and green hair, be prepared to be disappointed; it is make up. The scars are real but his face is just normal "peach."
That being said, you only see him out of it for a split second once, and it really doesn't affect the plot at all. What really throws the punches in Ledger's portrayal is his perception that gotham is merely a toy chest for him to play with. He truly carries the air of a man who does not care about anything; he lives from moment to moment, savoring every ounce of pain and misery he draws from his victims. He brings a new level of depth to the character never seen in live action before. You never learn who he is, where he comes from, or how he got so bizarre. The mystery allows for the idea that The Joker is not a sum of the disasters that led to his disfigurement like in the 1989 version, but he is merely an insane man who gets undeniable thrills from killing and torture.
Ledger brings a darkness that has not been seen in the character before. His previous iterations ranged from psychotic clown to light hearted prankster but never before has he been pure evil. The closest we have ever come to this version is in the graphic novel "The Killing Joke" but even that falls a little shy. Ledger's voice work pounds home his insanity amidst a myriad of cackles and guffaws. He takes a beating from Batman but rolls over laughing. He even goes so far as to offer "advanced interrogation" techniques to Batman.(Never start with the head; they go all fuzzy and don't feel the rest of the pain.) Only once does he show anger but it is more of his frustration that he lost a game of chicken as opposed to being angry because his men were killed.
He plays the part of a sadistic bastard(for lack of a better word) who plays everybody like a fiddle, messing with them until they snap and kill people. It is impossible to tell when he is being serious or sarcastic, he often punctuates his speeches with violence and joking statements; most of the time, however, his jokes are his violence.(Watch for his disappearing pencil) Ledger's voice is dripping with sarcasm with every statement that oozes from his mouth with the possible exception of his final monologue.
From a writing standpoint, this is the best Joker ever seen in tv or film. He essentially explains the entirety of his relationship with Batman in a scattering of speeches. Over past versions of the Joker, the character has matured vastly. No longer does Gotham need an enema, it needs a better class of villain. He still challenges Batman to remove the mask but he kills people instead of raining money down on them or suing it off him. In the original series he stole diamonds and ran counterfeiting rings while he now burns the money because he can. He is a genius and an anarchist.
Overall, I would rate this as the best version of The Joker ever. As far as the movie goes, you should go see it, then buy it when it comes out.
Kiltman
