He did portray the joker well*pencil trick* but I don't know why everyone still goes on about him. He died of a drug overdose, he was breaking the law.
I always thought that The Killing Joke could generally be considered a slight exception, not the rule, when it came to characters. I can certainly see where you're coming from, but Alan Moore's work tends to do everything within its power to take things to a new level of, well, something.Parallel Streaks said:The comic Joker beat Robin to death with a crow bar. Ledger Joker cut a guy. The comic Joker crippled Barbara Gordon, stripped her naked and tortured her, then showed picture of it to Commissioner Gordon while he was being electrocuted by violent dwarves, the Ledger Joker cut another guy.
It was a prescription drugs overdose because he couldn't sleep. Although I don't see how breaking the law should detract from his achievements.Voodoopigs said:He did portray the joker well*pencil trick* but I don't know why everyone still goes on about him. He died of a drug overdose, he was breaking the law.
Exactly. The Joker has been portrayed a hundred times a hundred different ways and it's important to keep the things that make him the joker, but whether he's dark or light should be relative to the tone of the context. For instance, I love Mark Hamill's Joker, but this situation called more for Alan Moore's Joker. If I had any concerns about The Dark Knight's Joker it's his motivation. There shouldn't be one. Now, I've reasoned this away by saying that he didn't really believe in his "cause" (I want to show the schemers...), it's just what he was doing at the time. But the Joker isn't supposed to have a back story and that includes long term goals. Although I loved how they showed that they were on board with that by having him tell conflicting stories about himself, because even he's not supposed to know his origin. As for Ledger though, I thought he was fantastic.rossatdi said:The Joker like most DC characters don't really have a set existence. They have a set of general characteristics and themes, each of which are highlighted depending on the series or one-shot.
The Joker from the Dark Knight is very much like the Joker that killed Jason Todd and crippled Barbara Gordon. They toned down the clowniness to make it fit in better with the specific world they were in.
Begins ended with heavy foreshadowing of another malevolent super villain and a huge fear of 'escalation'.GyroCaptain said:both ended on fairly positive notes.
What I classify as a positive note is apparently disparate. Let me explain: a positive note in terms of ideals and uplifting nature. Begins ended with his decision that the people of the city were more important than whatever personal issues he had, and TDK's ending sequence passed from refusal to compromise his ideals with the Joker to choosing to let the people have a hero; because a vigilante-as-hero undermines the law and order he wishes to uphold. Better for a man who is seen as law-abiding to be seen as the hero instead of a man who goes outside that law to work towards making it the only thing necessary. I guess I should have said "fairly positive notes (in a specific moralistic sense that nobody has to agree with)".beholdmycape said:Begins ended with heavy foreshadowing of another malevolent super villain and a huge fear of 'escalation'.GyroCaptain said:both ended on fairly positive notes.
TDK ended with the one of our heros, who had become disfigured and a murderer, dead and the other made to be the scapegoat via his own collusion with Gordans bullshit 'we cant tell people the truth because clearly theyll all llose hope' bullshit. What amkes him an authority on that? he's corrupt, Dent is dead and batman is the bad guy.
How are either of these 'fairly positive notes'?
mspencer82 said:I voted a very emphatic 'no'.
I hate saying this but I truly believe it: if Ledger hadn't died shortly after completing the role there wouldn't be nearly as many fans fawning over such a mediocre performance.
While I do agree that he wasn't breaking the law, he was guilty of being a complete idiot and an ass for leaving behind a wife and child. Considering the fact that on the bottle it probably said something along the line of "Take two one hour before going to sleep." and the corner found like 15 pills in his stomach. That sounds like he was either suicidal or addicted.pigeon_of_doom said:It was a prescription drugs overdose because he couldn't sleep. Although I don't see how breaking the law should detract from his achievements.Voodoopigs said:He did portray the joker well*pencil trick* but I don't know why everyone still goes on about him. He died of a drug overdose, he was breaking the law.