The Many Interpretations of The Joker

While it can be argued who Batman's greatest villain is, no one can really argue with The Joker. Here are some of the more notable Jokers in live action and animation over time. Who's your favorite?

Cesar Romero

A common theme among the different Jokers is that they fit into the world they're in. And that's certainly true of the "Adam West Batman" Joker. Brighter, more colorful, and more of a prankster than a threat. A true clown. Cesar Romero refused to shave his mustache for the roll, wearing makeup over it. Hardcore cosplayers mimic this effect, sometimes even using "fake" mustaches.

Jack Nicholson

 

Jack Nicholson held the spot as the most iconic Joker for a long time, even getting imitated by Jim Carrey in stand up. Isn't it cool that The Joker and Lucius Fox become best buds in "The Bucket List"? Jack Napier is theatrical and twisted, which is Nicholson's forte, and very fitting for Tim Burton's Batman. And what's with that stupid grin?

Mark Hamill

I have this poster at home. Hee-hee!

Certainly the best voice for Mistah J, who would have thought Luke Skywalker had such a twisted laugh? Batman: The Animated Series holds up exceedingly well over time. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the best Batman and Joker in animation, period. Or is it Joker and Batman? (laughs) What I like about BTAS Joker: he's scary to the layperson (see episode: "Joker's Favor") but also engages in cat and mouse chases with Batman (see: "The Last Laugh").

Heath Ledger

That Australian surfer dude in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, yeah, what's his name? Whereas Jack Nicholson was theatrical, but had a little too much "paunch", Heath Ledger's Joker is tall, slender, grungy and disturbing. The Bat and The Cat were at the midnight show, and the sold-out crowd went nuts after Heath's first major scene of dialogue with the mob. I think it had less to do with Heath Ledger's passing, and more to do with his overwhelmingly convincing performance. Given all the themes in the movie, it makes you question your own moral ambiguity--you want Batman to catch him, but why are you laughing along with him? He kills innocent people, but you think he makes compelling arguments. Sooner than later, he became probably the most cosplayed character since Chun-Li.

 

John DiMaggio

One of my personal favorites. While he might not have the vocal range of Hamill's maniacal Clown Prince of Chaos, he was meaty and dominating--just the right kind of alpha male to beat the shit out of The Boy Blunder. The Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood also has a similar aesthetic to Heath Ledger's Joker--with the long unkempt locks, dark eyes, tall and skinny appearance, and long coat. His humor was twisted in a more self-serving way rather than making you laugh.

Michael Emerson

Now that Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 is soon to be released on blu-ray, we get another full-length feature with The Joker. And The Dark Knight Returns Joker is certainly a different style: broad-shouldered, more "human" (but certainly not a humanist) and vocally more calm . . . at first. I can't wait! Who is your favorite Joker?

Dark Knight Double Whammy

Holy Blu-Ray, Batman!

Winter is a damned good time for Batman: we have The Dark Knight Rises coming to home release on December 4, and then Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (animated feature) on January 29, 2013.

 

Michael Emerson of LOST will be doing the voice for The Joker in 'Returns' and I'm sure he does a fantastic job. The Joker in Frank Miller's famed graphic novel, "The Dark Knight Returns" is a little bit different, so I think Emerson will match it really well. Actually, my favorite part about Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 is the ending, so I'm already excited . . .

As for 'Rises', I recently made a post that I'm not that excited about the blu-ray release. It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, as I will certainly be at the door on the morning of its release. I'm mostly looking forward to the special features, as well as being able to read subtitles (there is a line by John Blake that I do not understand).

After experiencing it on IMAX ten times during its run (not bad), I look forward to stretching out on the couch during all 2 hours and 40 minutes. Plus, when I have a day to waste, I can't think of a better way to spend it than as a couch potato running a Dark Knight Trilogy marathon! 

Speaking of formats, have you seen or heard of the new 4K and 8K TV's slowly making their way to market? They are 8 and 16 times the resolution of 1080p, respectively (8K apparently approaches IMAX resolution). I'm sure the color quality, sound, and contrast ratios are superior, to boot. I wonder what kind of format will support it, i.e. what will come after blu-ray?

Nevertheless, these new ultra high resolution displays are absurdly expensive, but if I could afford it, I'd get an 8K projector with the largest, creamiest screen and 22.1 surround sound with enough watts to wake up the zoo.

Here is an awesome trailer for The Dark Knight Rises blu-ray release:

Why I'm not that excited about The Dark Knight Rises coming to Blu-Ray (Dec. 4th)

The DC animated feature Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 was released to home video last month, and it did not disappoint. I'll do a more thorough review in the future, but the short story is that it's the second best Batman animated feature, in my opinion, next to Batman: Under the Red Hood. It was more of a creative interpretation than a [virtually] direct adaptation a la Batman: Year One. I thought the voice acting and thumping musical score was superior to Year One, and while the newscaster scenes dominated too much screen time (as they did in the graphic novel panels), the choreography of the fight scenes/action sequences and especially the ending really pumped me up. Even the 80's-ness (is that a word?) holds up. I'd like for a Batman animated feature to see a theatrical release like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm did, but one can dream.

I picked up my copy of The Dark Knight Returns the morning it was in stores, and watched it the same night. I'll undoubtedly do the same for The Dark Knight Rises when it's released on December 4th this year, but I do not look forward to the day as much as I did for Returns. Why wouldn't I be counting the days to completing my Dark Knight Trilogy at home? Because that means it won't be in theaters. As the League of Shadows say, "Theatricality and deception are powerful agents".

Rises is currently the best motion picture you can experience in a classic IMAX cinema, and I don't see anything replicating it in the future. One of the reasons for this is that filming in IMAX is very expensive and cumbersome, but the result is a format unlike any other. No matter what, you can't duplicate that experience at home. You would need a 145-inch 8K Ultra High Def TV (which would run 85,000 dollars) and a sound system that would have your neighborhood dogs barking. That would give you the best "home theater" experience, but it wouldn't come close to IMAX. You'd need a six story building to fit the 1.43 ratio screen and dual projectors the size of cars running the 550 lb. film. There are many more intricacies that go into it, including the seating angle/distance and the sound, costing a total of $4.5 to $5 million for a proper IMAX theater. That's not including the massive amount of electricity it takes to run it. At $14 to $19 for a ticket, consider it an access fee to the best theatrical experience that was once reserved for 45-minute documentaries of nature.

In the age of streaming video, quick-to-home blu-ray releases, Redbox, and large, affordable HDTV's, I think it's important to still have reasons to go to the theater. I compare it to gaming: it's one thing to play a racing game at home on your console using a control pad; it's another thing to be at an arcade driving a racecar simulator. Same game, different experiences. I want Rises to be in theaters as long as possible, but I know its time will be up once Skyfall (the new James Bond flick) displaces it (Skyfall is not filmed in IMAX, by the way). Perhaps Rises will see an IMAX re-release like The Dark Knight did. And hopefully that won't just mean bullshit IMAX digital like they did with Raiders of the Lost Ark. My hope would be a 15/70 IMAX re-release of The Dark Knight Trilogy (even though Batman Begins wasn't filmed for IMAX, it originally screened at film-only IMAX locations). In the meantime, once it's out of theaters, home theater will do. For now.