WITH Joker: Folie a Deux out soon, prepare for a legion of twats angrily taking offence at even the most reasonable criticism of it. Here’s what to expect from them.
‘You just didn’t understand it’
Yep, that’s you, unable to comprehend films at the most basic level. Are Minions real? What organisation was Henry Hill in? Is Saw based on a true story? Joker isn’t particularly complicated, it’s just unclear what the take-home message is. The only genuinely confusing thing is the point of all the Batman crap. (Answer: money)
‘It speaks to the alienated in society’
They always feel the need to point this out for some reason. Arthur is indeed alienated, because he’s been subjected to so much contrived misfortune that ‘kill yourself’ is genuinely good advice. The film did have an incel following, presumably because Arthur’s hot neighbour doesn’t initiate a relationship with an obvious lunatic. What a cow.
They are constantly lying to themselves
With so much of the film devoted to Joaquin Phoenix moping around and practising his doomed comedy routine, Joker is definitely a bit of a slog. However fanboys can’t accept any criticism of their personal thing, even if it’s undeniably true. Sadly they’re about to get a harsh lesson on the perils of self-deception, because Folie a Deux has got Lady Gaga and songs in it, and is extremely likely to suck balls.
‘You just want a dumb superhero movie’
Rude and presumptive. Having sat through The Marvels, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman 1984 you can categorically state you don’t want another dumb superhero movie. You’re still having random flashbacks of Kristen Wiig’s shitty cat costume.
They appear not to have seen any other films
If the only film you’re comparing Joker to is Joker, then it certainly ticks all the boxes. But fans really do seem unaware that there are other, better films out there, whether it’s the superficially similar Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Terminator 2 or whatever. On the upside, if your definition of supreme quality is Joker, every so-so film from Notting Hill to Event Horizon is going to be f**king amazing.
‘It’s like Taxi Driver’
It’s really not. Joker borrows the dingy urban setting and the alienation, but Arthur is so incredibly pathetic that by comparison Travis Bickle seems totally normal, with a successful career in transportation and a lovely girlfriend to go to porn cinemas with. But perhaps the key difference is that Taxi Driver isn’t extremely boring, a gamble that really paid off for Scorsese.
They wildly overestimate their own intelligence
You’d trust the opinions of pompous Joker fans a lot more if they weren’t morons who typed things like ‘a must-sea film’ or ‘Joaqueem Phoenix really inhibits the character of Arthur Fluck’. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, you just wish it was more literate than ‘Go see Discipible Me if you do’nt understand an intelligant movie, dumass’.
