What a wild year for clowns 2019 has been! With Joaquin Phoenix bringing his Oscar audition … I mean his take on Joker this weekend, we have assembled the best movies with Joker in them up to this point. There are some crazy obscure movies in here that you’ll think have to be made up but I swear I’m not joking!
So, it’s not often two movies come out that both include clowns and jokers unrelatedly. A few weeks back for IT: Chapter 2’s BEC Clowns, I wrote about Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. This week, I am again going to be talking about this film, more specifically about Joker’s role and why this is one of the best portrayals to date, this time. *Some spoilers ahead. In Return of the Joker, Joker has been gone for a long time, died after a violent endgame with Batman after capturing and brainwashing Tim Drake/Robin creating Joker Jr. That traumatic night stayed with Bruce/Batman for 40 years until The Joker makes his recrudesce. The retired dark knight shows real shock and even some fear, something that few have ever accomplished. More than that, Joker gets the drop on the old man and leaves him for dead, laughing hysterically with a grotesque grin across his face. The Joker can be a truly terrifying villain and has earned his place at the top of the Rouges Gallery. Mark Hamill reprises the role beautifully and leaves the impression that though Joker can be gone, his laughter will never get out of your head. (Evan Lucken)
The DC Animation team has a lot in it’s name under the Batman brand, and this one fascinates me the most. What most people don’t know is that this movie actually takes place within the ‘Batman Arkham Game Series’ and as a huge fan of that series, that pretty much tells you why I already love it. For a movie with Batman’s name in the title, the real center of the film is a team made up of the ‘Suicide Squad’. This involves Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Killer Shark, and Black Spider. After Riddler has top secret incriminating evidence that could bring down A.R.G.U.S that is locked up in Arkham Asylum, Amanda Waller will form together the Suicide Squad to go in and retrieve the files before anyone can discover them and learn the dirty secrets a.r.g.u.s is hiding. I feel like a DC animated movie has no right to be this good as it is but that’s what makes me enjoy it as much as I do. The Joker is great as he reprises his role from ‘Arkham Origins’, you really get the vibe of a younger Joker before he’s voiced by (Mark Hamill) later on. (Alex Henderson)
I would’ve done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil, death-worshiping garbage and then send him off to hell! Let me gush a bit about my favorite Batman animated movie. Sure, there are other amazing animated movies that Batman stars in, but this one is special to me. It was hard for me to get into animated comic books, but this one quickly became
my favorite and has stayed at the tippy top of this list. First of all, this is one of, if not the absolute best, Batman story. Secondly, the voice acting work is INCREDIBLE, even though it doesn’t have any traditional Batman: TAS voices. Thirdly, unlike these new animated DC movies, you don’t need to see any other stories to get this one; everything you need to know is fully contained in this story. Finally, there is just something magical about this movie’s themes. Maybe magical isn’t the right word as it is very dark, alone, and borderline depressing. But the themes of this movie are what highlight it. As any good Batman story, it wrestles with Batman’s killing morals, but abandonment is the primary theme of this movie and it really makes you think about Batman’s side characters and why they mean so much. Batman succeeds as a character in the comics because he has the best villains and the best side-character arcs and this movie is the pinnacle of that reality. (Aaron Schweitzer)
If Batman does not have superpowers, what makes him a hero? Money and gadgets, right? What is the most important of all the Batman gear that he has? Shark repellent Batspray of course! Batman: The Movie was a continuation of the popular television series during the 1960’s that took a cheeky and silly turn on the caped crusader. Brooding and noir-ish detective stories were replaced by colorful villains and cheesy gags. But is that necessarily a bad thing? This film is packed full of villains (featuring a “best of” the Batman’s Rogues Gallery) and full of cheeky sexual innuendos and gags that make you laugh despite yourself. Cesar Romero reprises his role as the first great Joker in Batman cinematic lore with his cackle of a laugh, fun little tricks, and an obvious mustache under that white makeup. This film is a fun time and will give you quite a few laughs. But Batman is also super relatable as well! Because all of us just have that day where you just can’t get rid of a bomb. (Shane Conto)
When most people my age associate Batman from their childhood, they usually think the 1989 Batman. For me, though, it’s the 1993 animated feature Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Set in the gothic backdrop of Gotham, this film noir detective story takes you on a journey to find out why Batman does what he does and how he almost threw it all away for the love of his life. Batman’s world starts to crumble when this woman comes back into his life as he finds himself being framed for stuff he hasn’t done while The Joker is on the rise. This animated classic would go on to launch the classic Batman: The Animated Series as well as other animated affairs surrounding it. It’s visual style is breathtaking, it’s score is chill-inducing, and the perfect voice acting of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill is still the voices I associate with the characters (even though Ben Affleck and Heath Ledger are my favorite interpretations). Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is what made me fall in love with the world of Batman, and maybe it will do the same for you. Plus, this movie ends with a 90’s slow R&B jam. If that doesn’t scream “awesome”, I don’t know what does. (Ben Davis)
Just like the novel, the film follows Joker’s determination to drive Commissioner Gordon and Batman’s desperate attempts to stop. Even though the film is called The Killing Joke, it is pretty much a joke when it’s showing the portrayal of Batgirl in the first act. It doesn’t have anything to do with Joker. But when we do get to Joker, we’re disappointed. Batman investigates a murder with Detective Bullock and culminates that Joker is behind the crime while rotting away in Arkham or so they think. The Joker has escaped and ready to put his plan into action. The story is intercut with Joker’s beginnings as a lab tech but quits it to become a stand-up comedian just to fail miserably. To make some money to take care of his pregnant wife, he decides to help a couple of robbers rob his old job. Things go terribly wrong before the actual robbery occurs, but he still goes through it (against his will) and unfolds the new life of Joker, laughing into the night. Mark Hamill does an amazing job as always as the voice of Joker. I’m always down to hear Hamill because (in my eyes) he’s the greatest voice of Joker, hands down. When you get past the boring prologue and Batgirl’s story, you got yourself a movie. (Chantal Ashford)
What happens when the team behind Afro Samurai is given complete creative control over some of the most beloved characters of all time? Batman Ninja is a completely unfettered and hybrid take of Japanese Art and American Comics. The result is an off-the-wall story about Batman and his rogues being transported back to Feudal Era Japan. We see The Joker quickly put Batman on his heels and on the run, having to dodge loyal samurais to the crown prince of crime. In typical Batman fashion, he tries to logically assess the joker; not taking into account the whimsical nature of his arch nemesis. (Dexter Hansen)
Most people’s perception of Batman was colorful and campy due to the success of the 1966 Adam West lead Batman Series. In 1989, Tim Burton was given the tall order to shed the cartoonish skin of the previous live action outing and re-introduce the character to a new generation. He chose to borrow the tone reminiscent of Frank Miller’s 1988 The Dark Knight Returns, in addition to his own gothic flair that he brings to his filmmaking. With the film already being behind the 8 Ball with having to reinvent the character, the studio would have to also deal with the casting backlash for giving the titular role to comedic actor, Michael Keaton. Despite these obstacles, Tim Burton created one of the greatest Batman films and injected the darker tone into the character that we have been accustomed to ever since. While Keaton is phenomenal as Batman, the shining jewel of this film is Jack Nicholson’s Joker. He added a maniacal glee to his character and the viewer can’t help but laugh at his dark shenanigans. Nicholson’s signature laugh and mannerisms added new life to the character and created yin to Keaton’s yang. While Keaton is stoic and introverted, Nicholson’s Joker is boisterous and always up for putting on a show. With Nicholson’s previous role as the deranged Jack Torence in The Shining preparing him, he makes this role as Joker appear effortless. Batman (1989) contains all of the elements that make a great Caped Crusader Film; great direction, stellar performances and a score that has lasted the test of time. (Joseph Vargas)
The biggest star to come out of The LEGO Movie was surprisingly a character that we know very well at this point – Batman. He was so good that he got his own spinoff LEGO movie, which turned out to be hilarious and quite heartwarming. It’s a movie in which Batman realizes the importance of family and having people around you who support you. Along the way, there are countless references to other Batman movies and comics for eagle-eyed fans to spot and get joy from. At the same time, it includes an underrated Joker performance from Zach Galifianakis. It’s a kind of joker we’ve never seen before – one who just wants Batman to see him as an archenemy the way he does, and one who has major insecurities. He is a hilarious and worthy entry into the Joker canon as a part of an excellent movie. (Robert Bouffard)
Is it better to be the original or to be better than the original? Is it better to be the first person to play an iconic role or to evolve that role to something more captivating than ever seen before? Christopher Nolan’s 2008 masterpiece The Dark Knight is not only the best “Joker movie” ever made but it is also one of the best all-around films of all time. Heath Ledger certainly wasn’t the first actor to portray the Clown Prince of Crime and was more than capable, in terms of talent, to take the role. Despite initial hesitancy and (slight) fan backlash, Ledger was able to both frighten, captivate, and charm viewers. His performance encapsulates everything the Joker is supposed to be: a psychotic clown, a criminal mastermind, and (especially) an agent of chaos. Jack Nicholson’s Joker in the 1989 film Batman was (arguably) too campy and was not nearly terrifying enough to be considered a threat. Ledger was able to reinvent the character as a combination of individual and unique interpretation with the deepest darkest lore of the Joker. This all comes in a package of great story, direction, and cinematography in the hands of Christopher Nolan. I leave this discussion of The Dark Knight with two notions. Firstly, listen to Ledger as the Joker’s laugh and tell me you don’t get goosebumps. Secondly, there is a reason that Ledger was the only second actor to win a posthumous Oscar AND the first actor to win an Oscar for a comic book role. Ledger’s Joker is THAT good. (Dylon Turner)
Honorable Mentions
The Dark Knight Returns
Is it fair to just combine these two films into one for this? Well…doing it anyway! In a Gotham where Batman has been around for decades and Bruce Wayne begins to reach an advanced age, an epic tale arises. Robocop himself, Peter Weller, lends his stern and gruff voice to these proceedings as he portrays a darker and more aggressive Dark Knight. In a way, Batman becomes a fascist overlord as he fights mutants, challenges from the Joker, and a final brawl with Superman himself. This animated feature poses a lot of tricky situations and ideas as you try to see if Batman has become a villain or not in his stubborn ways. The Joker appears as a muscle bound, white suit wearing adaptation that takes many fans by surprise. Lost alumnus, Michael Emerson, lends his voice to Joker in The Dark Knight Returns and is a tad overshadowed by the other interesting ideas posed by the film. Is this any less a Joker film because he is sidelined by other iconic moments? No, as he is present in the film and must go face to face with a broken and dangerous version of Batman. One of many greats from DC animation. (Shane Conto)
Suicide Squad
It’s a tricky one. On one hand, there’s a lot in this that can bring enjoyment to most. On the other, there’s enough flaws that it can be an almost unbearable experience for others. So really, it’s as divisive as a movie could possibly get. The best way I can describe it is a videogame pretending to be a movie. The format is one that all gamers will know well: introduction, explore the world, fight scene, cut scene, fight scene, explore the world, cut scene, boss battle, final cut scene. For some, that’s all they’re wanting in a cinema experience. The visceral action, barely 2 dimensional characters and the crazed pacing would be a very cosy house that they know and love. However, as someone who has been spoiled with comic book movies of a much higher calibre, I’ll admit there’s something left to be desired in the ultimate product of Suicide Squad. The saving graces really are the inexplicable charisma that some of the cast manages to bring to their insane characters. The MVP’s notably being Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Aussie rep, Jai Courtney. It’s a head-scratcher, in the way that you can see the potential oozing out from every corner, but ultimately will leave you wishing for what you could have had. Let’s hope that the Harley Quinn vehicle, Birds of Preyharnesses its crazy for some scintillating gold. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Also See:
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, The Batman vs. Dracula