About Me
On Friday 24 April 2015
Here's a quick 'reaction' article for the latest reveal of David Ayer's Suicide Squad, Jared Leto as The Joker.
DC fanboy's disappointment aside (I'm a huge fanboy too), it's important to understand two things; the director, David Ayer, and the character himself. I've recently bought a Joker action figure and ever since then, I've been obsessing and writing a few fanfiction of the Clown Prince of Crime. So, it seems convenient to whip up a quick one with this latest reveal.
David Ayer
To understand his style is to understand his background. Ayer was in the United States Navy so most of his films explores the brotherhood bond, drama and authenticity of serving your country. This has proven to be very apparent as most of his films superbly invites you to feel with the characters; away from the average empty but loud gun fights in most police or crime dramas.
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| End Of Watch, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. I urge you to give this one a try. |
With a down to earth script and suspenseful simple action, End Of Watch is one of the best example to showcase Ayer's talent. But don't worry, he has directed a few big action sequences before (As to what fans will expect from Suicide Squad)
One of his recent films, Fury. Again, you can see the imagery of brotherhood bond but this time, with unique tank battle action!
The Joker
Pretentious fans aside (Those who only judge the character from ONE movie), you need to understand the The Joker is a difficult character to write; let alone bringing him to the big screen...again. What makes the agent of Chaos so intriguing in comics (And in The Dark Knight) is that he is purely symbolic and not human. Sounds scary, doesn't it? Haha. What makes an appealing character? His humanity, of course, but within this context, it's specifically motivation and weakness. This, by the choice of the writer/director, can be interpret through many ways. But for a narrative structure like comics of movies, it's often interpret through relationships.
Joker's motivation is purely symbolic as in he strives to prove a point through insane theatrical crimes. It is not motivated through relationships or emotional interests whatsoever. He's not driven by friends or family or even a dark past (Which remains to be a mystery throughout most incarnations).
He has no humanly weaknesses; an internal struggle of morality or emotional trait. For example, Tony Stark is self destructive and though he fights with villains, it is his internal weakness that prevents him from achieving victory with a snap of a finger. That makes audience sympathize and even empathize more with the character. This is shown well in Iron man 3. The Joker is focused and is often 2 steps ahead of Batman and Jim Gordon.
Conclusion
So, within the context of Joker in the Suicide Squad, it's obvious we won't be seeing the symbolic Joker we know and love. Perhaps, Joker will be given more back story and emotional weight? Whether it works for the fans, I'm not entirely sure. But I'm more interested in seeing Ayer's rendition of Suicide Squad. If it helps the films's theme then I don't think that will be an issue. Plus, the cast is so interesting. Will Smith as Deadshot?! Wow! So, to end this quick article, here's a pic of my Joker.
