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Joker - Screenplay
The 2019 film Joker's screenplay released to the public for Oscar consideration
104 pages, Unknown Binding
Published December 1, 2018
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 14, 2020
Screenplay Review
For the first 60 pages or so, I was wondering what all the fuss could have been about. We have a competently written comic book villain story with a few transcendent moments, somewhat more compelling than most comic book movies, but not particularly memorable or genre-bending.
After that there are a few twists that made the narrative a good deal more enjoyable, but it never aspired to the level of some of the other recent Best Screenplay nominees. And where nuance might have made a more compelling case, the writers bludgeon the reader on the head with repeated, awkward efforts to draw parallels to "eat the rich" populist sentiments.
On the whole, it is a tightly crafted story that certainly deserves praise if considered in comparison to other films within this genre. One concern that does not reflect on its technical merit as a screenplay, but distracted me during the read from time to time: despite Todd Phillips' statements to the contrary, arguably there is some symbolic elevation or glorification of the "mentally ill loner" planning acts of terrorism.
Thoughts After Viewing 4K BD
Joaquin Phoenix is riveting to watch in this role, enough to elevate the film to something beyond a comic book story, though not quite the level of memorable cinema.
Lawrence Sher's naturalistic lighting in the oppressive interiors freely mixes bleak sodium vapor and fluorescent color temps in a way that evokes 1970s photographers like Nan Goldin, or some of Christopher Doyle's work. And De Niro was a surprising casting choice as Murray Franklin. His scene with Arthur was an improvement upon the screenplay, rather different from how I imagined this character while reading.
Overall it was more enjoyable than the average movie based on a comic but not particularly indelible
For the first 60 pages or so, I was wondering what all the fuss could have been about. We have a competently written comic book villain story with a few transcendent moments, somewhat more compelling than most comic book movies, but not particularly memorable or genre-bending.
After that there are a few twists that made the narrative a good deal more enjoyable, but it never aspired to the level of some of the other recent Best Screenplay nominees. And where nuance might have made a more compelling case, the writers bludgeon the reader on the head with repeated, awkward efforts to draw parallels to "eat the rich" populist sentiments.
On the whole, it is a tightly crafted story that certainly deserves praise if considered in comparison to other films within this genre. One concern that does not reflect on its technical merit as a screenplay, but distracted me during the read from time to time: despite Todd Phillips' statements to the contrary, arguably there is some symbolic elevation or glorification of the "mentally ill loner" planning acts of terrorism.
Thoughts After Viewing 4K BD
Joaquin Phoenix is riveting to watch in this role, enough to elevate the film to something beyond a comic book story, though not quite the level of memorable cinema.
Lawrence Sher's naturalistic lighting in the oppressive interiors freely mixes bleak sodium vapor and fluorescent color temps in a way that evokes 1970s photographers like Nan Goldin, or some of Christopher Doyle's work. And De Niro was a surprising casting choice as Murray Franklin. His scene with Arthur was an improvement upon the screenplay, rather different from how I imagined this character while reading.
Overall it was more enjoyable than the average movie based on a comic but not particularly indelible
December 15, 2020
The story itself is just fascinating...
Such a shame many parts didn't make it to the film.This script is a must-read and it will help you get the real message of the movie better.
Such a shame many parts didn't make it to the film.This script is a must-read and it will help you get the real message of the movie better.
November 19, 2019
This screenplay, while telling the origin story of the DC comic book villain The Joker, is actually a study of a person dealing with serious mental health issues while not being able to find the resources he needs to cope with his illness. Because of this he turns to violence. This is an all too common occurrence, and the screenwriter places this issue inside an entertaining, although somewhat bleak, story of how the Joker came to be Batman's greatest enemy. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to it, and to seeing what changes were made in the final version.
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November 18, 2019This is fascinating. The process from page to screen is a masterclass in film study
May 18, 2020
I think the movie's great but the screenplay is very basic and what made the movie work for me was its presentation from writing and its executions of the ideas written in the script.
July 14, 2020
(Original review cleared when the original listing for the screenplay deleted.)
An amazing screenplay for my favorite film. Powerful. Even if you've seen it, reading it adds a lot.
An amazing screenplay for my favorite film. Powerful. Even if you've seen it, reading it adds a lot.
Read
March 23, 2022No es tan mala, pero tampoco tan buena. Tomársela como una performance ayuda a disfrutarla más.
January 7, 2024
3,5 stars. Read fast. Expected a bit more action perhaps. Good wannabe 'origin' story.
January 14, 2024
This was an interesting read.
It was cool to see what changed from this to the final product. Helpful for writers for sure. Glad it wasn't just a transcript of the film too.
It was cool to see what changed from this to the final product. Helpful for writers for sure. Glad it wasn't just a transcript of the film too.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews