“Joker”, the hit R-rated film, has shocked the nation with its stunning themes, potent soundtrack, and disturbing tale that grips you until the end. Nearing almost $1 billion in global profit and rising to the top as the most successful R-rated film ever, what made this film work? 

The titular character Joker, from Batman’s comics, has always had an upbringing shrouded in mystery. Some tales mark the antagonist as a petty thug who falls into a pit of acid, while others regard the Joker as a terrorist marked with abuse. The result is always the same: an anarchy obsessed clown who loves to push society and Batman to their limits, all while wearing a smile.  

“Joker” takes a new spin on the origin of the clown prince of crime. After the baffling mockeries of the Zack Synder films, this Joker is realistic, damaged and sometimes relatable. He falls from his clown for hire job and fights back against a Gotham city shackled by income inequality.  

The problem with the Jared Leto Joker, from 2016’s “Suicide Squad” in the Synderverse, is he isn’t funny. Joker operates at his best with a goofy laugh and stupid jokes that juxtapose against the violence of his crimes. Paired with a depressing dialogue on mental health and championed with a terrific performance from Joaquin Phoenix created the perfect recipe for the movie. 

Character studies on deranged males aren’t new. “Taxi Driver,” “American Psycho,” “Citizen Kane,” to name a few. This movie plays into the outside look on a man slowly losing his mind and becoming his true, psychotic self, spinning a well–known character into a new story that thrilled and terrified audiences.  

Joker breaks each and every barrier for a superhero movie and leads to an unforgettable tale that broke records in Hollywood. “Joker’ is not only an adult take on the clown prince of crime but a movie that will mark the generation we live in.