“He’s going to look like an idiot”: Matt Reeves’ The Batman Dodged The Disastrous Fate of Joker 2 Only Because of His One Realization
- 'The Batman' avoided the pitfalls of 'Joker 2' by staying grounded and sticking to Matt Reeves’ vision of Batman.
- Reeves balanced Batman's appearances and avoided moments that could undermine his intensity.
- 'Joker 2’s shift to musical detracted fans from Joker’s true nature and his backstory from 'Joker'.
It was a legend in the world of entertainment that Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight was the best portrayal of the Joker ever. But then came Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker in 2019 who became a strong competitor for the position of ‘the best’. However, the franchise couldn’t maintain its legacy as Joker 2 failed miserably.
Much like the case of Joker, The Dark Knight trilogy set the benchmark of Batman movies, which was difficult to match for years. But The Batman didn’t let the fans down even after that level of expectation. Moreover, it somehow realized something beforehand that prevented it from facing a fate similar to Joker 2.
Matt Reeves’ Vision Saved The Batman
The Batman came at a time when DCEU was living its last days. Director Matt Reeves took the liberty to keep his film separate from the DCEU and followed his own vision to bring a younger, less experienced Batman played by Robert Pattinson.
The film didn’t show the origin of Batman to avoid character fatigue. Moreover, the entire story and backdrop of the movie have been consciously kept grounded and gritty to make it feel more relatable and less futuristic and flashy.
In a recent conversation with Andy Serkis (via Interview magazine), Matt Reeves mentions how he visualized Gotham as an “American gothic city.” Reeves mentioned,
It’s grounded in its corruption and desperation, and Gotham never gets better. It’s a good thing for the comics, because otherwise, Batman would be done with his mission.
Speaking of Batman, Reeves shared that he wanted the character to feel “like this slow brooding suspense thing.” Reeves was very particular about when, where, and how to show Batman on screen and where he wouldn’t fit. Talking about this, the director revealed,
Batman is in the tower, but Oz is a grungy, street-level gangster who is just in the muck. It’s very hard to make Batman not look silly in the wrong lighting conditions. Batman can’t walk into a 7-Eleven, he’s going to look like an idiot. He’s choosing where he can unveil himself. But Oz is not bound by what Batman is. Batman comes out at night, but Oz is noir during the day.
This fine understanding of the demands of the character and his story is what made The Batman feel authentic. Reeves also took inspiration from comics like Year One, The Long Halloween, and Ego which heavily focused on the detective side of Batman, something that he wanted in his film.
Why Did Joker: Folie á Deux‘s Fail While The Batman Succeeded?
One of the major reasons for the failure of Joker: Folie á Deux is its sudden jump from a grounded, dark story to a musical-thriller. Although musicals come with their own qualities, it was something that didn’t fit well with the narrative and backdrop of Joker 2.
The first movie showed Arthur Fleck suffering from childhood trauma, which eventually led to his mental disorder. Whenever he tried to change his life for something positive, his harsh surroundings and society broke his spirit, which eventually broke his patience, and he decided to show the reality of a corrupt society to the world in his own way.
All these feel quite relatable to the struggles of the real world, which led to the huge success of Joker. But Joker 2 mostly deals with musical sequences, which were mostly conversations between Joaquin Phoenix‘s Fleck and Lady Gaga‘s Harley Quinn.
The film has sudden transitions into songs from serious sequences, and oftentimes the songs don’t carry the story forward, which makes the film feel absurd at times. This made Joker transition from the Clown Prince of Chaos to a mentally ill lover who mostly lives in his dreams.
The true personality of the Joker, which is dark yet grounded, has been lost, which resulted in its massive backlash. The movie is currently rated 32% on Rotten Tomatoes by both audiences and critics.
Unlike Todd Phillips‘ massive creative shift that took away the true nature of Joker and the essence of its origins, Reeves’ The Batman stayed true to its vision and demands of the character and its surroundings.
The Batman is available to stream on Max.
Joker: Folie á Deux is now streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
