'Joker' Film Gets Poor Reviews, Makes Big Money

 

The long awaited Joker opened Friday in theaters across America.

If you have not heard, the movie is the latest examination of the Joker character, a 1940 creation of DC Comics. Joker is an especially tricky¹ criminal, who serves as an enemy to the superhero Batman.

Filmmakers have been creating “origin” stories for the Joker character for years. This latest effort, directed by Todd Phillips, took home the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Yet, many American and British movie critics are laughing at the film -- and not in a good way.

Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix² as Arthur Fleck³, a man with a brain problem that makes him laugh uncontrollably. Often it happens in situations when others might cry or react differently. People do not understand his behavior.

He dreams of being a stand-up comedian⁴ and making audiences laugh. But after being beaten and mistreated by strangers, Arthur launches into a life of a murderous criminal.

Many American movie critics have praised Phoenix’s performance. Rolling Stone magazine said the word “phenomenal” was too small to describe the actor’s work in Joker. Variety, a film industry trade publication, called Phoenix’s performance “astonishing.”

However, opinion on the movie overall is less favorable.

Atlantic Magazine’s David Sims writes that as the movie turns to “bloody violence, it becomes little more than a horror show.”

The headline of Time magazine’s review of the film reads: “Joker wants to be a movie about the emptiness of our culture. Instead, it’s a prime example of it.”

There is praise as well.

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times calls the film a, “dark, intense, well-photographed examination of a damaged and dangerous” person.

Joker caused some fear and debate in America leading up to its release. Some argued that the film’s social commentary could incite⁵ violence.

Its historical context could be a reason. In 2012, a gunman in the U.S. state of Colorado attacked a theater full of people gathered for a showing of the movie The Dark Knight⁶ Rises, another Joker origin story. The violence left 12 people dead and more than seventy others injured.

On Thursday, national security agencies warned about possible violence at the opening weekend of Joker. They expressed concern about online messages calling for mass shootings at theaters that show the film.

Later that night, Joker played in a limited number of theaters and earned more than $13 million in ticket sales. It broke the record set last year for Thursday pre-opening movie showings in the month of October.

I’m Caty Weaver⁷.

Words in This Story

origin – n. the place, social situation, or type of family that a person comes from?

stand-up comedian – n. a person who performs humorous material alone on a stage?

phenomenal – adj. very good or great : unusual in a way that is very impressive?

astonishing – adj. causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder : causing astonishment⁸?

prime – adj. used to say that someone or something is a very good example of a particular kind of person or thing?

context – n. the situation in which something happens: the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens?

1 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

2 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

3 fleck   

n.斑点，微粒 vt.使有斑点，使成斑驳

参考例句：

• The garlic moss has no the yellow fleck and other virus. 蒜苔无黄斑点及其它病毒。
• His coat is blue with a grey fleck.他的上衣是蓝色的，上面带有灰色的斑点。

4 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

5 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

6 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

8 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。