Long before the likes of the MCU and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy attempted to ground their super-heroics in something resembling realism, the Burton Batman movies, and their eponymous hero, were zany live-action cartoons with simple, exaggerated characters and fittingly over-the-top performances.
DARK KNIGHT JOKER MOVIE ONLINE MOVIE
Tim Burton’s critically adored duo of Batman movies began as they intended to go on, introducing Jack Nicholson’s creepy Joker as the primary antagonist of this early comic book movie blockbuster. Most intriguingly of all, Arthur Fleck’s grounded antihero of Joker also has his own interaction with a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne, establishing a grim reality of the world of Gotham.
In contrast, the believable motivations and chillingly unhinged attitude of Heath Ledger’s Joker was a better fit for the self-serious post 9/11 Dark Knight trilogy Batman, while Suicide Squad’s edgy Joker embodied the worst excesses of the DCEU’s moody, ultra-dark Batman Vs Superman Batman. The campy excesses of Jack Nicholson’s cartoonish criminal allowed Michael Keaton’s understated, deadpan take on the title character to shine, and the over-the-top, colorful cartoonish-ness of his villainy made it clear that Burton’s Batman movies were offering an uncomplicated, morally unambiguous take on the source material. Related: Why Joker’s New Sidekick Should Be Brought Into The Film UniverseĪ closer look at each Batman’s Joker proves that each new actor’s interpretation of the iconic villain illustrates aspects of their accompanying Batman. Each movie version of Batman has come with a new, radically different interpretation of the character’s iconic enemy the Joker, with actors as diverse as Fight Club's Jared Leto and The Shining's Jack Nicholson offering unique, varied takes on the famously funny villain. The cinematic outings of Batman have cycled through numerous iterations of Bane, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman, but there is one foe of Bruce Wayne’s who is as synonymous with the Batman brand as the character of Batman himself. Since legendary Edward Scissorhands helmer Tim Burton's first Batman movie hits theatres in 1989, one figure has cast a shadow almost as large as the Bat-Signal over the Caped Crusader’s Gotham-set franchise. From Joaquin Phoenix’s embittered Arthur Fleck to Jack Nicholson’s goofy wannabe mob boss Jack Napier, every movie version of the Joker reveals vital aspects of their respective blockbuster's interpretation of Batman.