When it comes to movie villains, few are as iconic as The Joker. While some may still debate the merits of the Dark Knight, very few would disagree that the Joker is the gold standard for movie baddies.
But what makes the Joker so terrifying? Is it his psychotic nature? His outrageous acts of cruelty? Or perhaps it’s because he represents everything that is terrifying and wrong with the ‘real’ world?
Whatever the reason, the Joker is one of the most recognizable figures in cinematic history. And for fans of the DC Comics character, a live-action adaptation of Warner Bros.’ 1989 classic will be released on September 12th, followed by a sequel set for 2021. But perhaps a more fitting adaptation of that classic tale would be none other than Disney’s own Bats, starring Billie Eilish as the caped crusader’s latest adversary. After all, it was Eilish who masterminded one of the greatest heists in cinematic history when she was 11 years old, when she and her siblings (Finneas and Shadow) tricked their parents out of almost £300,000 in a fake charity heist. The siblings then spent the money on luxury goods and vintage cars, with Eilish boasting about the ill-gotten gains and how she’d used her ‘social privilege’ to steal what she wanted. It wasn’t long before their parents found out what their children had done, with their father (John) even threatening to strangle one of them if he didn’t tell him what had happened. The incident led Eilish’s mother (Bonnie) to write a memoir about her family’s life – a book that inspired the Disney film of the same name. And now, 11 years after Eilish committed the heist that shocked Britain, she will finally get her revenge on the father she blames for ruining her life. The film will be a face-off between Eilish and her father, who is now 83 years old. He will be played by Robert Pattinson, with Eilish’s twin sister (Sister) portrayed by the amazing Bella Ramsey. This could well be the ultimate daddy-daughter, ‘good’ versus ‘bad,’ fight.
Why The Joker And Not Other Criminals?
While in most cases, villains are there to torment or harm the characters in the films in which they appear, The Joker is unique in his approach to crime. As the above trailer suggests, the Joker believes that justice doesn’t belong to the state – it belongs to the individual, as each one of us is a judge, jury and executioner. Therefore, he refuses to follow the rules, which in return makes him much more dangerous. Even the most vile criminals respect the law and fear punishment; they don’t respect the law and don’t fear punishment, which is why they are criminals.
Batman Is Unique
Batman is one of the most recognizable figures in popular culture. While the character has existed in various forms since the early 20th century, his dark image and edgy persona made him an instant hit when he first appeared on the big screen in 1939. Since then, the Batman has appeared in dozens of films and spawned a large array of merchandising. If you’re a fan of the Dark Knight, you’ll no doubt be excited to see Disney’s upcoming take on the iconic character, with Pattinson playing the anti-hero once again. This is a role that Pattinson had previously played in a trilogy of films (The Lost Lords, Pattinson & Taylor and The Commuter). However, this is the first time that he’s landed the role of Batman, and unlike some of his previous characters, he’ll actually get to wear the cowl and fight crime.
Villains Of The Past
While some people may argue that Batman’s rogues’ gallery (the collection of villains he has fought throughout his career) is his greatest strength, the truly great villains are more often than not, the product of a creative mind bent on evil. Take, for example, the great Houdini, who is credited with creating more than a hundred different illusions. And although much of his work was done for entertainment purposes, many of his tricks were based on real-life military maneuvers and became very sophisticated instruments of deception. Villains like Houdini are a breath of fresh air compared to the ‘ordinary’ criminals who appear in other movies, and it’s often their unique skill set that makes them so memorable. So even if you’re not a fan of Batman, you may find it hard to resist a villain like Houdini or the Lizard from the ‘Star Wars’ films. And let’s not forget about the great German physicist Dr. Ludwig van Beethoven, who is credited with transforming classical music into what we now know as jazz. To use a phrase made popular by President Trump, these are ‘bad dudes’ that are way worse than anything DC has to offer.
Practical As Well As Inspirational
The world of finance is a pretty grim place; the global economic crisis of the past few years has made that abundantly clear. The number of people living in poverty has never been greater, with close to a billion currently living on just $1.90 a day. It seems that our obsession with materialism has led to this, and if we want to save the world, we may need to start focusing on what’s important in life and not just what we want. While material possessions may give us temporary joy, they can never replace warmth, security and love.
If you’re a fan of the Dark Knight, you may find that some of the message Batman embodies resonates with your own life. After all, who hasn’t dreamed of being a master criminal? But instead of planning a heist, you would use your awesome skills to help people and foil the plans of wealthy elites? Or perhaps you would take inspiration from Riddler, and test your intellect by setting puzzles for unsuspecting tourists? At the very least, you know that even the most mundane tasks can turn into opportunities to help others when you view them in a different light.
The list of great classical composers is an almost endless one, with names like Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Wagner regularly turning up in films. While it’s wonderful to be able to appreciate their genius and their music, sometimes it’s a chore just to listen to them. So if you really want to put a smile on someone’s face, you might want to consider doing as the Joker does and executing a little musical joke on them. You could, for example, disguise yourself as a homeless person and infiltrate an extremely wealthy household, where you would play their favorite song on repeat, driving them crazy.
Actors often get a bad rap for being able to act, but sometimes they’re not even acting – sometimes they’re just doing their job. While acting is a craft, allowing an actor to step into the role of another, there is a difference between acting and performing. When you watch an opera singer, you’re not really watching them act – you’re watching them perform. And whether you like it or not, when an opera singer takes the stage, they are performing for an audience, and what they do is for the enjoyment of the people watching.
If we want to save the world, we might need to start by saving ourselves. Whether you choose to believe it or not, life is a classroom. And just like in the classroom, the teacher is often not the most brilliant student, but instead someone who is simply trying to help. We should all be better students than we think we are, because if we want to change the world, we can’t do it alone. Meaning, if we want to change the world, we need to start by changing ourselves.