The Jared Leto is The Joker(?) Thread

[2kt09]

He is talented but he had a heavy hand in creating this Joker. His gestures are over the top, and he didn't even see Suicide Squad (like Eisenberg didn't bother to watch BvS). Because of that, Jesse and Jared will likely repeat the same mistakes. Unless Affleck tells Jared to tone it down, Leto will probably be the same guy with similar mannerisms, makeup, tattoo's and clothes. Ben also really liked Suicide Squad so there you go..

He was a bit creepy in the nightclub but it was like a creepy Jim Carrey-Mask type of creepy...if you can say that. Most people didn't find that scene creepy though.

Consistency is a far greater issue than being over the top (improv gone totally wrong). Sure, one can argue that in favor of a performance you never see coming, but the audience becomes lost when your psychotic character is so all over the place that he barely has a rhyme or reason. We saliently know what motivates him as far as Harley, but for the most part he comes across as a ****** full of luck.

 

[Wildcard]

I really look forward to the possibility of seeing Leto's Joker again on screen. I just hope that we get him face to face against Batfleck.

Agreed. Though I wish they would've shared some dialogue or had a face to face encounter in SS, even if it would've been brief.

 

[shauner111]

The ending where he breaks her out was good too.

I mean, he was dressed up in SWAT gear with a Joker nametag on it. That has more to do with Ayer's direction than Leto's acting though.

Actually that scene was bad too, performance wise. Well, it just didn't do anything for me. And i didn't like the reveal of his face, the way it was edited...just hokey.

When i watched Squad the second time it was just so clear to me that it was a film that felt like it fit into the world of Batman Forever. More than Man of Steel and even Batman v Superman. Leto's Joker feels like Schumacher's version of Joker, if he was ever given the chance. Jim Carrey's tattoo's in The Number 23 (remember that Schumacher movie?), and a slice of his Riddler (which isn't far off from The Mask). I felt the same about Eisenberg's Luthor. Just another Schumacher villain thrown into a more serious and dark movie. Zod felt different.

Consistency is a far greater issue than being over the top (improv gone totally wrong). Sure, one can argue that in favor of a performance you never see coming, but the audience becomes lost when your psychotic character is so all over the place that he barely has a rhyme or reason. We saliently know what motivates him as far as Harley, but for the most part he comes across as a ****** full of luck.

that's exactly right.

 

[hellblazer103]

 

[Wildcard]

Actually that scene was bad too, performance wise. Well, it just didn't do anything for me. And i didn't like the reveal of his face, the way it was edited...just hokey.

When i watched Squad the second time it was just so clear to me that it was a film that felt like it fit into the world of Batman Forever. More than Man of Steel and even Batman v Superman. Leto's Joker feels like Schumacher's version of Joker, if he was ever given the chance. Jim Carrey's tattoo's in The Number 23 (remember that Schumacher movie?), and a slice of his Riddler (which isn't far off from The Mask). I felt the same about Eisenberg's Luthor. Just another Schumacher villain thrown into a more serious and dark movie. Zod felt different.

That's a massive reach.

 

[shauner111]

I wasn't being serious when I was talking about the Jim Carrey tattoo's. I meant, take all of these Jim Carrey characters and put them in a blender, with some Heath, and you get Leto's Joker lol.

Not joking about the Schumacher Joker comment though. It's probably pretty close. It's so strange that Lex and Joker both feel over the top, cartoony, and close to a Jim Carrey performance at times. I love Jim so I shouldn't insult him either but the mannerisms are there.

 

[The Joker]

 

[Wildcard]

I wasn't being serious when I was talking about the Jim Carrey tattoo's. I meant, take all of these Jim Carrey characters and put them in a blender, with some Heath, and you get Leto's Joker lol.

Not joking about the Schumacher Joker comment though. It's probably pretty close. It's so strange that Lex and Joker both feel over the top, cartoony, and close to a Jim Carrey performance at times. I love Jim so I shouldn't insult him either but the mannerisms are there.

I still think that's an incredible reach. Outside of the club sequence with Common, Leto is nothing like Carrey or any of his performances.

In Lex's case, there's absolutely nothing about the performance that is Carrey-esque. Cartoonish, over the top? Sure. But I don't get any of the comparisons regarding Jesse & Jim. They're very dissimilar. Same with Leto.

 

[Boom]

I just watched Rob Zombie's 31, and hoooooly **** Richard Brake would've made a great Joker.

 

[hellblazer103]

I just watched Rob Zombie's 31, and hoooooly **** Richard Brake would've made a great Joker.

But he was already Joe Chill

 

[Jekecy]

But he was already Joe Chill

So Joker killed Batman's parents? Interesting idea, let's see how that plays out.

 

[DeadStroke]

I just watched Rob Zombie's 31, and hoooooly **** Richard Brake would've made a great Joker.

 

[DeadStroke]

Agreed. That and the helicopter scene where the only two scenes where I bought that he was The Joker.

Spoiler

Ya know, the part where he's shooting at the squad , not the part after where Harley gets on the helicopter and he says that cringey BS to her and screams for her as she falls out of it.

The ending where he breaks her out was good too.

I mean, he was dressed up in SWAT gear with a Joker nametag on it. That has more to do with Ayer's direction than Leto's acting though.

When you really break it down. How many scenes did he REALLY have in the movie altogether?

How many scenes properly built up tension and were allowed to breathe?

I liked Leto's Joker and Suicide Squad. However, watching his character in that movie was more like watching a highlight tape.

I'm not saying the Joker can't work in a limited capacity. It worked for Mask of the Phantasm and Under The Red Hood. I'm just not sure Leto's Joker could work that way.

 

[Greens]

When you really break it down. How many scenes did he REALLY have in the movie altogether?

How many scenes properly built up tension and were allowed to breathe?

Zero.

 

[BatLobster]

I think at the end of the day, the lesson that should be learned here is don't put The Joker in the film if you don't have a really good part for him. It doesn't have to be a huge part, but he should make an impact that you can feel. Using The Joker as a marketing ploy and then not delivering in the actual film is never gonna go over well.

I was not really a fan of Leto's portrayal, but I think Ayer is absolutely right- Joker as the main antagonist should've been a no-brainer for this movie.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Was watching Leto and Lefger clips last night. Yeesh Leto had a lot of balls to play Joker after Ledger, especially when his performance was...the way it was... I feel like everyone is just telling Leto how great he is constantly, I don't think he has much self awareness based on that koker performance. I like parts of it. The Batman chase was pure TAS, but a lot of his quirks are not believable and plain bad. I don't really want to see Letoker again without big changes being made to the performance.

Sucks. Joker still has a big role to play and this take is just weird. Not horrible, not great, just weird. Still want to see some Jason/Joker stuff though

 

[hellblazer103]

okay, that does look like it'd be a much better Joker than what we got...

 

[BlueLanternKal]

The problem with Leto's Joker wasn't Leto's fault.

It's the way he was written. Ledger's Joker was introduced in a bank robbery where he guns down all his accomplices and escapes in a school bus.

That set the tone right there. It showed why the Joker was so menacing. Every time he was back on screen the audience did not know what to expect.

With Suicide Squad the Joker didn't have an establishing scene like that. Ayer took it for granted that his audience would already know who the Joker was. It was a bad call, just like any other mistake in film making. It happens.

Had Leto's Joker been established as almost supernaturally competent and chaotic the rest of his scenes would have earned the tension Ayer wanted the audience to feel.

 

[The Joker]

Having a great intro scene isn't worth diddly squat if you don't follow up the scenes with that same quality. People won't give a crap if every time he pops up is a forgettable nonentity scene like Leto's were. If anything it would be an even greater disappointment because people would be thinking they gave him such a great intro scene and then he does bugger all for the rest of the movie.

At least with SS the intro set the tone for what we got. A whole load of forgettable nothing. Expectations were not unjustly raised. Tension has to be earned. Ledger started with his crazy bank robbery, then next scene he does his magic trick with a pencil, then next scene is the infamous Why So Serious scene, then next scene we see him torturing a copycat Batman on TV etc. That's how you keep an audience on edge with a character. By showing them this villain does some serious disturbing stuff every time he pops up. A great intro scene alone won't sustain tension on a bunch of subsequent flaccid scenes for the next 2 hours.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

I can't read what you wrote, you've been ignored for a while now. Sorry. Your bias is unpalatable and your lack of humor and charm makes reading your posts unbearable.

 

[The Joker]

My breaking heart!

 

[shauner111]

Having a great intro scene isn't worth diddly squat if you don't follow up the scenes with that same quality. People won't give a crap if every time he pops up is a forgettable nonentity scene like Leto's were. If anything it would be an even greater disappointment because people would be thinking they gave him such a great intro scene and then he does bugger all for the rest of the movie.

At least with SS the intro set the tone for what we got. A whole load of forgettable nothing. Expectations were not unjustly raised. Tension has to be earned. Ledger started with his crazy bank robbery, then next scene he does his magic trick with a pencil, then next scene is the infamous Why So Serious scene, then next scene we see him torturing a copycat Batman on TV etc. That's how you keep an audience on edge with a character. By showing them this villain does some serious disturbing stuff every time he pops up. A great intro scene alone won't sustain tension on a bunch of subsequent flaccid scenes for the next 2 hours.

No excuse not to read it Blue Lantern.

 

[Luke234]

It IS amazing the amount of time some people spend almost every single day on a message board for something they really dislike.

 

[The Joker]

No excuse not to read it Blue Lantern. ��

t:

 

[The Joker]

It IS amazing the amount of time some people spend almost every single day on a message board for something they really dislike.

We like the Joker character. So we discuss all versions of the character, including the crappy ones like Letoker. Star Wars fans discuss the crappy prequels all the time. Schumacher's Batman threads are still active in the Batman forums. You take the bad with the good when you are a fan of something.

Considering this is the current version of Joker in the movies, we want better than what we are getting. The character deserves better. We deserve better.