Shortly after receiving 11 Oscar nominations, Joker gets the Honest Trailers treatment. The film was unquestioningly one of the most talked-about releases of the past year, generating one controversy after another following its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. For everyone who thought Joker was a transcendent work of art, there were others convinced it was a dangerous film that could potentially have real-world consequences. Theaters actually increased security when Joker opened so they were prepared in case anything happened. Ultimately, Joker’s polarizing nature fueled an unprecedented box office run that saw it become the first R-rated film to earn $1 billion worldwide.

Though Joker’s been out for a while, the conversation about the movie isn’t going away anytime soon. Joker made more history earlier this month when it netted 11 Oscar nods (most all-time for a comic book adaptation), including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Joaquin Phoenix is even the betting favorite in the Best Actor category, following his wins at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. With Joker continuing to make headlines, now’s the perfect time for it to go under the Honest Trailers microscope.

Today, Screen Junkies uploaded their Joker Honest Trailer, which arrives a couple of weeks after the film hit Blu-ray. You can watch it in the space below:

Naturally, the Joker discourse is a major talking point in the Honest Trailer, with the video addressing the concerns people had before the film’s release. In retrospect, a few of these fears (such as the belief Joker was a violent incel or an anti-SJW movie) were unfounded and only helped generate more interest in the movie. Honest Trailers isn’t the first to point out the intense furor over Joker was a better promotional tool for the film than official advertising materials, as people became curious to see just what all the fuss was about. What many took away from Joker was an on-the-nose message about a society deteriorating, making it a fairly accurate portrait of today’s day and age. Director Todd Phillips has said one of the reasons why Joker was so successful was because its story resonated with a modern audience.

Eventually, any lingering outrage about Joker should dissipate, and over time perhaps people will be able to reflect more calmly on the film’s journey. This was a project Warner Bros. was wary of green-lighting (because, among other things, they sell Joker pajamas) and it ended up becoming a pop culture phenomenon that earned the most Oscar nominations of any movie this year. Even those who didn’t like Joker can hope its success opens the door for more unique takes on iconic comic book characters (not necessarily copycat grim origin stories for villains), allowing the genre to continuously evolve. One day, Joker could be looked at a landmark comic book film that helped change the game.

More: Why Oscars Love the Joker (But Not Comic Book Movies)

Source: Screen Junkies

  • Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Shazam! The Fury of the Gods Release Date: 2023-03-17 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 The Flash Movie Release Date: 2023-06-23 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25