Warner Bros.Just as we thought we’d be treated to no more Joker content before its release next month, TV spots are here to save the day.
Three new critics TV spots, which were released after the upcoming film received rave reactions at the Venice Film Festival late last month, have revealed never-before-seen footage of Joaquin Phoenix’s character.
In the footage, which has not been previously shown in either theatrical trailer, the audience gets more of an insight into what caused failed comedian Arthur Fleck to transform into the villainous Joker.
Check it out below:
The newly released footage shows taxis swerving into each other and crashing on the streets, before Fleck can be seen celebrating – standing atop of a crashed car and relishing in the destruction. A later clip shows the failed comedian kissing his neighbour, played by Zazie Beetz, while another shows him getting attacked on the subway.
Although much of the footage has been seen in the film’s trailers, these TV spots allow us to see small glimpses of things we haven’t seen before – due to them being extended cuts.
Take, for example, the several cuts which show Phoenix’s character descending into maniacal laughter – on stage, in the theatre, in someone’s face, et cetera. This allows viewers to gain more of an insight into the villain’s rare neurological disorder that makes him break out into uncontrollable laughter, as per comicbook.
Alongside critic’s reviews such as ‘immaculately crafted’, ‘bold, devastating, and utterly beautiful’, and ‘film of the year’, the footage has done nothing to quench the building anticipation surrounding the film.
Particularly because the only people who have seen the film gave it an eight-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival – no small feat, particularly when you attempt to clap for that long just to prove how big of an effort that is. Disclaimer: it’s painful.
Joker tells the story of Gotham’s most infamous criminal masterminds, taking on a first-of-a-kind approach by providing an origin story for a villain who – up until now – has not been given one.
The film – a stand-alone Warner Bros. movie – is intended to be the first in a series of DC-based movies which are separate from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and tells the story of failed stand-up comedian Fleck in the early 1980s as he tries to make his way in the world.
The synopsis for the film is as follows:
Failed comedian Arthur Fleck encounters violent thugs while wandering the streets of Gotham City dressed as a clown. Disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow dissent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
Lucy ConnollyPut on a happy face, because we have less than three weeks to go until we can feast our eyes on Phoenix’s portrayal of perhaps the most famous anti-hero of all time. And I can’t wait.
Joker hits cinemas on October 4.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).