The R-Rated Netflix Crime Thriller Viewers Can’t Stop Watching

Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular funny guy and arch-nemesis of Batman, the standalone movie gives viewers a peek into the twisted psyche of the killer clown.

Serving as a villain origin story for the man behind the madness, Arthur Fleck, the project is widely regarded as one of the darkest titles to come from the DC Universe. It’s a must-see for anyone who likes a hefty dose of grit and grime with their superhero movies.

To be fair, you won’t really catch any superheroes in Joker as it leans heavily into the backstory of Arthur. It is about how his mental illness, combined with the no-care attitude of the city around him, led him to become the makeup-ed menace that we know and love.

The film portrays Phoenix’s character as a lone wolf, not by choice but by his inability to pick up on social queues, leaving others feeling uncomfortable around him. An aspiring clown, Arthur just can’t catch a break when it comes to turning heads in the industry.

Throughout Joker, Arthur’s illness continues to spiral out of control, dragging the audience alongside for a confusing ride between reality and fiction.

Finally finding his niche, Arthur becomes the face of everything wrong with Gotham City and inspires others to dive full force into madness. Also starring in the Todd Phillips film are Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy. 

Arriving alongside films like 2018’s Aquaman and 2019’s Shazam!, Joker stood as a testament to the changing tastes in audiences when it came to superhero films.

While everyone loves a good guy, sometimes it’s fun to relish in the dark side of things, something that could absolutely be seen by the film’s box office numbers.

By the time Phillips and company had their final laugh in theaters around the world, Joker had raked in more than $1 billion at the global box office, easily making the $55-70 million production budget worth it.

Ushering in a new and darker side to the DC that hadn’t been seen since Tim Burton’s take on the caped crusader now three decades ago, Joker paved the way for the success that would be Matt Reeves’s 2022 feature, The Batman.

A sequel for the villain-centered film was a no-brainer, with interest surrounding a follow-up swirling as soon as the movie arrived in cinemas.

This year, audiences will finally see the fruits of Todd Phillips’s labor as Joker: Folie à Deux is set for a theatrical release on October 4, 2024.

The production will fall under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s newly formed DC Studios but will be separate from their Gods and Monsters umbrella and stand with other projects, including The Batman 2, in the category of Elseworlds.

Joining Joaquin Phoenix this time around will be Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, with Zazie Beetz reprising her role from the first film. 

For those who may not have heard, Warner Bros. struck up a deal with Netflix, which will see a handful of its titles arriving on the platform over the next few months. Joker is just one of many DC flicks that fans can catch, as outside films like Don’t Worry Darling are also available for streaming now.