Well, here's a review I'm not used to writing; this isn't a film review per se. After the success of Matt Reeves's The Batman, the fans got a special scene of the Joker played by Barry Keoghan. Everyone's favorite Clown Prince of Crime is being interrogated by Robert Pattinson's Batman and that's about it. It's a superfluous scene when taking into account whether it contributes to the plot or any character development or so forth so one can see how it was deleted (not that we already had a too long of a movie already which could've been cut at places).
By the time the narrative was over, the Riddler was conversing with a character most people naturally assumed was the Joker in prison. What struck me a bit odd was the casting of an actor not many people are familiar with; the Joker role is a dream job for many A-list talents and having Barry Keoghan be selected and reduced to a cameo was definite distraction to an otherwise solid Batman movie. I didn't dislike his performance in the deleted scene but it definitely seemed inspired by Heath Ledger's haunting and legendary portrayal of the Dark Knight's arch-nemesis. Overall, it was an unusual choice but he acted pretty decently for what little time he was given.
As for the look of the character, I suppose the filmmakers were making him a burn victim on account of the scars we see around his head but to me this Joker reminded me of a dog with mange. It's a unique, grotesque vision I respect which begs us to inquire about his backstory in this iteration. "You know how I got these scars?" It's kind of funny to also note he uses the phrase "ahead of the curve" like Ledger's version.
The most effective film technique used in the scene was where his face was out of focus for the majority of the runtime until the very end to enhance menacing, grim presence on screen for those watching.
Now as for the scene itself, like I said before, it's nothing crucial to the plot: it's simply a scene where Batman shows crime scene photos to the Joker who analyzes and gives him an opinion of the murders taking place. Seemed Hannibal Lecter was out to lunch that day in Arkham. The only interesting part of the scene is when the Joker implies our dark protagonist of our story is deep down glad these murders are happening, a nod to film noir themes.
To me, this seemed like a studio mandated part of the film for Matt Reeves: requesting they put in the Joker on screen. It feels out of place and it seemed all the better to be left on the cutting room floor for the final cut.
But you know what? I liked the scene for what it was and since it did not appear in the movie, no harm, no foul. It does give a good idea of Matt Reeves's serial killer direction he was going for but ultimately did little to advance anything. I'd say it holds its own.
My rating: 9/10.
By the time the narrative was over, the Riddler was conversing with a character most people naturally assumed was the Joker in prison. What struck me a bit odd was the casting of an actor not many people are familiar with; the Joker role is a dream job for many A-list talents and having Barry Keoghan be selected and reduced to a cameo was definite distraction to an otherwise solid Batman movie. I didn't dislike his performance in the deleted scene but it definitely seemed inspired by Heath Ledger's haunting and legendary portrayal of the Dark Knight's arch-nemesis. Overall, it was an unusual choice but he acted pretty decently for what little time he was given.
As for the look of the character, I suppose the filmmakers were making him a burn victim on account of the scars we see around his head but to me this Joker reminded me of a dog with mange. It's a unique, grotesque vision I respect which begs us to inquire about his backstory in this iteration. "You know how I got these scars?" It's kind of funny to also note he uses the phrase "ahead of the curve" like Ledger's version.
The most effective film technique used in the scene was where his face was out of focus for the majority of the runtime until the very end to enhance menacing, grim presence on screen for those watching.
Now as for the scene itself, like I said before, it's nothing crucial to the plot: it's simply a scene where Batman shows crime scene photos to the Joker who analyzes and gives him an opinion of the murders taking place. Seemed Hannibal Lecter was out to lunch that day in Arkham. The only interesting part of the scene is when the Joker implies our dark protagonist of our story is deep down glad these murders are happening, a nod to film noir themes.
To me, this seemed like a studio mandated part of the film for Matt Reeves: requesting they put in the Joker on screen. It feels out of place and it seemed all the better to be left on the cutting room floor for the final cut.
But you know what? I liked the scene for what it was and since it did not appear in the movie, no harm, no foul. It does give a good idea of Matt Reeves's serial killer direction he was going for but ultimately did little to advance anything. I'd say it holds its own.
My rating: 9/10.
