Joker has been met with nearly universal acclaim thus far, but not everyone is happy about the release of the upcoming movie. Some feel that the film’s message is extremely inappropriate given the current climate in America, as the flick’s central message appears to be the glorification of a sad, angry loner committing acts of extreme violence, which coincides with a time period where mass shootings seem to occur almost daily. A few critics even feel that the movie might inspire those in a delicate mental state to emulate Joker’s descent into madness.
It wouldn’t be the first time someone drew inspiration from the character in order to carry out an act of domestic terrorism, either. During a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises back in 2012, James Eagan Holmes entered a theater in Aurora, Colorado and began shooting at audience members, ultimately killing 12 and injuring 70 more. When he was taken into custody, the madman reportedly told police that he was the Joker.
That being said, there’s little anyone can do to stop the release of this movie now. The Hunt was cancelled by its studio for similar concerns, but Joker is obviously a much more high-profile project. People are even calling the central performance the best of Joaquin Phoenix’s career and claiming the film could very well earn itself some Academy Award nominations. The blockbuster, which is drawing comparisons to The Dark Knight, is also expected to shatter October box office records.
The best everyone can do right now then is stay vigilant and hope that the movie doesn’t inspire anyone who’s already on edge to do anything horrid. If people really are worried about others going off the deep end though because of a piece of entertainment, then they should focus their attention on the real issue at hand: how these fragile-minded viewers are getting their hands on these killing machines in the first place.