I wasn’t sold on yet ANOTHER movie centering on this Batman villain, but I admit the final trailer for Todd Phillips’ Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has me intrigued.

This trailer, released before the October 4, 2019 theater debut of the film, emphasizes the beauty in darkness of Arthur Fleck (Joker) in a world where darkness and tragedy can eat a person alive.

He’s shown as a man down on his luck, trying to find some joy in a society that hurts and abuses anything innocent, but the trailer also hints at him relishing in his descent into madness. He’s empowered by the evil and the chaos, and it appears we will be made to witness this.

I confess that I’m one of the people who wondered if we needed yet another movie featuring the Joker character. Don’t get me wrong, I like the character overall, especially when he’s juxtaposed against the Batman. What I’ve never cared for is the too-often push to make him some sort of relatable person.

Joker is a murderer, and usually he has little rhyme or reason as to why he does it. Like real life killers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the like, I don’t think it makes sense to make heinous villains “relatable.” It can borderline glamorize that kind of psyche.

I may love Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger in their films, but make no mistake I cheer for the final girls. The final girl (if not made obnoxious of course) is where the sympathy should be, even if we are intrigued by the monsters.

My hope for Joker is that the telling of his transformation into the villain we know is an intriguing one where we can understand his motivations, but not be forced to somehow justify them.

The trailer places the character in a less cartoon like environment, giving a more gritty reality feel to the aesthetic.

I’m here for it.

I’m also here for the showcasing of Black women in this movie, while at the same time dreading what might befall Zazie Beetz’s character as Arthur’s love interest…

Either way, I’m sure this film will be one of the most talked about after it premieres.

Check out the final trailer here. What are your thoughts?: