“Give Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar now.” That’s the general consensus in the comments sections of the second — and final — trailer for Warner Bros. Joker, which tells the origin story of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix)’s downward spiral and evolution into one of the most notorious villains of all time.
The first trailer, which dropped back in April, established that the movie will be dark, and this second promo certainly confirms it.
The clip clocks in at 2 minutes and 24 seconds, during which we see Arthur struggling with life and his career in comedy. Throughout, we see people putting him down, including a mother on a bus who scolds Arthur for making her son laugh and Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro), a famous performer who ridicules Arthur’s comedy on T.V.
From his disturbing dance moves and unsettling smile to the casually delivered line, “When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Joker?” Phoenix’s performance in the trailers holds promise of a layered, complex character and a DC movie that looks like a winner.
Check out the full trailer below and see Joker in theaters starting . on Oct. 4.
Photo: Warner Bros.
