Who was the better Joker?
- Thread starter Relish in Chaos
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Definately Romero! Nicholson never really felt like he was the Joker to me and as good a villain as Heath Ledger was it didn't feel like the Joker either...I'd even argue that he wasn't the best villain in the movie as I felt Aaron Eckhart absolutely NAILED Two Face. The Joker was always dangerous but his humor was always bigger than the violence...To that end when it comes to live action Cesar Romero is the absolute master of the role just like Mark Hamill owns the voice acting side.
It goes:
1. Mark Hamill (Hell, the guy has the word Arkham in the middle of his name! It's destiny!)
1.3 Heath Ledger. Hamill may have embodied everything the Joker is and thus cannot be touched, but by God did Ledger absolutely nail that role.
1.7 Jack Nicholson. I prefer Ledger's by far, but Nicholson still did an awesome job.
2. Everyone else, really.
1. Mark Hamill (Hell, the guy has the word Arkham in the middle of his name! It's destiny!)
1.3 Heath Ledger. Hamill may have embodied everything the Joker is and thus cannot be touched, but by God did Ledger absolutely nail that role.
1.7 Jack Nicholson. I prefer Ledger's by far, but Nicholson still did an awesome job.
2. Everyone else, really.
Gotta go with Hamill. It's a shame that he was tied to a kids cartoon, because the darkness that Ledger nailed is still there in Hamill's version, but it had to be toned down for kids. Thankfully you get to see a lot more of that darkness in the games.
The level of insanity that Hamill's version portrays is so damn funny too. I watched an episode recently where he sets himself up as a judge, and then randomly uses a rubber chicken as a gavel as the scene ends. And then there's Harley Quinn, who is an awesome character.
The level of insanity that Hamill's version portrays is so damn funny too. I watched an episode recently where he sets himself up as a judge, and then randomly uses a rubber chicken as a gavel as the scene ends. And then there's Harley Quinn, who is an awesome character.
Hazy992 said:
My vote goes to Felix the Cat... Wait he's not The Joker? OK I can't really vote on this one since I never seen any of the Dark Knight movies. For me it's Hamill and Romero.
I used to don a Red Hood, but then Hilarity ensued.
I prefer Nicholson just because he had a great mix of entertaining but also terrifying. I don't know about other people, but for myself watching that scene near the end of Batman where Nicholson is poisoning the crowd was just terrifying as a kid.
Ledger did a great performance, but really he was just some psycho terrorist. Take away the costume and he'd work in pretty much any setting. That makes him certainly more believable and probably more scary, but it's also less fun to watch I think.
So of those two Nicholson because he makes the better 'comic book villain' as opposed to Ledgers crazed terrorist.
Ledger did a great performance, but really he was just some psycho terrorist. Take away the costume and he'd work in pretty much any setting. That makes him certainly more believable and probably more scary, but it's also less fun to watch I think.
So of those two Nicholson because he makes the better 'comic book villain' as opposed to Ledgers crazed terrorist.
Although I think Mark Hamill is the best joker. I must be one of the only people who really didn't care for Heath Ledger's joker, nor the entire movie itself. So I'll have to lean towards Jack Nicholson as well.
You beat me to it... these are pretty much my thoughts exactly. I will say that I feel Ledger deserved that Oscar for his truly remarkable performance, but he just didn't have that Joker mania, that twisted wackiness, that made Hamill's (and to some extent, Nicholson's) portrayal so iconic. Ledger was a great villain, but not (in my opinion) a great Joker.xdom125x said:
I was always of the opinion that Ledger was just copying Nicholson anyway, but with better make-up.
This. One thing I really felt was missing from Ledger's performance was the iconic laughter, which I feel is essential to the character. You can do whatever origin story you want, but without the iconic laugh it's just not The Joker. Even Nicholson nailed that part fairly well.El Danny said:
Ledger's Joker epitomizes what makes the Joker great within the context of Nolan's Batman.
A deranged maniac with equivalent cunning, intelligence(almost), resources (replace Bat-tech and Bat-skills with mooks and guns), and force of will as the Dark Knight himself.
Also, I can't find a single Nicholson joke that's as funny as the pencil trick.
A deranged maniac with equivalent cunning, intelligence(almost), resources (replace Bat-tech and Bat-skills with mooks and guns), and force of will as the Dark Knight himself.
Also, I can't find a single Nicholson joke that's as funny as the pencil trick.
Ledger's performance just lacked any sense of playfulness. And it's this aspect of the Joker that works disarming which gives him an opening to strike.
Mark Hamill had this beat. He could be goofy and silly, but then immediately turn vicious.
Mark Hamill had this beat. He could be goofy and silly, but then immediately turn vicious.
No, it wouldn't be out of order. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the entire film has been hyped up due to his death. Neither are anything spectacular. Ledger's performance is good, but has nothing special or unique about it, the film itself is a good action flick which drags on too long, confuses itself about the message it's trying to send, and actually, I'll stop there, because that's not the point. Yes, I think his death lead to his performance being over-rated. Mark Hamill is the best joker, Nicholson is second best.
As somebody else said:
Mark Hamill! How can anyone not be creeped out by that messed-up laughter? It's chilling. Ledger's Joker was good, very good, but he can't hold a candle to Hamill. Especially not now that he's DEAD! HEEEHEEHOOHOOHOOHOOHAA*cough*haha*cough*HAA!*hack!**hack!*
Nicholson, and I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this, just didn't appeal to me. The prosthetic smile just looked cheesy, we knew too much about him, and the only thing that really changed between Napier and Joker was the face. I just didn't think he was that good.
On the subject, there's a Youtuber called LordJazor who does the perfect Joker impression. He sounds just like Hamill, though the difference is apparent on occasion. Check him out!
Nicholson, and I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this, just didn't appeal to me. The prosthetic smile just looked cheesy, we knew too much about him, and the only thing that really changed between Napier and Joker was the face. I just didn't think he was that good.
On the subject, there's a Youtuber called LordJazor who does the perfect Joker impression. He sounds just like Hamill, though the difference is apparent on occasion. Check him out!
I'm not a Batman fan so I couldn't care who matched the closest to the original Joker.
Heath Ledger's face is what comes to mind now when you mention the Joker, and that's because I found far more entertaining. The bastard literally scared me in the cinema he was so unpredictable, which doesn't happen often at all.
Heath Ledger's face is what comes to mind now when you mention the Joker, and that's because I found far more entertaining. The bastard literally scared me in the cinema he was so unpredictable, which doesn't happen often at all.
Nicholson's Joker worked with Burtons style. He was funny. Hamill's Joker...he was awesome. Very Batman. But I personally think Ledger's Joker was the best. Not because of all the hype, or Ledgers death...but because he was insane. Of all the actors playing crazy characters in movies, The Dark Knight's Joker was truly insane to the point in which I was worried about myself for loving him so much. I have never experienced a character who was just so...insane. There were no motivations behind anything he did, even when everything seemed so meticulously planned.
I love true crazy.
I love true crazy.