Loyalist College students give their opinions on the controversial Joker film

By Logan Somers

BELLEVILLE – Some Loyalist College students don’t agree with the recent controversy surrounding the new Joker movie triggering violence.

Allan Hicks, a Loyalist College student, currently in the Film and T.V Production program, shared his opinions on the current discussion.

“It’s an overreaction. I don’t think it’s granted at all. You can say it about any movie that has come out. Why would you pick on Joker when other movies have way more violence in them?”

On Oct.4 the new movie The Joker, telling the story of the famed Batman character, opened up in theatres worldwide. It is considered a box office success, breaking the October opening night record with its $13.3 million, previously held by Sony’s Venom which released last year.

Joker hasn’t only been breaking records. It also brought up many concerns about movies glorifying violence, along with worries related to violence taking place in theatres.

Violence has occurred in film since its creation and the protestors are nothing new. Films like Reservoir Dogs, The Last Temptation of Christ and A Clockwork Orange all faced criticisms on their use of violence in the past.

At first, The Joker film was viewed as just another movie with violence. There was the usual apprehension of glorifying violence, being inappropriate. But Warner Bros. did not take into consideration the current climate.

Then the controversy surrounding the film began ramping up, with numerous amounts of people and news outlets taking to social media to express their concerns of not taking into consideration victims of violent acts and possibly influencing people to engage in violence.

Hicks said there will always be people who react to violent movies.

“You’re going to get your sick sickos that go out and see this movie and think that it’s real and that they should do what they see on screen. But you’re going to get that with any form of media or any movie, not just because it’s Joker.”

A poll was held on a Facebook group for Loyalist College students called Accepted: Loyalist. It showed that many students don’t believe there is a problem with violence in movies. Fourteen participated in the poll and only one believed it to be a bad thing. However, many people around the world have expressed their worries on social media and this has resulted in the theaters taking precautions.

Hannah Atkinson, another Loyalist student, reacted to the poll.

“I really don’t believe seeing fake violence is a problem. I think the issue is with the individuals who act in ways they know better than to do. But if they don’t know better, than the issue lays with whoever didn’t teach them any better, or support them in working through their problems.”

Warner Brothers, the studio producing The Joker, reported that they are working with law enforcement in New York City to place uniformed and undercover police officers in theatres showing the film, out of concerns of possible violence taking place. The concerns are that The Joker movie which follows the origin of the Joker, a psychotic killer, may bring up copycats. A copycat criminal is someone who takes inspiration from a previous crime or fictional crime and imitates it.

Many people have been referring back to the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, where a man dressed as the Joker and killed 12 and injured 70 people.

Lauren Scott, a graduate of Loyalist College, said it’s not as simple as whether violence in movies is good or bad.

“I think if violence is necessary it’s not a problem. Things like war movies are tragic and while violence is awful it captures what these people had to go through. I think unnecessary violence like slasher movies is the problem.”

The concerns surrounding the film escalated as its released date neared when Warner Bros. faced protests from families of mass shooting victims, the Washington Post reported.

Once the film was released worldwide on Oct. 4 controversy and concerns continued to grow. The Los Angeles Times reported a theatre screening The Joker in Huntington Beach California was closed down for a night after police responded to what they say was a “credible threat.”

Hicks shared that he believes the controversy and worries surrounding the possibility of violence taking place is just growing audiences.

“Honestly, I think if the news keeps talking about it it’s just going to make more people go see it,” said Hicks.