Why Critics Absolutely Hated Jared Leto's Joker

Publish date: 2024-06-16

Jared Leto is one of the perfect actors of his technology. There's surely about that. But each and every great actor is allowed a few dangerous films and a few even worse performances. For many filmgoers and critics alike, Jared's worst is his interpretation of the DC supervillain, The Joker, in 2016's Suicide Squad. Jared's take on Batman's archnemesis used to be perceived better in his cameo in Zack Synder's cut of Justice League. But it's overshadowed via his paintings in David Ayer's authentic film.

There's a new Joker in cinema nowadays. But Jared's maligned legacy lives on. Not simplest does it reside within the shadows of Heath Ledger and Joaquin Pheonix's Academy Award-winning performances, however additionally it is referenced each time Jared makes a profession fumble. Most not too long ago in Morbius, the place he performs an MCU villain.

But is his Joker truly THAT dangerous? According to critics, it absolutely is. Here are the worst issues they have got mentioned about his paintings in Suicide Squad...

6 Jared Leto's Joker Has No Substance

Heath Ledger received a posthumous Oscar for his take on The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. A few years later, Joaquin Pheonix gained for taking part in the same position in Todd Phillips's Joker. And Jack Nicholson's performance at the silver display in Tim Burton's Batman has been praised for many years. Why? Because each and every of these actors introduced intensity to the character that was once already present on the web page. They found the nature's ethos. And they made him multidimensional. Numerous critics claimed Jared did not do the similar. But, to be honest, he did not have a lot of a script to paintings with.

This did not prevent movie critics, comparable to Christopher Orr at The Atlantic, from criticizing Jared for what amounted to a "Ledger-lite" performance.

5 Jared Leto's Method Acting Approach Overshadowed His Performance

There's certainly that much of Jared Leto's performance as The Joker was once overshadowed via the media coverage of his on-set antics. More particularly, the techniques he approached method-acting. Almost each pop culture fan knows that he reportedly sent used condoms and rats to his co-stars with a view to taunt them as his character. This is something that used to be identified in The Ringer's overview of Suicide Squad as well as in some other article through The Atlantic. The latter said that Jared's failed and over-the-top approach proved that "the prestige of method acting has dimmed".

Related: How Did The Joker End Up Looking Like A Hipster In 'Suicide Squad'

Of course, Suicide Squad wasn't the first time Jared caused conflicts on set due to his approach. But in a lot of his paintings, his formula of performing did in fact pay off. He's an Oscar-winner, in the end.

4 Jared Leto's Joker Isn't Frightening

In Anthony Lane's Suicide Squad review in The New Yorker, he wrote: "When it comes to [Jared] Leto and [Cara] Delevingne [who played the villain Enchantress], on the other hand, all I can say is: ladies and gentlemen, place your bets, and try to guess which performance, when the movies of 2016 are tallied and assessed, will be judged the more embarrassing. I would plump for Leto, who lets not a syllable go unmangled, and whose attempt at pure evil is roughly as frightening as 'Goodnight Moon,' but I could be wrong."

The idea that Jared's take on the Batman supervillain was lower than intimidating was once widespread amongst critics. Angie Han at Slash Film added to this criticism via claiming that everything Viola Davis' Amanda Waller did in Suicide Squad was considerably scarier than what Jared was once able to do in his Joker efficiency.

3 The Truth About The Joker's Horrible Appearance

"Leto’s Joker is all costume and makeup," a writer for The Detriot News wrote, echoing hundreds of people that've criticized the look of Suicide Squad's Joker. His bodily appearance turned into the signature detail of Leto's performance, that means that every choice he made used to be drowned by it. In distinction, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Pheonix, and even Barry Keoghan (in The Batman) have been in a position to raise their performances up past the distinct glance of the homicidal maniac.

Related: Why Jared Leto Almost Didn't Star In 'My So-Called Life'?

Instead of seeing a novel angle of the Clown Prince of Crime, viewers had been fed on via Jared Leto's copious tattoos, the grills, and the 2010's club vibe. Zack Synder obviously heard the cries from the enthusiasts and critics as he completely did away with the look when he brought Jared into his reduce of Justice League in 2021.

2 Jared's Joker Is "Just An Ordinary Creep"

Amy Nicholson at MTV wrote a scathing review on Jared's tackle The Joker, mentioning: "This mini-man in a shiny suit that reflects his insecurities is supposed to be the Joker, but take two shots of tequila and he could pass for Justin Bieber — especially when he summons his babe, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), from the dance floor and gifts her to another man. This isn’t Jack Nicholson’s soft-bellied lover or Heath Ledger’s rabid dog; Jared Leto’s Joker is just an ordinary creep. He’s a bad boyfriend and a bad, bad guy who wants nothing, schemes nothing, invents nothing, and seems so ineffectual that Batman wouldn’t even have to stand up to take him out. Bruce Wayne could just nod at a bouncer and he’d be kicked to the curb."

Related: The Truth About Lady Gaga's Relationship With Adam Driver And Jared Leto

1 Jared Leto Has Nothing To Do In The Movie

One of the largest criticisms leveled at Jared Leto's performance by a large number of movie buffs in reality has not anything to do with the actor himself. It has to do with the director David Ayer, the script, and no matter decisions were made by Warner Brothers studio within the edit. So much of Suicide Squad's advertising and marketing subject matter taken with Leto when he had little or no screentime or even a lot to do within the film. Globe and Mail author John Smeley, as well as reviewers at NME, was one of the most few critics who seemed to really feel that Jared used to be done a disservice through having his screentime reduce down. Unlike many of the other criticisms, John believes that he may have introduced extra fun to Suicide Squad if he had a bigger presence.

The cameo look Jared made in Zack Synder's cut of Justice League gave the impression to partially prove that Jared's take on The Joker would have faired significantly better with a juicer script and no more studio interference.

Next: 10 Forgotten Facts About Heath Ledger's Joker

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