Is The Joker the Greatest Movie Villain Ever?

Before reading this, let me warn you that there are spoilers for The Dark Knight, as well as the original Star Wars Trilogy and The Silence of the Lambs. If you haven't seen Dark Knight, go look up the earliest time at your local theater and go see it. Now. This will be here when you get back. Along the same vein, if you've never seen the Star Wars Trilogy, you've not only lived a deprived life, but you need to watch Episodes IV, V, and VI now. Silence of The Lambs is also a must watch, so rent that too while you are at it (although that one may not have the same universal appeal, if you don't like thrillers, you may want to just read this blog without watching the movie, because it is creepy. But awesome too. If you have liked any thriller movie ever, rent it).


Anyone who has seen The Dark Knight can agree, Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was awesome. The Joker creeped me out in many ways, and the only way he could have been more scary is if he walked out of the movie screen, into the movie theater and started shooting members of the audience. But is the character the greatest villain ever portrayed on the big screen? I don't believe this question has been asked... until now. Only seen here on All About 42, we have a great competition between the new guy (The Joker) and two contestants who are legendary in the world of movie villains.

But first, it is my sad duty to report that a third invitee could not make it tonight. Norman Bates was originally scheduled to attend, but sadly, his dear mother has fallen ill, and is already somewhat crazy (or so I'm told). We are waiting to hear from our correspondents on the scene (they were supposed to check in at the hotel earlier today, but I'm not that worried).

With that out of the way, let me introduce our other two contestants.

Coming to the stage now is a towering beast. Standing at over 6'8", he has ruled over many galaxies as the second in command of The Galatic Empire. He is the master of the Dark Side, merciless, and a living legend. Give it up for.... Darth Vader!

Our last contestant was once considered a brilliant psychologist, but I wouldn't recommend going to his sessions. He isn't only a murderer, but he goes so far as to eat his victims. His 17 minutes in The Silence Of The Lambs are enough to scare you for life. Please, give your applause to.... Dr. Hannibal Lector.

Our three contestants will be judged on a variety of catagories to determine which villain is the greatest. The panelists are an esteemed group of three (me, myself, and I). Now without further ado, let's get on to the first category.

First Impression: Pretty simple. What did you think of the first time you saw the character on screen.

Darth Vader- While still trying to figure out what's going on, all of a sudden Darth Vader walks on to the ship with some menacing music come on. And he just looks proud, strong, ready to kick some rebel butt. Certainly someone powerful, but does he really do much on this first trip? Yes, he shows himself to be a total badass later, but just through this, I'm not convinced.

Hannibal Lector- Heading down to this cellar, you see him in his cell. And he doesn't look that bad. But then, hearing him speak to Clarice, you get shivers down your spine. And all I could think was "Oh my God, this guy has got to be the creepiest guy I've ever seen." Very impressive.

Joker- In the middle of a robbery, people are killing each other left and right. Then, after being the last man left in the robbery, the mastermind reveals himself to be the actual Joker. On top of that, it is shown that he robbed the mob. Smart, crazy, merciless. All good things to show for a villain.

Final Verdict: Lector's "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti." at the beginning still freaks me out. He wins this category easily. Second: Joker. Third: Vader.

Greatest Strengths: What are these villains best at?

Lector- A great psychological mind. He convinced a guy to choke himself to death, he escaped by having a mask using another person's face. Although maybe not impressive on the outside, his mind is a most powerful weapon.

Joker- Creative use of weaponry. He kills a guy with a "disappearing" pencil. He straps a bomb to a cell phone to escape. Works on a great "social experiment" and has explosives on some ferries, and tries to get the passengers to blow them up. Gifted, as well as impressive.

Vader- The dark side of the Force. Seriously, he is one of the best with a lightsaber, he can use powers that most Jedi couldn't imagine, and he's a great pilot. Force choke is one of those special things that shouldn't be trifled with.

Final Verdict: This is a hard one, because all three have great gifts (would beat any other villain that has ever appeared). But, considering that the Force is superhuman, while the others are not, I'm going with Darth Vader. Second: Lector. Third: Joker

Moment of Weakness: Who screwed up the least in their moment of weakness?

Joker- He could never convince Batman to kill (aka, break his only rule). To counteract this, he created Harvey Two-Face. "An ace in the hole." Clever, and a good solution. Plus, failing on dying is a decent consolation.

Vader- He ended up showing mercy on his son, killing his former master and turning into a good guy at the end. In terms of the movie, it was a touching moment and a good way to end it. In terms of movie villainy, poor show Vader. Poor show.

Lector- He may be a bad guy, but he's still helping Clarice find another bad guy. Also, he does appear to have a sense of a little morality, based on Clarice saying to her friend "He won't come after me... he'd consider it rude." Interesting, but not convenient for him.

Final Verdict: It's probably obvious, but Joker's failings keep him alive. Good job for him. Second: Lector. Third: Vader.

Diabolical Schemes: Who has the best goals in life?

Vader- Rule the galaxy as the most powerful being. Hardcore, to the point, and overall, very good, even though it's tradtional.

Lector- His main plan is to escape, so he can get a good meal. More plans of necessity than anything else, but considering how he gets a good meal, they are still solid.

Joker- Total anarchy. How fun. How crazy. How awesome.

Final Verdict: Yeah, it's traditional, but I really like how Darth Vader rolls here. Second: Joker. Third: Lector

Legacy: How are you going to remember these guys years from now.

Lector- He is the creepiest character I've ever seen. Seeing him on screen will always give me chills.

Joker- I will remember him more as Heath Ledger's last role, and how psychotic this guy was. Because I'm convinced the only thing crazier he could have tried was walking out of the movie screen and killing a few audience members.

Vader- So much here. Hearing the Imperial March, and seeing him just demand presence. Just awesome.

Final Verdict: Really grasping for straws here. I can't choose. It's a tie. Between all 3.

Greatest Moment: What defines their greatness.

Joker- "I'd like to show you a magic trick." Is there any way to strike fear into someone else, in such an entertaining way?

Vader- "No, I am you father!" It isn't just the line. It's all that's going on. Vader is threatening to KILL his own son. Also, he has already cut off his hand, leaving him defenseless.

Lector- His escape. Well planned, violent, creepy, but very, very well done.

Final Verdict: It was his own son after all. Vader wins. Second- Lector. Third- Joker (It's sad I have to put the magic trick third).


Conclusion

In the end (without looking at the catagory wins, granted), I'd still go with Darth Vader and Hannibal Lector over the new Joker. But it's close. I think anyone can agree that this Joker is incredible, and makes the Dark Knight the best film of the year (so far).

Let the debating begin.

Something of Note I found

I realize I haven't actually blogged in a while, and I'll probably have a real update soon (okay well maybe, maybe not). However, I was sent this earlier today and I feel it should be shared.


Michael Jordan having "retired," with $40 million in endorsements, makes $178,100 a day, working or not.

If he sleeps 7 hours a night, he makes $52,000 every night while visions of sugarplums dance in his head.

If he goes to see a movie, it'll cost him $7.00, but he'll make $18,550 while he's there.

If he decides to have a 5-minute egg, he'll make $618 while boiling it.

He makes $7,415/hr more than minimum wage.

He'll make $3,710 while watching each episode of Friends.

If he wanted to save up for a new Acura NSX ($90,000) it would take him a whole 12 hours.

If someone were to hand him his salary and endorsement money, they would have to do it at the rate of $2.00 every second.

He'll probably pay around $200 for a nice round of golf, but will be reimbursed $33,390 for that round.

Assuming he puts the federal maximum of 15% of his income into a tax deferred account (401k), his contributions will hit the federal cap of $9500 at 8:30 a.m. on January 1st.

If you were given a penny for every 10 dollars he made, you'd be living comfortably at $65,000 a year.

He'll make about $19.60 while watching the 100 meter dash in the Olympics, and about $15,600 during the Boston Marathon.

While the common person is spending about $20 for a meal in his trendy Chicago restaurant, he'll pull in about $5600.

This year, he'll make more than twice as much as all U.S. past presidents for all of their terms combined. Amazing isn't it?

However...
If Jordan saves 100% of his income for the next 450 years, he'll still have less than Bill Gates has today.


$$$ Game over. Nerd wins.