Joker Rising

I personally believe that fan films shouldn't always be held to canon for the fandoms they are a part of. If you disagree, than this film may not be for you.

When you consider how many theories and previous story lines have been dedicated to the "Origin" of the Joker in comics, movies, TV, video games and now fan films, I prefer to let the Clown Prince of Crime speak for himself: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another ... If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" The best part of this film is how much it delivers on a $3000 budget. It allows the story be the star. Rather than depending on refined audio, soundtrack, special effects and/or CGI to carry a weak premise (as so many fan films seem to do), instead we are treated to a rather well acted, well written premise.

I found the name changes and tweaks to characters to be a subtle nod to the source material while still allowing the writer/director to make their own film.

Finally, lest we forget Christopher Nolan omitted any actual backstory for Joker in his brilliant trilogy, completely revamped "Robin" as merely a "wink homage", ignored Bane's entire venom enhancement and invented a sexual tension between Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne for Rachel which in turn is the catalyst for him becoming TwoFace. Those films were a fantastic version of events in the Batman fandom as well as being great films. But, liberties were taken....

This film was obviously written and directed by someone who loves the world of Batman and wrote and directed an interesting idea for a backstory for the Joker. If that sounds intriguing, you will most likely enjoy this film. If you are looking for strict canon, zero deviations from Comic Book lore or another retread of the same story, this is not the film for you.

For a character such as The Joker, a character who's first appearance was him in his main clownish state, there is a whole lot of free real estate that can be made up for him and where he came from and what made him what he is. This film proves that.

Cyrus (Dylan Hobbs) is part of a gang owned by infamous crime lord; Oswald, and with his upbringing, He doesn't seem to be taking joy with his life and everything around him due to Oswald's demands. He gets the attention and support from a young woman named Harley, who with the support she gives, Cyrus starts to feel more alive and proud. Since then, events start to tear down his being and his new life as The Clown Prince of Crime begins.

Having a low budget for your project forces you to get creative, and it works to it's advantage. each character has quite an interesting take of their original comic counterparts, It has a sort of Breaking Bad feel to it, and with the origin alone, it could've easily been an upbringing for Heath Ledger's Joker.

overall, it's an entertaining experience that succeeds to impress it's viewers by showing what they could do with the right characters with the right material.

Rating: 8.8/10

When I came upon this film on Youtube, I played it with the intent of using it as background noise while I worked on some home projects. It didn't take long before I set my projects aside to give the film my full attention.

What you have in Joker Rising is a production created with sheer talent and imagination. On a shoe string budget of $3000, this film lacked the over the top special effects and over paid actors of the Hollywood Batman films. However, what it did have was solid performances from actors who deserve far more recognition than they will probably ever get, a story of characters who you will actually care about, and an overall production value that far exceeds it's budget.

Whether you're a Batman fan or not doesn't really matter. I would suggest you watch this film.

Shockingly bad I watch fan films to support fan films but this was tedious wooden and a country mile from the mark joker at the end was the only saving grace watch predator crusades much better fan film

Overall this is a very good movie and in many ways is better than some Hollywood Batman films. It has a much more realistic, tight story. The main actors do a good job despite some rough acting from some of the minor characters (which is to be expected on a very low budget movie shot over such a short period of time). A couple amazing scenes really make this movie worth watching. The sound quality is not great at times, but the soundtrack is very good. My wife and I return to watch this movie often.