Joker is disturbing, devastating, haunting and tragic in every way possible. From the opening scene, you can tell this movie is going to make a statement, Joker is completely different and unique compared to any other comic book film I've ever watched. This movie is visually haunting and disturbing, these people have something to say and you can tell from the moment the film starts that this message is going to be raw and straight forward. At times Joker can be hard to watch, but not because of any actual flaw with the movie but because Joker holds a mirror in front of society, forcing humanity to acknowledge it's flaws in a very horrifying way.
Some people think this movie went "over the top" and "glorified violence" but I would definitely disagree. I get that since the movie is a hyper-realistic view of real life it's hard to remember that this is still about a fictional comic book character that has always existed to thrive in violence and chaos so I think that this movie did a great job developing Joker/Arthur in a realistic way while staying true to its original character traits. I also don't think the film glorifies or legitimately justifies criminal activity or violence, it just showed a new and unique perspective on it and I thought it was actually quite necessary for the film to take it as far as it went to showcase the overall idea and ideologies the film was full of.
I absolutely adored the score for this film, it added so much intensity, emotion and suspense to every scene. Joker easily had my favourite score of the year so far! This movie is also gorgeously shot, the cinematography was fantastic, the colouring was amazing and the camera work was incredible. Definitely some of the most beautiful cinema from a technical aspect so far this year. I also really liked the origin story aspect of this film, it was really well crafted and well written, it gave such a unique perspective on the Joker and his relationship with Gotham City, I also thought having the movie being more about Arthur then the Joker made for a much more captivating film and a much more intense experience.
The entire film is just so interesting, mysterious and unique, which made it so much easier for me to completely submerge myself into the movie. I also thought that the production, makeup and costume design for this film were incredible especially for a lower budget film compared to other comic book movies, I mean this is probably the best crafted and well-designed film DC has produced in years. The casting was fantastic and the acting overall was fantastic. With that being said Joaquin Phoenix obviously carried this film from am acting standpoint, his performance was indeed masterful and he delivers what is his most impressive, unique, captivating and deep performances of his career so far while handling what is easily one of the most complex characters in cinema.
His performance was quite flawless and has not only become my favourite performance of the year but may also be my favourite performance of the entire decade!
I didn't think it was possible but Joaquin may have actually topped Heath Ledger as the best joker in cinema, I mean this is performance we will study and look back on and talk about how legendary it was. This is definitely a movie that is super interesting and it gives you a lot to think about I mean I haven't been able to stop thinking about this film or stop talking about this movie since I watched it Thursday night. I went to see this movie with three other people, we all have very different tastes in movies yet we all left the theatre with the same thought and that was that Joker is an incredible film which doesn't happen very often. I really like the psychological aspect of this film. I thought they did a really good job of handling multiple mental illnesses in a genuine, respectable and realistic way. The dialogue in this film was definitely great and at times could be quite powerful it's definitely a movie you need to pay attention to and really become apart of the film.
At the end of the day, Joker is a beautifully filmed, well-acted and captivating movie that has an important message and takes a shocking look at our society and a realistic view of mental illness. Joker has fantastic pacing and toning, the movie deals with many important themes that takes this film to the next level and makes for a very captivating and interesting watch. The movie is well crafted and well put together, Joker may be complex but the directing, storytelling, writing and filmmaking are all so good that the movie is definitely easy to understand and follow. The acting was phenomenal and Joaquin Phoenix delivers an Oscarworthy performance!
Joker is truly a unique film, it is something completely different then any other movie I've ever watched and probably ever will watch again, this is definitely the best comic book film I've seen this decade and proves that low budget indie type films can work very well in the comic book world. Joker is truly a masterpiece of cinema as far as I'm concerned and I'd definitely recommend this film to anyone who loves movies!
Rating: 9.7/10