Not a masterpiece, but a very good film

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2019)

Joker is an excellent character study of a man who is descending into a dark madness. It's central theme of how society treats the mentally ill is very strong and well done, and full props must be given to Joaquin Phoenix for his excellent performance.
It's not a perfect film though. It borrows heavily from other sources, and the themes go deep, but not as deep as they maybe could have. Also, the Joker character at the end didn't quite feel right as the movie never took him past angry personal revenge killings to become the outright and indiscriminate psychopath that he is supposed to be.
If you only watch comic book films then this will seem truly mind blowing, but for seasoned cinephiles, it's been done better in other movies. Still, that doesn't take away from what is maybe not a masterpiece, but a very good film - and there's nothing wrong with being a very good film.