The storytelling was amazing

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2019)

8.5/10
I was gripped from the offset, even during the relatively slow segments. I think this was mainly because the Joker's character is intriguing, in addition to the great storyline and the unpredictability.
*Pros*

Strong opening. The opening scene was powerful and gave us a great introduction to the Joker.
Engaging story. I particularly liked the contrast between his life, and the fact he's always laughing / smiling all the time. And the reference to how people expect those with mental illness to act a certain way (whereas in Arthur's reality he has a facade).
Unpredictability - which evoked an element of fear and curiosity as to where the story would go.
Great pacing. Every scene was so seamless that it didn't feel that we were watching 'scenes'; it just seemed to flow as if we were watching a day in his life.
Amazing cinematography. I particularly liked the scene where Arthur was dressed in a bright joker outfit, and there was a distinct contrast with the dullness of the city.
The casting was on point.

*Cons*

The ending was too abrupt.

To explain, I felt the movie just dramatically ended with a lot of loose ends left unaddressed (e.g. the apartment incident, the storyline with his neighbour, and the times on the clocks throughout).
However, the most prominent fan theory offers a possible explanation as to why it was so abrupt. If that theory is true, then it would have been beneficial to end the movie with a quick flashback to different segments in the story to clarify. In a similar format to how 'The Prestige' was done.

The violence was possibly too realistic and could lead to copycat behaviour. Arthur seemed to grow in confidence and find himself, the more violent he became. So effectively the violence was a positive thing for him; which isn't a good message to send the audience.

To conclude, if they had tied up the end of the movie more nicely, I would have probably bumped the rating up a point. Although - all in all, it's a really enjoyable movie. With a great story, that was told really well.