Well, I FINALLY got around to seeing the controversial and wildly popular film, Joker: the most profitable comic book movie and the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2020)

Now, I intentionally avoided seeing this movie when it came out. Not because I wasn't interested in seeing it or because I thought I wouldn't like it, but because of the hype and the controversy. Seemingly, all the reactions were either "If you like this movie, you're an incel and a school shooter!" or "If you don't like this movie, you're an SJW and a shill!" and I just hate that black-and-white mentality when it comes to movies, or anything really. I find it really obnoxious. I was sick of hearing about it everywhere so I just stayed away. However, months later, the hype has died down, no one has gotten shot or killed because of this movie and it's finishing its theatrical run. I paid $5 and saw it at the second-run theatre. What did I think of it? I loved it, but this movie is not perfect. I'll get the negatives out of the way first since there aren't a lot of them. I thought the writing was way too unsubtle, obvious and on-the-nose. This film is very clear about what it is saying and it hits you on the head with it, almost like they're dumbing it down for audiences who aren't used to watching introspective dramas like this and otherwise wouldn't if it weren't based on a famous comic book supervillain. It can make you roll your eyes sometimes. There weren't too many of those moments for me, but your mileage my vary. Also, there really was no point in setting this in the late 70s/early 80s. I know it's paying homage to famous Joker stories from the 80s like The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns, as well as Martin Scorsese movies from the 70s and 80s like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, but you can do an homage without making a period piece. You could set the story in modern-day and it wouldn't change at all. In fact, some things would make more sense if it were set in a world of social media and mobile phones. You'll see what I mean if you see the movie. I also think some aspects of this movie would've been stronger if they showed rather than told. This movie needed more flashbacks, it would've been way more powerful. However, with all that said, I still loved it. I thought it was great. This movie is not fast. It's not fun. There isn't much action or comedy. It's darker and more serious than The Dark Knight. Just know that going in. This is not your typical comic book movie. It's more A History of Violence than The Dark Knight. Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the titular character is INCREDIBLE. He's both sympathetic and scary and adds so many little nuances and special touches to his performance to make it completely his own. This Joker is very much unlike any other Joker we've gotten in other movies. It was refreshing, especially after the Suicide Squad fiasco. A lot of the other performers aren't half bad either, it was cool to see Robert DeNiro in a comic book movie. This movie is beautiful. It's shot really well and I loved the setdressing. Everything is dirty and grimy and disgusting with garbage everywhere, we're a long way from the Gotham City of Joel Schumacher's Batman movies! The score was also haunting and beautiful, with some great music choices for the soundtrack. No Twenty One Pilots here! I also thought this movie was really thematically rich and relevant. It has tons of social commentary about mental health, class, bullying, abuse, trauma, social isolation, gun violence, the media and more. Some might say this film bites off more than it can chew, it does try to juggle a lot of different themes at once, but I think it worked. This movie also connects with the larger mythology of Batman in very clever ways, leaving the door open to possible sequels and spinoffs. I don't want that, personally, but it's cool that this movie is also a Batman origin story, in a way. Joker and Batman are still two parts of a whole, even in Joker's own movie. Overall, Joker is a flawed but great movie. It's not for everyone and I definitely understand where a lot of the criticism of the film itself is coming from, but I still loved it and recommend it to any fan of psychological character studies or crime dramas, not just superhero movies. I hope it wins some Oscars!