Joke is a Masterpiece of Film Making! (Long)

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2019)

The performance of Joaquin Phoenix in this movie is from beginning to end outstanding and in my opinion rivals that of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight which is one of my favorite movies of all time! Phoenix's performance done to every detail perfectly portrays the character he was supposed to be and makes it 100% believable. This performance in the lead role is truly an artist at the top of his game, and any better performance is hard to find. Phoenix makes you feel sympathy and understanding for a character that previously was usually regarded as just a crazy and interesting Batman villain. This Joker truly went through Hell to become the character, and it shows how mental illness and it's relation to society really impacts people just maybe not to this extent. The characters descent into madness is extremely hard to watch in a way because you wish you could do something to help, maybe you even feel to some extent it isn't his fault. Then at the end the man that you saw progress through the film becomes who you knew he was going to become anyway, but somehow through the whole thing it almost feels like a surprise nevertheless because you don't feel like he is really a bad guy. This is all just about the main character and the lead actors stellar performance. The rest of the movie is outstanding too, as the casting, music, and every choice made for this film feels like exactly what it should be. Robert De Niro is another shining star in this movie in my opinion and is a very interestinG and important character. Regarding music my favorite scene in the film is when Arthur is dancing on the stairs that he previously trudged over and it makes you feel like this is when he truly becomes the Joker and is free in a sense. In terms of music it is all set to Rock and Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter which was a perfect choice despite the controversy of using the song. The scene at the end on the Murray Franklin show is also outstanding as although you know Arthur has committed heinous crimes his monologue makes some sense and it doesn't feel like entirely his fault, and it is all capped off with a killer knock knock joke (pun intended) as instead of shooting himself like he planned he kills Murray Franklin. This is where the character of Joker is truly his own person as now there is now going back. Despite it being kind of cheap to reference Batman the way the Wayne's are tied in is very intriguing. Thomas and Martha Wayne end up being killed by a clown protester because of the movement establishing the Wayne's as some of their most hated figures, and it makes it seem like Joker and Batman were
Always meant to be archenemies. Unfortunately yet fortunately the end of this film when Arthur is in Arkham makes what happened in this movie less black and white and more gray. It seems to show that Arthur had imagined the happenings of the movie to some extent because Arkham looks entirely different from what we saw during the course of the film and Arthur has been shown to imagine things to an extreme degree. This however is perfectly appropriate for the Joker as he once said if he must have a backstory he prefers it to be multiple choice. This film from start to end is fantastic and is a must see. Every detail of the film is perfect. Now to the counter arguments as some of the people I know have seen this film didn't not enjoy it at all and have presented arguments I will address. The first criticism is that the movie is slow moving and boring. Addressing the first part of that the movie may seem slow because it is about a mans descent into madness and how his mental illness and treatment by society contributed to it or even caused it. This process is not a quick one, and even in the movie it all unfolds in a relatively short period of time. The movie is "boring" part of this argument can be attributed to a few things. Either the person saying this is a psychopath, they have watched too many marvel and more campy superhero movies, or they just don't understand the film. This film contains stellar acting, great music, an interesting an engaging plot that is related to the real world, and some extremely violent and graphic things. If this movie is "boring" to you not only did you come in with the wrong expectations, but you are looking at the movie in the wrong way. The final argument I heard against this film is that it isn't "fun" and the ridiculousness of this statement is truly indescribable. This movie is not intended to be a fun, campy superhero story similar to the marvel films or something else which I like too may I say. This movie addresses real life issues of our society and is not meant to be taken lightly. This movie is rated r for a reason it is some heavy stuff. This film is gritty, realistic, and serious just how it should be, and if you don't like that than leave the rest of us moviegoers to appreciate the true masterpiece this film is. Besides that I truly think this film is fun to watch just in a different way. This film is fun to watch because it is extremely well made and in my opinion is perfect in every detail and decision. Not all movies are fun to watch because they are funny, not serious, and not violent. All a movie needs to be fun is to be well made and Joker certainly is that. This film is legitimately one of my favorite movies of all time, and Joaquin Phoenix performance as the Joker rivals that of Heath Ledger's! This movie is a must see and should absolutely win some oscars, but if it doesn't that just proves how much of a joke they are. Just do me and yourself a favor don't go to the Joker movie and expect to have fun, and laugh along to a campy and funny superhero movie. Those kinds of films have their time and place and are enjoyable but this film should not be that way at all and you shouldn't expect it to be. This movie is a new take on the Joker character with the ideas of serious issues regarding mental health and society being the main theme of it. This movie is violent, realistic, creepy and maybe even terrifying. This is not a marvel movie; this is not the 60s Batman TV show and it is like nothing you have seen before, but if you listen to what I said and come in with the right expectations than this movie can be regarded as one of the best films ever made especially a comic book film.