Joker is an in-depth analysis of one of the most popular villains of pop culture!

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2019)

Well, firstly I want to admit I am a DC fan. Not a big one I suppose, 'cause I haven't read any of their comics. But I like their movies, mostly because they're dark and gritty. I actually had some issues with them when they tried to duplicate the success of MCU by making movies like Justice League and Shazam (I really enjoyed the movie, but that's like enjoying a Marvel movie, just fun but nothing intriguing). But right when I saw the first trailer of Joker I knew it that it's going to be just my type of a movie. And God damn it! It was a hell of a ride.
Firstly, it is not a superhero (or to say supervillain, as the Joker we used to know) movie, it's a completely character driven movie where Arthur Fleck's character has been examined and analysed in a very intriguing way. It's a slow burner. The starting is slow and after a half an hour you start to engage in the movie. It depicts how the mentally ill Arthur Fleck i.e Joaquin Phoenix's character becomes the Joker as we know from Heath Ledger's legendary portrayal of Joker.
In the beginning he is just a man, facing mental illness and hasn't got the sufficient funds for his proper treatment. He only talks to a psychiatrist where he talks honestly about his conditions, feelings and his dreams. He was an aspiring stand up comedian and usually dressed up as a clown, working for a company. The society never really empathize with him, and often calls him weird and humiliate him. Slowly when the story progresses you see how different circumstances makes subtle changes in him, one by one, and at the end we realize that he has become the Joker, leaving his identity completely behind. It's a brilliant psychological study of a character, perhaps easily one of the best of it's genre. And the fact that it has been delivered from a comic movie makes it even more fascinating!
There are two man who made this possible, and kudos to them. Firstly, Joaquin Phoenix. He is an astonishing performer. He played the iconic character effortlessly and surely he should book a spot in Oscar nominations by now. Secondly, the director, who makes the audience empathize and scare from the character at the same time. You root for Arthur Fleck, but you scare from the inner demon he is slowly unrolling that finally becomes Joker.
I rated the movie 8/10 here but if possible I'd have rate it 8.5/10. The only reason I am not rating it a 9 is because it could've had a better ending, and there are some questions that's left unanswered at the end.
The set up of Gotham and the comic book element of the movie are so smartly placed that you never feel like it's been happening in a fictional world. But everytime such an element comes into the screen, it can give a DC fan some real goosebumps! Overall, Joker is a must watch! Thank you WB for releasing it in India on October 2nd. You've made my Gandhi Jayanti awesome!