Really mixed feelings about this

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2019)

The Joker is a stand-alone film outside the DC Universe which is an origin story for the Batman villain. I don't think that since The Rocky Horror Picture Show's sequel Shock Treatment that I've had such a conflict over how I feel about a film. I think I equally like and dislike this movie.
First off, I'll confirm most of the good things that everyone's been saying: This has some very interesting looks at wealth inequality, the failings of mental health care, what can cause the result of psychopathic attacks, and the basic human apathy and failure of humankid to take care of itself in general. There are a lot of really top notch lines and scenes in this. The final act is something. It leaves quite the impression.
The whole things looks great. Director Todd Phillips provides such an impressive look and sound to the film. Some great cinematography. Dirty, crowded, crime-laden Gotham looks great. Both score and song selections really guide the mood.
Again I must parrot what everyone's saying: Joaquin Phoenix delivers what could be an Oscar-winning performance as the lead. He is so nuanced and excels at making you feel uncomfortable. Joaquin has such a unique body language in this. This version of the Joker has a condition where he can laugh uncontrollably, and the actor does a great job of making it feel realistic and unpleasant. He also appears to have lost a lot of weight in this. The Joker is traditionally portrayed as a skinny feller but here the movie uses this to make the character feel at times downright primal or sickly, matching his mental state.
However, the movie should not have been two hours long. In order to show the events that create the Joker, Phillips over-compensates and throws way too many plot points at the guy. There are moments that are quite tedious, especially in the middle. There is a also a subplot I was really not found of that reeks of uninspired fan-fiction.
To be honest, this was such a grounded piece by superhero comic standards that it could've been a non-comic book film. Yeah, DC is trying to show that these films can be more prestigious and serious, but by taking out the over-the-top parts of the superhero genre, I feel we may lose what made them special in the first place.
This is the first real comic supervillain movie. (Venom's movie was an anti-hero flick.) But taking the comics into account: his isn't the first attempt to redo a supervillain's origina story. I feat that a lot of these stories frustratingly tend to recycle concepts and this is no exception. These include: 1) Make the villain's story darker than previous incarnations. 2) Have one of their few connections be with a mother and/or romantic interest or fixation (Zazie Beets' character could've been cut out of this completely without changing anything).
Considering that this is about a burgeoning psychopath, you can probably guess, but just to confirm: this is a REALLy dark movie. Violence doesn't happen all the time but when it does: Whoo-boy! Phillips has publicly mentioned that the films of Scorses, such as Taxi Driver and The Comedian, greatly influenced him. So, be forewarned if that's not your thing.
I really had a hard time deciding on the rating for this. On one hand, Phillips, who has directed comedies up till now, surprisingly pulls off quite a confident, intriguing cinematic experience. The movie managed to elicit an emotional response from me that very few films have. However, the issues I mentioned prevented me from loving this or watching a second time. Some of the theater audience at the end clapped, but I personally don't think the movie was strong enough to justify that.