Joker Review

Rating: 6/10 (5 October 2019)

In a year full of mediocre films and some mediocre comic book films, Joker is a HUGE breath of fresh air. Joker is a fantastic film and a fantastic comic book film. Although the film is great, there are a small handful of issues. Unfortunately, most of those issues are spoiler related so I can't talk about them. The one I can talk about is that the film does sometimes borrow a little too much from the films it is inspired by, Taxi Driver (1976) and The King of Comedy (1983). If you have seen either of those films and watch Joker then you will know what I am talking about. Other than that and my spoiler related issues, the film is almost perfect. Joaquin Phoenix does a phenomenal job as the Joker. You can barely recognize that it is him because he just disappears into this role. The way Joaquin Phoenix shows this slow downfall of his character is incredible. Robert De Niro also does a fantastic job with his limited role. He's cold, calculating, and manipulative and it's perfect. The sequence of events that the film portrays is perfect. It doesn't quickly get to the "Joker" but spends most of the film showing the slow downfall of his character. The film does this to perfection. This film is incredibly dark. There are multiple moments in the film that your jaw just drops at what happens. The film uses violence to its advantage. The scenes where it is used in adds to the already huge amount of tension that has been built up which leads me to my next point, Joker is incredibly tense. There are multiple moments where events are slowly building up and you are just on the edge of your seat waiting for the climax of that scene and when it happens, it feels super satisfying. The score for this film is amazing also. Hildur Guðnadóttir has so many outstanding compositions that adds to the tension and gives us an insight into Arthur's mind. The cinematography is surprisingly really good. It always provides a way to show us how Arthur is feeling while also getting other necessary shots. Joker is a film that has to be experienced on its own. Ignore the controversy behind it and try not to pay too much attention to the critic reviews. You have to see the film and depending on how you feel the film portrays issues like violence and mental illness will determine if you like it or not. Overall, Joker is exactly what comic book films needed with a breathtaking performance from Joaquin Phoenix and an interesting, dark, and realistic approach into an iconic character. I give Joker a 9.5/10.