"There is no punchline."

Rating: 4/10 (11 October 2019)

Well, that was thoroughly mediocre.
Keep in mind, I didn't say "terrible." It's not one of the worst films of the year. Hell, it's not even the worst comic book film of the year (Hellboy and Polar are fighting it out for that title) It's not "good" though either.
Most of that falls on the script. It's so worked up in telling you how important it is that it forgets to even tell you why. There are a LOT of expository scenes here, and while the actors do a shocking job selling them (Every single performance in the film is outstanding), their acting can't make up for how heavy handed they get. The closest thing the film has to an ideology is this really juvenile South Park thing of "Both sides are equally bad, but at least the Right Wing aren't pussies!" Even worse though, because this film is begging to be taken 100% seriously all the time outside of about a handful of scenes (Which are the best stuff in the movie. Seriously, if most of the film had that tone, it would be a masterpiece.) If this was going for a satirical or campy route, it might have worked, but it just doesn't. Don't even get me started on that insanely manipulative musical score. At least it's not pro-incel like I thought it was gonna be.
On top of all that, the film doesn't even pretend to care about the source material. This was very clearly an anti-Occupy art thing that was forced into being a Joker film at the last second. A name change here, an Easter Egg there.
Like I said though, it's not terrible. Joaquin Phoenix is dynamite here and I really do hope that he gets that Oscar. He managed to generate sympathy for me from a character I was absolutely positive would never get any from me. I'd even argue that de Niro deserves a Best Supporting nomination here, this is the best performance he's given in decades and he gives even Phoenix a run for his money.
The cinematography is gorgeous as well. It definitely nails the aesthetic of a grimy 70s crime thriller and there really isn't any comic book film out there that I can say matches this film's aesthetic outside of maybe Watchmen. Pretty much every shot in this film would make a gorgeous screensaver.
While Joker certainly isn't the worst thing ever, it's still plagued by shortcomings. I can see both arguments for how it's a terrible and amazing film. For me, it was a whimper when it should have been a bang and that falls entirely on the shoulders of screenwriter Todd Phillips.