Comic Source Material as Art

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2019)

The Joker is a really intense, really well done artistic statement and I'm surprised that Warner Bros had the guts to put it out. It was both mesmerizing and also uncomfortable to watch at the same time as it should be. Joker is Joaquin Phoenix's most impressive performance thus far of his career. The director, Todd Phillips, pulled no punches. The comparisons to Taxi Driver are justifiable but it's also very much it's own film. If anything, the DNA of Scorsese's style is a source of inspiration but Joker stands on it's own. I won't compare it to Heath Ledger's performance because the two films couldn't be more different. Joker is it's own thing and this is just another interpretation of the character. Being unburdened from the weight having to focus on Batman being present really allowed us to get deep with the character of the Joker in a way we haven't seen before outside of the comics. Yet this in no way was a comic book movie, it was probably the most serious film I've seen based on comic source material. It's comic book material elevated to art and I hope the movie and Joaquin both get recognition for what was accomplished. I'll say it again, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch but that's because it should be. It's one that really wants to provoke discussion with your peers and that's a refreshing change to the movies that have been coming out of Hollywood in recent memory.