That wasn't the Joker!

Rating: 5/10 (4 October 2019)

I usually avoid rated "R" type movies, but this was about a beloved comic book character which I love, and was eager to see an in-depth character study of how he might have come to be. This was a great character study, but it wasn't the Joker from the comics or the movies!
The Joker from the comics is brilliant, a tactician, who has no conscience but enjoys chaos and the game. This character had none of that. It was a character story about a sad, lonely, pathetic, unintelligent, mentally ill man who was abused and tortured and becomes a killer. There are other inconsistencies also, like the age of Bruce Wayne and the character of Thomas Wayne was different.
The acting is great, and the character building is great. But it felt like a depressing slog at times, like the character, there was no happiness in the movie at all, with no characters shown with any morally redeeming qualities. I left feeling disturbed and depressed, but at the same time more compassion for those on the fringe of society.