There is a hero in this movie, and his name is Joaquin Phoenix

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2019)

I came into this movie with high hopes. Reviews from critics at this point are mostly positive and fans seem to be in a craze over this film.
This film really shines with Joaquin's stellar performance. His ability to convey Arthur's psychotic transition from a schizophrenic man who's life has been an entire to becoming the Joker was truly remarkable. For that alone, this movie is worth watching.
Where this movie falls flat is in the first half. With Arthur's character properly cemented roughly 35-45 minutes into the movie, the writers keep the pre-transitioned character from making that leap that would change Gotham forever. Scenes become dragged along, Arthur seems to be stuck in this unnecessary loop of battling his demons and his fate, and ultimately, we see a lot more of Arthur rather than Joker in this movie... maybe a little too much.
I'm convinced that if ANYONE else would've taken on this role, this movie would've been a huge lack of vision and execution from the writers.
What separates Joaquin's acting from anyone's that I've ever seen take on a similar role's that he was able to be relatable in an odd manner. Feeling unheard, alone, lied to and forgotten by society's a battle that many face and we can all relate to Arthur's struggles in some way or another. You empathize with his battles but remain shocked by the switch that flips inside of him.
I know that a lot of people would say that I'm perhaps crazy for only giving this a 7 out of 10, but aside from Joaquin's acting and some good cinematic scenes, this movie was 30+ minutes too long or 30+ minutes of irrelevancy. It wasn't perfect, but Joaquin truly was as close to perfection in terms of performance.
Good cinematics, amazing acting, and decent writing.
Go and enjoy this movie in theaters but it'll be equally as enjoyable at-home when it's released.