Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2020)

When first watching the trailers for this movie I was excited for a new DC based movie starring the Joker. It excites me that DC was returning to the dark, gloomy style of movies they do best like The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, so when I sat down to start watching I was already on the edge of my seat ready to watch the rise of the Joker.
Arthur Fleck who is mentally ill is struggling to fit in with society. Bullied and excluded, Arthur seeks comfort in humor. As we figure out, Arthur's sense of humor is unlike anyone else's. At first he was excited because he has always wanted to be a stand up comedian but is once again rejected by society. After this we watch Arthur slowly descend because of his mental illness and because of society being selfish and unwilling to help the people in need we see Arthur turn into Infamous Joker with the creepy laugh and the painted face.
My first thought after watching this movie was "wow". The acting is incredible. Joaquin Phoenix had an Oscar worthy performance, and that laugh, that creepy laugh gave me chills down my spine every time I heard it. The costume design was absolutely insane. With the make up to the dyed green hair they made Joaquin look like everyone's worst nightmare. Todd Phillips did an amazing job with the story line and the Joker's development as a character is amazing. He starts off as a poor citizen with a mental illness rejected by society and his city. As we watch we see his actions start to throw the city into chaos and eventually watch as he develops into the mastermind crime lord Joker we all know and love. Apart from all the good acting and storyline I was disappointed that he didn't face any obstacles or moments where I thought that he was in serious trouble. Everything went his way and he had no big setbacks, which is disappointing because in past DC movies there is always a big setback or obstacle to overcome. Even though he doesn't face any setbacks we feel like he is always struggling with the soundtrack that gives you goosebumps. The soundtrack reminded me of the show Chernobyl with all the slow, deep, rolling notes that keep you on the edge of your seat anxiously awaiting for something bad to happen.
I highly recommend watching this movie if you haven't yet. I have watched it multiple times already and every time I am stunned by what they were able to accomplish with this movie. Whether it was Joaquin Phoenix with his incredible acting, the make up design, the soundtrack that gives you chills every time the music starts playing or Todd Phillips brilliant and chilling story. Although they could improve on things like how the Joker doesn't face any major obstacles, this doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed watching this film.