Joker by Todd Philips

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2019)

The Joker is one of the most important as well as one of the greatest villains of all time, who is notable for using evil action by always ending with a creepy smile and a crazy loud laugh. No matter if the Joker would either lose or win to accomplish his purpose, his smile is always seen with more or less satisfaction. It is also interesting to see how the Joker has no precise origin story, but it is clear he exists in several stories and how the other characters would face him. After the making of the movie War Dogs, the filmmaker Todd Philips seems interested to release a story with the Joker as the main character. Without focusing the Joker as the villain and Batman as the hero, but instead to focus only the Joker in the tragic and the dark way. As well as by using less comedic elements, which Todd Philips usually uses it in his movies. In 2019 came out Joker by Todd Philips with Joaquin Phoenix. The movie's plot: In the 80s of the dirty Gotham City, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled comedian with mental issues, who has been abandoned by the society. Since he has been discarded he slowly turns into a bloody character called Joker, who would be then noticed by several people. There have been several discussions when it was announced, the filmmakers were working on the movie, which either would come out in the good or even in bad way. The result of the movie has been to surprise the audience and the critics, as several people is still talking about it. The filmmakers did take less inspirations from the comic books, as they took more inspirations from the classic movies like Taxi Driver and The French Connection. By making the story realistic, gritty, psychological and violent, to let the audience feel the emotions of the main character, while he is facing the tragedies in his road. Joaquin Phoenix was extraordinary as Arthur Fleck/Joker, a troubled, tormented and abused comedian who has mental issues and lives in difficulties to take care his mother. Since Arthur Fleck feels tired to be discarded from the society, he would slowly starts to develop his alter ego and get more attention from everyone, not anymore as Arthur Fleck but as the Joker. The camera and the lightings were specific elaborated, to let the audience feel the main character's emotions in the psychological way as well as in the physical way, in every camera movements and in every angle shots. Especially at the moments where the main character would often laugh in the loudest way, which does represents his melancholy as he cannot mourn, but still is clear how he would express his feelings. Besides the main character's loud laugh, another important element of the movie, is the main character's dance. As it shows how his alter ego would slowly come out, which the main character has rhythm to express in the course of the story. The editing helps to be clear about how the movie has to be narrated, from the beginning to the end without ruining the narration's rhythm. The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir has been elaborated to create the atmospheres and the emotions of the story, in the main character's point of view, to be impactful as well as powerful to be unforgettable in every single musical notes. Joker is one of the greatest movies of all time, as well as one of the best movies of 2019.