Film Reactiviews

Rating: 7/10 (13 October 2019)

JOKER
Release date October 4th, 2019
Audience REACTIONS at its North American PREMIERE:
😄😄😄😄😄 (5 laughs)
😱 (1 shock)
🏆 (strong Oscar potential)
Joker (Todd Phillips) provides a divergent take on perhaps the world's most famous fictional villain. Incredibly adept at world building, the film portrays the spirit of the character and the society that failed him through the imagery of the dark city, Gotham. The director described the film as a "slow burn", and it was indeed a very slow burn. One should go into the film expecting something very different than the superhero movies we already know the Joker from. Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal provides a humanizing origin for the villain. While the viewer knows the character ultimately becomes a villain, it is easy to forget that, seeing instead a troubled man in a broken society; someone who just needed some compassion and kindness. Raising questions about the failings of our own society, it calls for introspection. Joker can first appear bland, but the more one considers it, the more deeply it is felt.