Great movie by itself. But I have a conceptual criticism about it.

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2020)

Joker is a great film. The performances are excellent, and all in all, is well rounded and chilling film. Joaquin Phoenix has demonstrated to be one of the best actors of our generation, and this film is going to be remembered as one of his more intense and memorable roles. I can't say much more about the film itself but to check it out.
My only issue is not about the movie itself, but with the concept of the movie. The movie is a psychological drama, and deals with urban alienation and realistic violence. It is very heavy. But, while watching the movie, then the Batman references came out and I thought "Oh yeah, this is a Batman movie. This guy is the Joker, you know, the same character which in another incarnation participated in a surf contest with Batman". It felt odd. The Joker is a comic-book character, and although you can touch serious subjects with these characters, I think it's very difficult to make something SO serious. In Dark Knight, for example, the movie touched many serious subjects, but the movie itself was an action and crime drama, so it felt in the right context. In this case, it was a bit odd.
But, that is a meta criticism, and it's not in detriment of the movie itself which is excellent. If you want to see a serious movie, about serious subjects, watch this, and also, The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver, which were a direct inspiration for this movie.
10/10