Dark, Disturbing, Gritty, Adult, and Completely the Antithesis of Disney's Marvel

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2019)

After I watched Joker, I needed some time to really digest it. Joker is like no other comic book/superhero movie that has ever existed. It truly transcends the genre and almost breaks it entirely. It is the kind of movie I have been wanting to see take place in the Batman universe since the Nolan films: dark, disturbing, gritty, adult, and completely the antithesis of Marvel and all it's Disney friendly content.
Joaquin Phoenix is amazing in this movie. My wife asked me if he was better than Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson as Joker. My first reaction was that he was not, but it is because he is playing a character for the entirety of the movie that is still in the process of becoming Joker. Phoenix has created a an original character that takes very little from previous Joker portrayals. It is so different from Heath and Jack that comparisons seem unfair and unnecessary.
The movie looks fantastic and beautifully shot. You can really tell the Scorsese influence, but I am 100% of the opinion that this is not a copy of Taxi Driver or King of Comedy, heavily influenced, yes, but most certainly something new. Todd Phillips deserves credit for making a movie that does not seek to please the comic book/superhero audience and instead gives them something challenging like nothing that has come before in this genre.
I do have some small criticisms in terms of the plot, but they do not plague the film enough to knock it down. I recommend this highly. (A-)