Not the Joker at all

Rating: 2/10 (4 November 2019)

This movie represents everything wrong with Hollywood. Take an existing thing, make vast changes to it to the point it is no longer the thing it was, yet still call it the same thing to profit off its popularity.
This story is of a loser at the end of his ropes. His life was sad, pathetic and he is powerless and thus...of course, lashes out at the world for it. This is a millennial's story. A person that blames everyone else, is a victim. There is no strength in this character. He isnt scary. He isnt a thing to be feared. This so called Joker, because he is without strength, knowledge could never be what the Joker actually is. Hard to kill, vastly intelligent and a criminal master-mind.
Besides undermining every single thing that is the Joker's history, it makes a mockery of the Batman universe. This "man", who has no criminal history, cant fight worth a damn and is a low-IQ nit-wit, can just magically become not only Batmans greatest enemy, but can hold his own against the most powerful mob bosses and villains in the DC Universe. Why? Because he hates the world because his life sucked.
Most at this point will have gone on about the deep psychological aspect of the film and claim that only a few can understand it...it is true. It is a deep psychological look at the mind of a professional victim that has failed at life and wants to burn the world because of it all while ignoring how it could never happen because a person like this could only hope to go out with a bang, literally as weak beta males can only hope to do, or ever do. It takes personal and mental strength to because a thing that gains power, keeps it, and uses it. That, makes this movie a failure on all levels other than acting. Which is supurb. Phoenix himself would make a great Joker, if he was cast to play the actual Joker.
Sadly, this movie has missed the mark on coming remotely close to being like the character that is the Joker. Any incarnation of it. At least Leto was close to the New 52 Joker, enough that makes that role, more Joker than this one.