Surprisingly great movie

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2019)

Before coming to the theater I had the lowest expectations possible because out of every corner of the internet everyone was screaming how great this movie is and how it is the best comic book adaptation, the best Joker movie, the best Joaquin Phoenix's performance and it kept going on and on endlessly. So I went it and tried with all my guts to hate this movie (because I don't fancy any of the comic books' movies) and I just couldn't. The beginning was slow and at times repulsive because of the character's trademark laughter and overall weirdness but once I got past that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie every step of the way. What I was most impressed by is the character development, one of the best I've seen in years; when the character not only has more than two lines of the background story but also has his charm, his charisma, his own way of thinking, his own beliefs - he really makes you believe he's a real person and Joaquin was truly outstanding in portraying such a complex character. All in all this is a wonderful movie with almost zero special effects (which is a big plus too); it is a dramatic and very touching story with a social subtext that makes you think about your own governments and what is wrong with the system, and even makes you care for this antihero who could have easily become the voice of oppressed people living on every street in the world. I think I would even bother to see the movie again.