Disturbing and different, in the best possible way

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2019)

I tried to lower my expectations before watching this movie, with little success. But when I left the cinemas this evening, I was still in awe at how good this movie was. "Joker" was one of the most anticipated movies of this year, and it certainly lives up to the hype, and exceeds my expectations by miles.
As good as this movie was, "Joker" was a tough movie to sit through. It was very disturbing at times, because you never knew when the main character, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), was going to...break. Right from the start, it is made perfectly clear that this guy is not normal at all, in fact we are told that he was a psychopath, and that he used to be locked up because of that. And as we see Arthur do his everyday routine, we also see how weird, abnormal, and sometimes even frightening, he is. And so that puts you on the edge of your seat, waiting for him to go fully berserk, and that made this movie an extremely intense and rough watch.
Despite this movie being about a superhero franchise villain, it doesn't really feel like that. For one reason, that is because this Joker doesn't look like any Joker we've seen before, because this is an original take on the Joker's backstory. But for another reason, it is because it's really just a movie about a guy who doesn't fit into social norms, and how he gets treated terribly because of that. "Joker" isn't a typical blockbuster movie, it's a lot deeper and meaningful than that.
The movie's soundtrack is great, it really makes us feel like we're trapped in this psychotic box with the main character, and it gives you an uneasy feeling. The acting from everyone is great, and Joaquin Phoenix delivers yet another Oscar-worthy performance. The cinematography and editing both suit this movie extremely well, they give it depth and, as I said, doesn't make the movie feel like yet another blockbuster superhero movie. Todd Philips proves himself to be a talented director after all, and I'm looking forward to seeing what more he can do in the future.
Watch this movie in the cinemas while you can, it's really the best movie-watching experience you can get, and "Joker" really deserves that, and you do too.