Neat But Nothing Special

Rating: 7/10 (5 October 2019)

Nothing makes this movie touches my 8-star list.
The cinematography is neat beautiful by the way, but I couldn't find any scene that supposedly will be remembered as a great shot. Sorry, I just couldn't find it.
The screenplay is having difficulty to built a grand climax. I mean, I wish they asserted a unique traumatic event life which built the Joker persona, but it was not there. Being bullied, losing mom, I think will only ended up in a regular villain, but you can see this kind of plot in many movies. What makes those experience special? Helloooo... you are building a super-villain here. The conflict in this story is not complicated enough to produce a Joker.
This is a great drama, not a super hero movie. Let's put it that way.
Joaquin Phoenix is a superior actor and he acted amazing, period.
He didn't bring that "searching & confused" eyes that you find in people who have mental disorder. Ledger and Leno on the other hand displayed them, which perfectly represent a character with an awfully troubled mind. I understand, Ledger and Leno's Joker is a fully developed Joker, while Joaquin's played the Joker in the making, in his early stage of madness. The madness level between early Joker and older Joker might be different. Love Joaquin's acting. The screenplay man... ugh.
Cinematography is excellent. Consistent tonal and color grading, from start to end. I appreciate that it is showing a brighter Gotham than previous movies with Joker in it, nothing's wrong with that, it gives a different look of Gotham. Again I considered this more a drama movie than an action (super hero) movie, so the suspense should not be generated from the action scene but from the storytelling or conflicts. I wish I saw a bit chaotic camera motion to add suspense to character, but I only saw that in the train fight. I don't understand the shot in which Arthur Fleck sitting down on the side of his mom's hospital bed and taken from behind (only showing his side/back). What the heck? The back shot is supposed to be used to emphasize the subject/object in front of the character, which was Peggy Fleck lying still on the bed. What on earth interesting about it?!!! The shot taken from the opposite angle (from the bed towards Arthur Fleck) is stronger than that.
7-star is enough. I enjoy the movie. Tone down the hype guys, you are delusional to give this a 9, on par with The Godfather.