a new look at the Batman universe

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2020)

One of the key tenets of superhero franchises is that there are well defined good guys and bad guys. But what if it weren't as simple as that? Todd Phillips's "Joker" subverts the genre, casting Batman's nemesis as the protagonist, portraying him as an abused, mentally unstable man at the end of his rope in a socially stratified Gotham City. We also get a different look at the Waynes: far from the upstanding citizen whom we expect, the dad is a heartless creep (servant Alfred isn't much better). It's one of the most intense movies that I've ever seen. Not at all like the comic book adaptations to which we're accustomed. It deserved its Golden Globe wins, and I'd say that it deserves at least one of the Oscars for which it's nominated.
In addition to Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, there's also Robert DeNiro as a mean-spirited comic, Frances Conroy (of "Six Feet Under" and "American Horror Story") as the Joker's infirm mother, and a number of other people.