Brilliance That'll Send Chills, and clowns

Rating: 10/10 (4 October 2019)

One of the most anticipated films of the year, and one of the most unwanted, at first. Following Jack Nicholson, Jared Leto, and (the best) Health Ledger, was not easy but they got another renowned actor, Joaquin Phoenix, to play his take on the notorious villain. On top of the actor, the direction was up in the air and the choice of giving the reins over to Hangover director Todd Phillips was more worrisome. However, knowing Phoenix takes choosing his roles very seriously-only picking up the good ones-made having confidence in Phillips easier. Having a director suddenly switch genres and go in a totally different direction has been seen before and with Phillips, we get the surprise, and laugh, that we wanted.
Joker delivers exactly what you'd expect and want and then gives you more than you ever could have imagined. This film pushes the boundaries, it gives the gritty realism of the world's cruel moments their spotlight. It may receive backlash for it's brutally honest portrayals, it has already even before it was released. Though, it will definitely leave you thinking about it's many messages as you sit and watch the credits roll with Sinatra's perfectly themed song.
The controversies are created by the stirring up of the thoughts in the audiences' minds after witnessing Arthur Fleck's character development. This buzz does good in making this film more popular but more importantly gets the public to think more about the lessons to be learned about how to treat others. Sure, the main takeaways can easily be focused on the violence depicted and how striking it is, but it's the journey leading up to the acts that should be pondered on more. It's this very character arc that makes this movie so powerful and moving. It's brutal but it's real, that's what hits home the most.
Phoenix's performance is lived-up to and yes, Oscar-worthy. He clearly has taken preparation for the role seriously since he's lost over 50 pounds and nailed the sinister, contagious laugh, making his own twist on it by making it a condition of an uncontrollable laughter that Fleck has. You are glued to every scene he is in, waiting to see what unpredictable thing he'll do next, which is exactly who the Joker is at his core. Chaos.
There's also beautiful cinematography that complements with the subtle, yet terrifying, score. The clear and present Scorsese influence and nods-to are seen and invited, Robert freakin' De Niro is in this, come on people. Phillips also really brings us into this grimy urban 80's setting of Gotham perfectly. The cold harsh streets littered with trash and the poverty-stricken rundown housing.
Since there has been so much worrisome talk about this film, before it even was released to the world, you have to get the hint that it is not one to miss. However, when you do see it, go in as open-minded as possible or just go with premeditated ideas, the Joker is sure to rattle you anyways by the end of it. Either way, the messages and thought-provoking questions that this film instills into the audience is what truly sets this film apart. It's a masterful work of original filmmaking and we get to witness it, so please, sit back and just smile.
-TE (10.3.19)