Better than Superman V Batman! Ha ha ha...!!!

Rating: 7/10 (12 October 2019)

... (Now that's a bad joke on many levels).
When I first saw the trailer I did not think it looked like a big movie...not just not a Blockblusting Superhero Movie but not a big movie in any sense.
So my expectations were muted going into the theatre and unfortunately I wasn't surprised. (Sometimes I can be surprised. I thought the trailer for 'Shazam' was juvenile and distinctly un-appealing but turned out suprisingly good despite the silliness...better than the overhyped Spiderman Homecoming).
There are allusions of depth to this movie but it is all illusion. I cannot say I really connected with any of the characters except perhaps the Arkham asylum clerk and Rober DeNiro, and the latter only in his last scene. So if you don't connect, you don't care what they do or what happens with them. There were moments with Arthur Fleck but the movie's delusions of its own grandiosity and prodigious pomposity, particularly at the end, just distanced the characters and action further away from the viewer.
The potentially exciting plots twists as regards Joker's origins were somewhat signaled but again they fell flat like a cardboard 'Going Out Of Business' sign. Also the revelation regarding his 'girlfriend' again flat as a pancake. I think even I could have found a directorial take on these two revelations that would be more exciting.
Issues again with the Arthur Fleck character in the studio scene...it almost seems like a different character at times but I must have missed the character development that got him there...Unless it was the 'dancing' which for me didn't work on any level just ...boring.
So I was dis-connected alot of the time from the movie... the director, star, music seemed slightly going in different directions.
Also problematic is use of the two in-famous New York crimes that are so un-subtly recast & re-enacted but without any strong moral message.
Also...a movie called 'Joker' should have at least a few great jokes? Actually there is one of my favourite jokes in the movie (that was from Bob Monkhouse's legendary joke book...did they steal it or was it even older?) that I heard 35 years ago about a desired career and they absolutely flatlined it...no comedic and very little dramatic impact. DeNiro had the best jokes in his last scene and I only laughed at Arthur Fleck when he laughed inappropriately in the comedic club audience.
Also on a sidenote...very inappropriate use of Gary Glitter's music (It is a great track but you cannot support these type of people)
A old football commentator always said the team is responsible for the performance but the manager is resonsible for the results. So average to good performances from the actors but definitely a middling result from the director.