A thought provoking masterpiece that tells a story you never thought hard about.

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2019)

As someone who isn't that big of a fan of the DCEU thanks to the quality of the films being kind of wonky (a few are great, a few are just okay, a few are really bad), I wasn't expecting that much here, considering that this film, besides having the Joker, has nothing to even do with the DCEU. Plus, as great as Joaquin Phoenix is as an actor, he was never exactly the first guy to come to mind when thinking of who to play the demented clown himself. So, you can imagine my shock and amazement after coming out of the movie theater, because, oh my god, this film is incredible. It takes everything you thought you knew about the Joker and not only flips it on its head, but expands upon it tenfold. The way this film portrays what Arthur is going through and how he evolves into the Joker is some of the best character development I have ever seen in a film. This film has a perfect balance of making you sympathize with the main character, while also making you mindful of the terrible acts he has done. It can feel a bit disturbing to almost side with someone who's obviously dangerous, but the way this film manages that is genius. All of this is helped by two things. Smart and excellent writing, as well as the performance. The story is great. It's well paced, thought provoking, smart, poignant, and constantly almost eye opening. Joaquin Phoenix was pretty much perfect. His performance is Oscar worthy here, as he really did become the main character. When Arthur laughed because of his condition, I really felt the pain behind it. Seeing how his life is and how he lives it really seemed real, and that's what helped me sympathize with him, even though, again, he's dangerous. If all of that wasn't enough, everything else about this movie is great too. The direction from Todd Phillips really shines, as the way this film is structured and put together helps the film not only flow really well, but to be delightfully dark and twisted. The performances from everyone else were all great too. Robert De Niro was phenomenal as Murray Franklin, as he was very committed, which helped him really turn into the talk show host from this film. The same thing can be said for everyone else, whether it be Frances Conroy as Arthur's mother or Zazie Beetz as his love interest. Everyone did great, as well as Todd Phillips for making such an incredible film that delves into the mind of the demented clown while making it extremely heartfelt. I also loved how they linked the Wayne family to the story. I won't say what happened to avoid spoilers, but that really helped this feel like a true part of Batman's past, all of which happened in a movie where the caped crusader isn't even around yet (I hope, because a Batman film after this would be awesome in my opinion). Overall, this film is amazing, and I recommend anyone who hasn't seen it to do so, because it not only has fan service aplenty to longtime fans of the Joker, but it also has everything that makes a great movie great so that it can be enjoyed by anyone. One last thing to note is that there is a lot, and I mean a LOT of gore in this film, so if you're squeamish about that, then I'd probably wait until I'm ready to see it. I say watch this with an open mind, and what you'll experience is a thought provoking masterpiece that tells a story you never thought hard about and tells it damn near perfectly.