Phillips is the true Joker

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2019)

Not only does Joker fail to capture the essence of a Scorcesse film but it fails to deliver at its most tense moments. This is because Phillips handles topics such as mental health, politics, and humanity itself inadequately and it feels like a rallying cry for incels and self-pitying individuals. This is unfortunate because there are stellar performances by all of the ensemble cast not to mention Joaquin Phoenix truly feels like the Joker. He is believable throughout as he is incredibly expressive through the many closeups on his tormented face and his ability to laugh seemingly on command. Not only this but the cinematography feels crisp and modern frequently using a crushed depth of field so we can focus on the madness that is the Joker. Technically this film is excellent but my grievances are with its inability to properly depict mental health and it just feels edgy. Also, the police are a joke in this film and society itself lacks any sort of logical morality. Anyways when watching this maybe you'll come to realize that Todd Phillips did not do this justice as it needed what it was lacking, the essence of a Scorcesse film. Let's be honest, this film is not a masterpiece and I don't know why so many people think it is but it's nothing more than a studio film trying to wear an arthouse mask.