Instant Classic

Rating: 10/10 (14 October 2019)

This film deserves every award available. Joaquin for best actor because he is absolutely brilliant. People throw that around, I know, but he really is. The writing/directing/cinematography/music all of it. It's never slow, nothing is "filler", everything has purpose, and it cooks along, building and building. I walked out of the theater and wanted to go right back in and watch it again.

Joker is in a class of it's own even outside of the superhero genre. This film would completely stand on it's own with the story it tells (change a couple of names). As a part of the Batman legacy it adds a richness and depth to the overall story of Batman, even though specific to this character. It will fit seamlessly for someone who purchases this for their collection.
No, it is not a movie for young children. Neither was The Godfather. Some stories are not meant for children, that doesn't mean adults shouldn't see a grown-up explanation with Joker that you actually have to think about. Heaven forbid we have a movie that makes us think about anything. Kids will see enough of Joker in Batman movies.
It's not a shallow 'waste a couple hours'. This is a thinking person's cinematic triumph. There is a severity in here that the Batman story deserves, and that this character really does benefit from. This is the Joker movie that needed to be made. When I say severity it's not the violence, there are many violent movies/Tv shows. The severity is in the relationships, the character development, how do we process the things the film forces us to think about and feel. Things are not black and white.
As far as violence I've seen worse on TV shows. The Walking Dead, Vikings, Game of Thrones, and more. The violence in Joker is not there without reason, it serves a purpose to the story. I can bring up videos on the internet of things that have shown up on the news. There is nothing wilder in Joker than what you see on tv without the pixels (I'm trying to leave out spoilers). Some of the media regarding this, and reaction (whomever it was that walked out) is ridiculous and overblown. It is R rated. The news should be R rated. So just consider this a documentary and get over it or don't watch.
I congratulate the writers/director and Joaquin Phoenix. Anyone who worked on this project too. Bravo and thank you, really.
PS
I so admire Heath Ledger's portrayal. I thought nothing would ever touch that. Well don't even try to compare is what I would say now. Heath's film has a different purpose and is in a different time in Joker's life. I don't think they can be compared but they are both powerful. They are complementary rather than competitive. Put Heath's Joker completely out of your head for this. I don't think it's even fair to compare the two now. I'm also pretty sure if Heath Ledger were still alive he would be ecstatic over Joaquin's performance.