Ridiculously overrated

Rating: 2/10 (10 May 2020)

Yes Pheonix gives a great performance and yes it 'looks' kind of cool - that's all this film has to offer. Superficial, shallow and ultimately void of any substance.
The best way I can describe this film it's as if a first year film school student was given millions of dollars to have a go. The story does nothing to help you believe that this guy will one day be smart and dangerous enough to hurt Batman - and it MUST do that, it cannot just live in the vacuum of the Directors mind otherwise it's just a story about a weirdo. There has to be SOME respect paid to the canon. Next, the scene and a hot composition were so contrived, the story progression was primtive and designed only to make the Joker seem like a pathetic loser that's clearly going to snap - when it happened it was no shock. Neither was it an insightful exploration of mental illness - it was more a cliche version of that rendered in crayons. The dialogue was basic and whilst the imagery was well executed it used very well worn themes of this genre. Totally overrated, a poor film. But audiences these days are easily duped what can I say...