Great, but man this is a tough one to pin down...

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2019)

Maybe because it is so tough, that is what I'm feeling the need to write about it for. I don't typically write reviews for movies, on here or anyplace else. First off... Everything about the movie was great. The acting, writing, casting, directing, cinematography...etc. I truly only have one issue with the movie in general. I am a huge fan of the comic book movie genre, particularly DC, and even more specifically Batman and his world. My issue is that it doesn't feel very much like a "Joker" movie. And I would assume that the actors and those involved in making it were probably not trying to make it like any other Joker movie that's ever existed. I applaud them for that and appreciate it for its artistic value alone. If they would have taken out any recognizable character names or the word "Joker" from the movie, I probably could've gone into it not knowing anything, and walked out not realizing that it was a Joker movie at all. I mean the makeup and the clown aspect would've hinted at those things, but in the context it could have simply been a man who had that type of job who just couldn't take anymore crap from the world.
It's been done many times before, from the darkness and griminess in "Taxi Driver", to the emotional repression and complacency of the middle class commuter in "Falling Down", all the way to the hilarity of "Me, Myself and Irene". Even though it's been done before, this particular film did have a lot to bring to the table, if not only through the extreme talents of those involved in the project. There were things we hadn't seen before or that weren't shown to us in a certain way. For example, the mental health crisis aspect of the story, both for him and his mother.
The main thing is... I never really saw "The Joker" when I saw Fleck. His character doesn't seem like a formidable arch-villain for arguably the world's most beloved and bad ass superhero/comic book vigilante...the Batman. I don't even think this Joker could get on base, much less bring it all the way home. Arthur Fleck isn't terrifying or very unpredictable. I could see his character arc and predict his actions very early on in the story. Most importantly he is not a sociopath, and I think he lacks the charisma to become The Joker that we all know and love... at least a recognizable representation of the character. No version of Joker from one movie could be switched out with one from another, they all work very well in their own particular world and compliment the Batman of that world. Who even knows what the Batman of this world would be like, or how he and Phoenix's Joker would play off of each other. It's hitting me as I'm writing this, that we have never had a Joker in a movie, where we hadn't already had a very particular and familiar version of Batman that fit into that world. By the way, the same goes for each inundation of Batman...it would never work switching Batman from one world to another either. Part of me doesn't want my Joker to have a backstory, especially one that I know anything about it. He is much more interesting when you think his acts are not justified and you don't sympathize with him in any way. The Joker is supposed to be an enigmatic criminal mastermind, and part of the character's appeal is that we have no idea what has made him that way... nor how we could get him to stop. The Joker is simply the conductor of a symphony of chaos... much like Heath Ledger's version. He's an over-the-top flashy intimidating thug/crime boss like Jared Leto. Hell...Jack Nicholson's threw a parade through the streets of Gotham, for no other reason than to kill everyone with a gas that makes you die with a permanent smile on your face. Why? Because he thought it would be fun and it would incite Batman to come out and play with him. I just can't see Arthur Fleck ever becoming or doing any of those things, or being a formidable opponent for Batman. I think Batman would just kick his door in and beat him senseless while he cowered in the corner pissing himself...then he'd be locked up.
Other than that, I thought that the movie was wonderful! It was extremely well acted, well directed, and well produced. I just didn't walk out of the theater with this warm fuzzy feeling in my heart saying, "Damn I love me some Joker."
I hope some of the other real fans out there understand what I'm saying and would agree with me.