It's good, but it's not THAT good; A good film, but a derivitive one

Rating: 7/10 (22 October 2019)

I don't love Joker. As a character I adore him but I don't love the film: Joker. Now while yes the movie is an interesting look into the psyche of the insanely captivating clown Prince of crime, and how he came to be, its also extremely derivative. Let me ask you something. Have you ever seen Taxi Driver? Have you ever seen The King of Comedy? If you have, you've seen Joker. If you haven't, please educate yourself. I wouldn't mind it being so similar to these movies if it didn't tout itself proudly as an original work; the brain child of Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix's performance was great but also it got a bit over the top and, sadly it highlighted the mediocrity of the other performances in the film. Easily the worst part of this film was the horrible social commentary, which genuinely made me wince. I won't go into it but it was so blunt and obvious that it just felt awfully pandering when Joker starts blurting out about society and all this poppycock. I left the cinema underwhelmed and disappointed, following the thunderous praise the film got, and maybe I should have tempered my expectations but wow, is this an overrated film if I've ever seen one. If you disagree with my opinion that is absolutely excellent, and please understand that not everyone has to agree with you. Thanks for reading <3