Joker laughs his way to the bank

Rating: 8/10 (6 October 2019)

The film is incredible (not perfect) but an interesting character study. And that is the key...this film (while being in the world of comics) is not a "comic book movie". It's an in-depth look at a man who is more and more becoming disassociated from society and reality. And Joaquin Phoenix as the title character is a real tour de force. You get to watch him on this journey as a shy, mild-mannered mentally ill, depressed man into this confident, cocky, psychotic man. And he does it brilliantly. You'll feel sorry for him, you'll be creeped out by him. I don't know if there's another male performance this year that really comes close to the kind of work Joaquin put in with such a layered performance like this.
The other thing I liked about this film is that it feels true to the time period. And I dont just mean the costumes...It just genuinely feels like this could be a film from the late 70s/early 80s. And stylistically, I think Todd Phillips did a great job directing the film. Props to the cinematographer as well.
Now even though I did really like this film, because it is such a character study of this one guy..unfortunately the other characters get shafted. Especially Zazie Beetz's character Sophie. She's in there to really just serve as Arthur's fantasy woman. She doesnt really have much to do except to laugh and smile and comfort him. I honestly just had to look up her character name, that's how literally unmemorable/unimportant she is. There is also a scene involving her where the director really goes out of his way to make something super obvious to the audience by using flashbacks, that wasnt really necessary. Another thing, there is one part that is a bit spoiler-y so caution ahead....but at one point in the film Arthur is led to believe that Thomas Wayne is his real dad. And the thing that bugged me, is that he didnt really look THAT much older than Arthur. (I just looked it up and the actors are 18 years apart). So yeah technically old enough to father a kid, but I dont know, I just didnt find that plausible. And I suppose Joaquin could be playing a bit younger and Brett Cullen could be playing a bit older, but it just struck me a bit odd. The other thing about this reveal that bugged me a bit is that we know this is a one-off film and has no relation to other Batman movies past or future and so this possible tension of Joker-and Batman being related is squandered. Its ultimately squandered anyway since its revealed this his mom is actually delusional and spent time in Arkham. But even if it was true, you know it would ultimately go nowhere.
Now onto the violence controversy. Yes, it is violent. But I would say its a more gritty, realistic approach. It doesnt feel to cartoony...and while bloody isnt a super gore fest. Its not like you're gonna watch someone get sawed in half, or have guts pool out on the ground or a jaw break off.
Overall though, I did really enjoy it. I would recommend seeing it, but just know what you're getting into.