Just....wow!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2019)

Just came back from seeing this film and feel that my high expectations were exceeded. Joker is a rarity I feel. It is a commercial film that is taken from a comic book character but actually has something to say. It is by far the best DC film since Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy but it feels less like a comic book film than a character study. And it is. And yes I have read that it has been said that it borrows heavily from Taxi Driver and King of Comedy and it does in that it presents the Arthur Fleck character as a loner, outsider, mostly shunned by people around him just like Travis Bickle and Rupert Pupkin. It is definitely a film that follows that slow burn into insanity and violence like those films but it's not a bad thing.
By now everyone knows that this film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur, and through the film we see his transformation into The Joker. It is an origin story. He plays Arthur as a thin, weak disturbed person who is treated badly by those around him. And he slowly grows to have truly disturbing thoughts and actions. The film is a comic book film in that it is about s character that comes from that medium but it is in no way a light film. Avengers Endgame this is not. And I revere that film but i think that it is great that they decided to not sugar coat this story and tried to go deeper and make it more about the psychology of the character as opposed to his criminal antics. That Todd Phillip's a comedy director took this on and did it with such success is stunning. I will avoid all.of thr controversy that has come from this film saying that it condones violence. It is violent and disturbing but in no way compares to other films that are much worse. I like that it went for an adult theme and is rated R. My kid will.not be seeing this anytime soon. Great film, great performance. Period.
One last thing. I know that Phoenix's Joker is inevitably going to be pit against Heath Ledger's interpretation of the character. Some saying that this is better. I think that it is different, not better. Ledger was THE JOKER. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck becoming THE JOKER. The performances stand on their own as great but I still favor Ledger just a bit more. But not by alot.