Really Really Good, Not Quite Perfect

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2019)

I tried not to have high expectations for this movie, but the trailers made it seem so good. Luckily, it more or less delivered. It was pretty refreshing to see an origin story for a villain rather than a superhero, the story was pretty gripping, and Joaquin Phoenix's performance was a great take on the Joker that is relatively unique.
There were still cons, though. About halfway through, there was a lull in the story after Arthur killed the men on the subway. It was poised as him finally snapping after so much crap being thrown at him from the world, but it was like he snapped, then found some more motivations in his mother not telling him he was adopted, then snapping again and then becoming the Joker we expect. Though I like the idea of Arthur holding himself back because of societal norms, and abandoning that obstacle by killing the men on the subway, but still holding himself together for more personal reasons like his mom or therapy, only to lose those too, I think these motivations could have been paced more smoothly. Some scenes were a bit too long and sort of hit you over the head with the point, which made the film feel slow sometimes.
I know it's an origin movie and motives are important, and I'm glad they spent time to actually build them up, but it seemed to just keeping building and building, almost past the point of sympathy and believability. It was interesting how they made the love story all in his head because I thought it was way underdeveloped until they made that reveal, but it kind of only tells the audience that he's lonely and crazy, which we already know. So that's a bit of a dead end. Personally, I kind of wanted to see more of the big bad Joker that we're familiar with, but again, I know it's an origin story, and this version of the character is a bit more reserved so it does make sense.
Now for the pros. I'm very glad they didn't have the "love interest" be like, the only crutch for his sanity and only when he lost her could he be the Joker. Similarly, I like that they have a ton of different kinds of motives and reasons for Arthur to become the Joker instead of just one thing or event being the cause. And I liked that they gave Arthur reasoning behind the things he was doing, but they made it clear that he went off the rails in terms of retribution. I slightly worry, however, about some misguided people taking his joke towards the end (the whole "What do you get when you cross a cruel society etc. etc."), while great as a piece of dialogue, as a reason to think they can also lash out? Or see themselves as the Joker and follow in his footsteps? I'm not sure, but it's a fine line to walk.
Anyway, there were also some great moments of set up and pay off, which isn't as common in blockbuster or superhero type movies nowadays, but it comes across as more sophisticated and thorough. One plot thread that they did very well, and set up very well, was the connection to the Wayne family. It started subtly with the letters his mother writes to Wayne, and gradually builds up in a natural way. I'm glad they didn't have Joker kill Bruce's parents, but I'm glad that the whole chaotic uprising that the Joker directly caused, caused Bruce's parents to be killed. You can't really have a Joker movie without mentioning Batman, but I think they had the right amount where it made an impact on the story while also setting up the Batman origin, without distracting from the Joker. Similarly, I like that they have Gotham at a boiling point so it made sense that his "statement" on the subway would spark a descent into chaos. They did a good job humanizing Arthur to an extent where you can sympathize for him, he wants to makes kids smile, he's pretty down on his luck in the world, but they still make the audience know that his methods are what makes him a villain. Ang again, I like that they had several different motives, internal and external, for him to become the Joker. His mother not telling him he's adopted, the world continuing to beat him up, literally getting beat up, even losing his therapy and medication. All the pillars of his life fell like dominos, and it made sense.
Overall, I really did enjoy the movie. I thought it was well done, it had the overall tragic, uneasy, yet twistedly comical vibe that you would expect with the Joker. There was a fair amount of imagery that seems fine at first glance but the longer the camera holds on it, the more uneasy you feel. It wasn't perfect, but it was very good.