Joker (2019) Review

It goes without saying that when it comes to comic book villains, the Joker reigns above many. Through several decades, the Joker has lept from the comic pages and brought to life on film and television by some very talented people. My personal favorite version of the character is by Heath Ledger, but I have a soft spot for Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill. So how do you do a Joker movie without Batman involved? The Joker isn't complete without him. Well, Todd Phillips brings a refreshingly different take on the Clown Prince of Crime.

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled and mentally ill man who has a condition that makes him laugh uncontrollably. He works as a performing clown, though he aspires to be a stand-up comedian. But as society continuously pushes him to the deep end, he brings out a new deadly persona.

For starters, the whole look of the movie is dirty and grimy but it's so beautiful in how it's captured. It's definitely reminiscent of Scorcese films like Taxi Driver but it exists as its own product. Todd Phillips is making quite the transition from comedy director to something more.

I can say without a doubt that Joaquin Phoenix just kills it in this role. He brings fire and menace to his whole performance. One of the questions that people might have is how do we sympathize with Arthur since he commits some awful acts of violence? I don't think you should sympathize with him, but there is some fascination with looking into this character's insane and twisted mind. In other Joker stories, namely The Killing Joke, he starts out as a normal man who loses a lot and when he sees himself after falling into a vat of chemicals, that's when he goes insane. In this movie, Arthur was always mental. It's when he's pushed to his limit that he becomes a monster. But there's some backstory to his mental health and it fits well into the movie's tone. You see through the eyes of Arthur and sometimes some things might catch you off guard. While Ledger is still my favorite, Phoenix's performance was just as exceptional. So suck it, Jared Leto.

Joker brings a whole new dynamic to a famous comic book villain. With Phoenix's astonishingly frightening performance and Todd Phillips' direction, it succeeds to bring something fresh and dark to the comic book movie genre. It's nice to have a movie that doesn't set up another movie and just be a self-contained story. As for the fuss about this movie inspiring others to do violence, I think it's getting a little blown out of proportion. While I definitely want to watch movies in a theater safely with plenty of security, I think some of the lengths some theaters are taking are getting a bit ridiculous like they're saying "You can't see the movie alone" or "If you look like an incel, no admittance." The violence in the movie is bloody and gruesome but it's not super graphic and consistent throughout. It has a slow but sturdy pace and the last third is when things get really crazy. Anyone going to see this movie should watch it with a clear mind and ignore any agendas that are going around on the Internet. All I desire is a well-crafted movie and I got one with Joker.

RATING: A