Joker

In regards to Batman's rogues gallery of villains in DC comics, the most iconic and well-known among them would be the clown prince of crime Joker. In many sources of media, his origin is unknown and open to interpretation but one thing is common: he's crazy and an agent of chaos anywhere he goes. The film history of actors portraying the role have been very fascinating between Cesar Romero's campy nature, Jack Nicholson's sick sense of humor, Heath Ledger's tactical intensity, and Jared Leto's gangster being screwed by executive meddling. With many of those appearances being in Batman features or other DC related content, there's never really been one solely focused on him until this point. This brings us to Joker, a standalone DC film directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover trilogy) with Joaquin Phoenix in the role. This would not only be an origin story type of feature but one that took place outside of the DC Expanded Universe (standalone). After getting excited from the intriguing marketing as it was going into film festivals, I went into the auditorium with anticipation and left it incredibly impressed by its risky nature for its own genre as one of the best movies of the year.

"Controversies": Ever since the debut of the trailers, a lot of concerns have been raised about this movie so let's address them really quick for those unfamiliar. Because it carries a realistic look like the Dark Knight trilogy, the connections to the 2012 Aurora shooting and using this character raised potential red flags. Critics were afraid it would encourage more violence, that screenings would invite danger, and similar troubling thoughts. It even divided reviewers over in film festivals with its content so the question is "Is the material and execution of Joker so disturbing that it would entice such behavior?"

What's it about? Taking place in 1981 Gotham City, the story follows failed stand-up comedian with mental health issues who finds himself in the chaos of crime. Rather than be some standard blockbuster schlock, this is actually a deep character study on how society can create its own monsters through actions that are both direct and indirect. The narrative is viewed from his perspective, which can warrant a second viewing considering how he's unreliable in knowing what's in is head and what's real. The realism on display is hard to watch since it's not different from the modern day conditions: garbage laying in the streets, funding for city programs being reduced, abuse,   etc. Everything is laid out for the audience to understand right away in the new forecasts, dialogue from the citizens, and newspapers talking about rising problems so keeping an eye out for the details is important.

As for the "controversies", there are violent moments that land in their narrative impact but aren't numerous and aren't gory (given the amount of violent movies from earlier this year and before, it's odd to point out this one, though given the Aurora concerns it's understandable). It's more of a commentary regarding society and mental health issues rather than anything that glorifies crime. It does borrow plenty of Martin Scorsese influences, which might distract some but I haven't watched those similar titles so it wasn't an issue (if you're going to borrow someones style, at least pick a good one).

How's Joaquin Phoenix in the role? As for the talented star himself, Joaquin once again reminds audiences why he such a powerhouse of an actor as he provides one of the best performances of this character on the big screen. When compared to Heath Ledgers version, both of them are remarkably strong in the dedication but are on different sides of the same coin (Ledgers being more tactical and experience while Phoenix is the crazy gasoline that's ready to the spark to ignite it). Something admirable to note is that despite the information learned about him, there's no sympathy for him here, which makes sense given the actions he takes that are wrong and go too far. The way he communicates and interacts with those around him is haunting to watch in the best way given his mannerisms and his disturbing physique.

Overall Consensus: Joker is an excellent psychological thriller with an amazing lead performance, haunting realism, great musical score, unpredictable narrative, and sharp commentary. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🎟🍿 Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of Joaquin Phoenix. You are familiar with the DC character and want to see how he's treated in an R rated adaptation. You want a more honest realistic approach in an origin story. You aren't sensitive to violence and abuse. You are curious about comedy directors changing over to drama. You don't mind slow burn character dramas.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of Joaquin Phoenix. You are sensitive to violence and harsh abuse. You have issues with slow burn character dramas.