Director: Todd Phillips
Producer: Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
Screenplay: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Based on: Characters by DC Comics
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz,
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Running Time: 122 minutes (2 hrs & 2 mins)
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Bron Studios, Village Roadshow Pictures
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Synopsis: In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: “The Joker”.
Rating: 5/5
My Review
Todd Phillip’s creative vision and Joaquin Phoenix’s phenomenal performance made Joker the perfect recipe for a bold, artistic film that disturbs the comfortable.
When I first found out that Warner Bros. is developing a standalone Joker film with no connections to the established Worlds of DC or dubbed by the public as the DCEU, I had my doubts. I thought of it as a mess and worried that general movie audiences might be confused as to why Ben Affleck’s Batman is a no-show in this film or why the over-all film is far more different than the world where Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman lives. I rolled my eyes about having to explain all these to audiences who might find this standalone Joker film strayed away from a usual comic book film confusing.
A year before its premiere Joker has been making a lot of buzz online, from the casting, to the behind-the-scene photos, and 30-second teaser video that first revealed Joaquin Phoenix’s look as the Joker. I was quite skeptical about his make-up since it was not how comic book Joker looks…at all. But if there’s one thing I learned from DC is to never hastily judge their choices. Everyone was against Heath Ledger as the Crime Prince of Gotham in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, everyone went nuts when they found out about Batfleck, and there’s Anna Diop’s first look as Starfire in DC Universe’s TITANS, but despite the criticisms, they all delivered—and Joaquin Phoenix certainly did a phenomenal performance that I wouldn’t be surprised if he receives a gold statue by the Academy.
Todd Phillip’s story telling and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is the perfect recipe for a bold, artistic film that disturbs the comfortable. I knew that from the trailer and posters I would love the cinematography of this film and watching it on the big screen was like looking at a masterpiece.
Todd had full creative control in this film, and it’s nice of Warner Bros. to entrust him with his vision. The story’s pacing is slow at first but it’s a tool that gets you to anticipate Arthur’s full transition as the Joker. Every detail makes you wonder what will be the turning point of his descent to madness, is it his mother’s death? or his (imagined) love interest leaving him? There wasn’t a switch, but there was an ignition slowly contributing to his development as the Joker—-the cruelty of society itself. This film is disturbing and violent as it shows the reality of how society treats someone like Arthur Fleck. The ruling class doesn’t give a damn about the oppressed and that people with illnesses will always be misunderstood, left-out and shunned by people. I like the idea of society being the driving force and the breeder of The Joker instead of the established origin story of the Joker as a result of falling into a pit of toxic chemicals.
Arthur Fleck is a victim of numerous violence that led him to be violent himself. He was a product of abuse when he was a child and the cruelty of society as an adult—a human, living in the fucked up reality of the world. Experiences of violence, abuses, and mental illness are factors that would truly drive someone to madness. You cannot blame Arthur for becoming a villain. This is a film of irony; it is a new take on the making of the most notorious comic book villain of all time, but it will make you sympathize with the villain after realizing the factors and circumstances that made him fall into this path. His grievances about the unfair treatment he was getting wasn’t heard until he fully transitioned into the Joker, not until it was too late for someone to apologize. Once you fall into madness, it’s hard to go back.
Aside from altering the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin story, I thought he was full-on taking control of the story by revealing in the letter that Arthur is Thomas Wayne’s son. I knew there was something odd about Patty’s obsession with Thomas, it almost looks like they were dropping hints about the past of the two. Todd Phillips threw a bomb to the fans of the comic book series when he decided to make Batman and The Joker half-brothers. But he took it back and revealed a truth about Arthur’s childhood and identity that became a substantial contribution to the making of the Joker.
One of my favorite scenes in the film would be the bathroom dance. It was so sudden and weird, but you can feel the artistry and depth of the scene because that is the scene that gave birth to the Joker. Who would dance something so slow, peaceful, and graceful after killing three people? Only a mad person. This dance is a symbol of Arthur slowly dying inside and while the Joker’s rising. It’s chilling and disturbing, yet one of the most defining scenes in cinematic history. Learning that Phoenix improvised that scene made it a thousand times better, he’s deeply immensed into the character.
The final minutes of the film would have been better if it ended with the shot of the Joker being glorified by the mob of masked men he inspired; another favorite scene/shot of mine.
I encourage everyone to go see Joker, even my friends who is not a fan of watching of comic book based films loved it for the story, cinematography, acting, theme, and over-all feel of the film. Some media practitioners out there are trying to make a statement that this film encourages violence and might serve as an inspiration to all people mentally-ill, left out, people to start rioting and use violence but I tell you that it’s just another movement to bring the film down. Warner Bros. and DC should learn from the success of Joker, they have a wide array of materials. They should utilize and be bold to stray away from the superhero film formula Marvel established.
Joker is a film of brilliance.
Katharsis 