Joker

If you were expecting a Batman film, or even a Joker one, you're going to be disappointed. As it turns out, it's exactly what it seemed to be: a dramatic origin story for arguably DC's most recognisable villain, removing most of the comic-y elements and chronicling a time when he wasn't anything or anyone but Arthur Fleck, a misunderstood, awkward nobody who simply wanted to be somebody. It has as much to say about him as it does about those around him and those inspired by him. With beautiful visuals and a magnetic central performance from Joaquin Phoenix who puts his all into the role and manages to paint the character in a completely different light, giving him hitherto unseen dimensions (at least in live-action film), ‘Joker' is frighteningly plausible and realistic-feeling; a depressing and chilling ride as we watch a sad, desperate man get broken down and then reborn as the infamous Clown Prince of Crime. That being said, there's an undeniable heavy-handed quality to it, as if it's trying a little too hard to make you feel this or that and hoping you won't ask too many questions. Paradoxically, it does such a good job with its backstory that it also does the character somewhat of a disservice; that is to say, to a certain degree, they've shot themselves in the foot. Here's what I mean by that: for me, one of the greatest things about the Joker as a character is that his origin story was ever-changing, never truly defined or set in stone (as far as I know) -- he just seemed to appear out of nowhere as chaos manifest. Seeing who he was (and how pathetic he was) before his criminal career removes the mystery and inevitably makes him a lot less terrifying. Does all that make it a lesser film than it could have been? Depends on what you wanted out of it. Does it mean this isn't really a comic book film? Probably, but at the end of the day, it's a pretty unique take and, if you look at it for what it is and remove any expectations you might have (i.e. go into it as if you're about to watch a drama/character study and not something that has anything to do with comics at all), it's also pretty damn good.

Amazing and believable performance by Phoenix. A dark and gritty atmosphere set in the real world.

Not your typical Superhero movie, which makes this refreshing and fascinating. Must see for every Film-fan!

I was very excited to hear about this movie in the making went to see it on release date very disappointed. WORST JOKER CHARACTER EVER PLAYED. The movie made so much money because everyone that went to see it was excited just like myself DISAPPOINTED. Bring back Leto 2016 joker he was a very good joker even made my wife a fan of the movies needless to say she didn't like the joker 2019 movie. BAD BAD BAD BAD TERRIBLE. Worse than rotten tomatoes. ROTTEN RATS is more like it. Isn't the joker jack that got his hair turned green and face redone with a creepy smile from a chemical push. So who is Arthur a second hand wanna be joker so he paints on his face to be like jack HaHaHa

Fantastic showing of Arthur's descent into true madness to embrace the persona of the Joker. Phoenix' performance was amazing, and the shooting was superb. Would recommend this to fans of the franchise and non fans alike as this movie can stand alone without needing to know much about the character prior to watching it.

The first thing to talk about this movie is Joaquin Phoenix. This is what I would like to call performance on steroids or drugs for some people. And the story comes down to one simple thing, what if a person breaks the boundary or doing certain things that a normal person would not do. Selected scenes of the movie are something to talk about for a week and Todd Phillips did a good job. The overall output is nothing less than a masterpiece but we are changing at lightspeed and so are our interests. I can't talk for someone else, but I did enjoy this movie.

One of the best movies of the year hard to believe anyone could match up to Heath Ledger's Joker but Joaquin Phoenix brings a more disturbing sad mentally ill version of the iconic villain also it's the highest grousing rated R comic movie ever nuff said

One of the most unique feelings and gripping movies I've seen this year. I was so invested in the story and twists and turns it took with the story and characters. The cinematography and camera 🎥 movement were made the movie both dirty and grimy yet beautiful to look 👀 at due to well-placed lighting and well-balanced color grading. The violence while sparse and brief it still manages to catch you off guard and very brutal and never to the point where it feels glorified it just leaves enough of an impact to make the next scenes purposefully uncomfortable 😣. The musical 🎼 score was a bit cliche but still effective in keeping the tone consistent and very unsettling in a few places, symbolizing the leads struggle and gleefully descent into madness. I can see how some people could have the problem with how the film portrays mental health but I feel it's a good step in the right direction to make people more aware of these types of conditions and as someone on the spectrum I could relate to some scenes where you have an uncomfortable quark that sometimes pops out of almost nowhere, not at the best time and people look at you as if your weird, being insensitive or inconsiderate, Me, for example, I sometimes jump uncomfortably, talk to myself, stem, need to be reminded of certain things, might come across as rude with the wrong tone when in reality I just have no filter and have to stop myself and think is that really something they want or need to hear right now. Luckily for me I was surrounded by family and friends who understood what I was going through and were then willing to help me and I do realize not many people like me don't have that luxury and I feel terrible about that and my heart ❤️ goes out to them. Overall I had a great time and I give it a 9/10.

Yet another hit for Joaquin... the man is a genius.

I honestly think this is the worst film I've ever seen. The plot was non existent, the acting just horrible, pseudy posing (just having to watch Phoenix with his top off being tortured for what seemed like hours). Was there even a plot? Was it not just angst ridden Phoenix whimpering away for a few hours? It's truly bloody awful. Reminded me of Dawson's creek or one of those horrible trying to be grown up teen films that seem to have completely taken over from genuinely thought provoking and nuanced films that we used to get at the cinema. Just such a waste of time