Joker is worth its weight in gold. It is a wonderful take on a villain that most people in the world are familiar with. From a character that has no real origin story in the comics, comes a very well written and grounded showing of a tale that might have been. With no Batman in the film, it stands out on its own and you watch his greatest villain descend into madness.
The film moves very slowly but it is methodical and purposeful. The pacing of the film seems to be a character on its own as it immerses you deep within the story that is being told. The film is dirty and gritty looking, but yet is beautiful to watch. While the film deals heavily with mental illness, it is more of a snap shot of a specific issue than a perception on mental illness on a whole.
Despite the controversy surrounding this film, I believe that this film does a great job of portraying its points and characters in the way they are meant to be. In no way does the film portray the character of Joker to be a likeable character, anti- hero or anything else that can be misconstrued as him being a hero. The film is also told by an unreliable narrator and much can be left open to interpretation.
Joaquin Phoenix gives you a masterful performance in the film and is a front runner for best actor this year. You believe every part of this film and everything that Joaquin Phoenix is doing throughout the movie because there isn’t much else going on besides the hard work of Joaquin Phoenix.
Joker is a film that might be hard to digest for some people but if you love character studies this is a film for you. Joker is dark, full of purpose, worth multiple viewings in theaters and is a must see. Cinema Wise gives joker a 4 out of 5.
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