When “Joker” was first announced, I sort of wondered what the reasoning behind green lighting this film before other DC property was. After reading that it was separate from the new DCEU and after watching the trailer, I understood “Joker” was envisioned as DC Comic’s prestige picture. My suspicion was quickly verified when the film premiered at film festivals to praise and awards. It seemed like critics were all going to love this film upon it’s release. Things didn’t turn out so clear cut though. While many critics still praised the film, some decided to take issue with the reflection it takes on society. You can’t please everyone but with more and more critics (and some audience members) raising this criticism, I wondered how I would feel when I finally watched “Joker”.
The film revolves around a man named Arthur Fleck who has multiple serious mental illnesses and is struggling to get by in Gotham City. Arthur lives with his mother and dreams of making it as a standup comic but his crippling laughing disorder makes it impossible for him to succeed. Arthur slowly descends into madness more and more as he tries to discover the truth about his father and his past in general. As Arthur is pushed more and more, he is reborn into the iconic Joker we are all aware of.
I sort of loved this movie far more than I expected I might, especially the third act, and I was pleasantly surprised by how sympathetic the film made the Joker seem. What makes this film feel different is the realistic approach the filmmakers took in telling the story of a man suffering from a mental breakdown. Arthur Fleck’s descent into madness is both tragic and frightening. It should also be noted that this film does not follow the comic books, since Joker has no official origin, but draws a lot of inspiration from “The Killing Joke” and “The Dark Knight Returns” graphic novels.
I enjoyed the many themes of the film including class warfare and the importance of helping those suffering from mental illnesses and how issues like those can become intertwined. The class warfare aspect seems especially timely in today’s troubled economic times. I also appreciate how they approached the struggles of mental illness and how seriously they treated the subject matter.
Of course a lot of the strength of the film came from the amazing performance of Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix elevates an already strong script into something akin to high art. While I personally still feel Heath Ledger was the best Joker, Phoenix plays a different version of the character that is equally strong and definitely gives the late Ledger a run for his money. Phoenix is just fascinating to watch on screen. I would be completely shocked if Joaquin Phoenix isn’t nominated for an Oscar for this role.
As good as Phoenix was, he also had some great supporting actors around him. Robert De Niro actually gave a great performance as Murray Franklin, a Johnny Carson like late night television host who Arthur sees as almost like a father figure. De Niro’s addition to the cast was also perfect since much of the film was inspired by “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy” which both starred De Niro. I really liked Frances Conroy as Arthur’s mother Penny. Conroy gave a more restrained unhinged performance that is getting largely overlooked but I loved it. I do want to mention that I liked Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne but I think the original actor cast, Alec Baldwin, would have owned the role a little more. Baldwin ended up passing on the role because he thought the role was too similar to his Donald Trump character on “Saturday Night Live”.
I was surprised by how well Todd Phillips managed to craft this movie and I was completely blown away by his directing choices. I was never a big fan of “The Hangover” films (although I have a soft spot in my heart for his “Starsky & Hutch” remake) so I didn’t expect a lot. True to the influence, Phillips invokes Martin Scorsese unlike any one else I have seen recently. I also liked the gritty feel of the film which reminded me of the Christopher Nolan “Dark Knight” trilogy.
The film itself looked amazing with the cinematography and score being a highlight. The film was beautifully shot and the string music gave it a slightly off putting feel. All the foreshadowing and Easter eggs made the film extra special for fans of the Batman comic books.
As a film lover, I enjoyed that the theater at the end was playing the movies “Excalibur” and “Zorro: The Gay Blade”. “Zorro: The Gay Blade” is a nod to “The Mark of Zorro” which is the film young Bruce Wayne was watching with his parents the night his parents were killed. It was also a comedic take on Zorro which seems fitting with this take on the Joker origin. Lastly, “Excalibur” was the film featured in the opening credits of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. It could also be a reference to King Arthur seeing as the main character was Arthur and became the new king of crime by the time the film ends.
“Joker” is a masterpiece and will likely change the way superhero or super villain films are told for years to come. I can not recommend this movie more. This film is the definition of ‘must see’.
Grade: A+
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