"Joker", a dramatic thriller from film maker Todd Phillips, reinvents the iconic character in a modern day Gotham. Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix), a failed comedian and a clinically diagnosed mental patient, Fleck lives out his days in misery as the common people of Gotham are trampled on by the rich and privileged. The movie shows Fleck's slow decent into absolute madness, and as his sanity is loss, he ascends into his new role as the Joker. Dark, intense, and violent, this movie has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70% and an IMBd score of 9.1/10. It grossed $13.3 million on Thursday night and a $39.9 million opening night, eyeing an opening weekend total projection of roughly $95 million.
This movie is magnificent. It's beautifully written, with such an original and realistic story, and honestly Phoenix deserves an Oscar for his performance. This is a spoiler review, so if you haven't seen the movie, you have been warned!
What makes this movie so different from other DC movies is the lack of the supernatural. There's no superheroes, no sense of a fantasy world, heck you could say this took place in New York or Chicago and I'd have reasoning to believe you! There's such a sense of realism in this movie, much of it coming from an unbalanced society, where the rich and wealthy live in peace, while the poor suffer.
The biggest thing here was that there was no Batman. No capped crusader to stop Phoenix. Why? Because he was still a kid. The Wayne family play a role in this movie, specifically Thomas Wayne running for mayor. Phoenix's belief that Wayne is his father is one of the finally dominoes to fall before his character Arthur completely losses his mind. It's similar to the Christopher Nolan vibe, in the sense that it's real people and not actual superheroes, which makes both sets of films more realistic.
If you're expecting me to compare Phoenix to Ledger, save it. That's coming in a separate post.
There's a divide between what is real and what is all in Fleck's mind, and it can get very difficult to figure out the line between. Because we only have the perspective of Fleck, we never truly know if what he's doing or saying is real or made up in his mind. Phillips does a really good job of making these revelations to us later on in the film, but also managing to trick us again and again, even at the film's conclusion.
That's the other thing about this version of the Joker; he's not an anarchist. I go back to when I mentioned Batman. If you haven't figured it out by now, those two are basically mortal enemies, and the Joker's action are often influenced to try and tear down the Batman. That's not the case here. Phoenix's Joker does create chaos, but not intentionally. In fact, he creates riots so crazy they lead to the death of the Wayne's, but that was never his plan. He's not a genius or a clever mastermind like other versions of the Joker; he's literally just insane, and his actions have consequences.
Phoenix's laugh, man. It was painful, creepy, and SO GOOD. Phoenix's Joker has a conditioned of uncontrollable laughter, so often times he'd grip his chest or throat to make it stop. It slowly became less painful as he started committing more violent acts and eventual murders, and by the time he had the makeup on he was laughing with joy.
Chills, everytime:
This video also breaks down more about what Phoenix was trying to show with his character, if you'd like to know more about this eerie laugh:
It's crazy how much weight Phoenix lost for this movie, but the way he contorts his body in the film makes him look less like a man and more like a monster. Fleck also has these very off-putting dance moves throughout the film that make him seem even more looney, but for him it was a way to be at peace and calm himself. Again though, it shows dedication to a role, which I admire Phoenix for.
"Joker" is dark, twisted, and sometimes comical. You'll feel a sense of anxiety, a sense of empathy, and a whole lot of gasp moments. The Sam's Snippets score for this movie is a 9.7/10. A cinematic masterpiece and a well executed twist to a well known villain, "Joker" is a must see movie of 2019.
And remember to always smile, and put on a happy face!
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