by John Zenoni
Well my review of “Joker” isn't going to be anywhere near as detailed or eloquently written as that of my friend Matt, who's written his own review but I'll certainly try and do it justice. I plan on sharing his review on this page as well but will be sure to put “SPOILER ALERT” when I do as he does give some key points away. However, his review is an excellent insight into certain acts of society in the film, including Joker himself, and deserves to be read.
With that being said, I've been waiting on this particular film to come out for months, which is rather ironic considering I don’t really care for films based on comic books. However, the difference here is that this film isn't like any other ‘comic book’ film. It's truly a stand-alone piece of work and the main character is a ‘regular’ human being - completely insane, of course, but still a human being and not some blue creature from a far off planet or an alien with unique super powers.
The main thing I can tell anyone is to not go into this film expecting action right away. This is definitely a film that focuses on studying the main character, Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix), and how he goes about his poor, sad and lonely life each day. As each passing day goes by, you can sense the frustration that Arthur experiences and see him going deeper and deeper into darkness. You know that nothing good is going to happen as you watch him interact with those around him. While he descends into his madness, you can almost pity him as you see how he's treated and what he learns later on in the film about his younger years and his life. However, that does not by any means excuse him from his actions as the course of the film goes on. In my opinion, we see a failure of both Arthur, his mother, co-workers and others taking responsibility for their actions as well as our society and the ‘system’ as far as how others are helped or, better yet, not helped. It's really a sad state of affairs overall.
The plot of the film is believable and the storyline is really well done but at the same time this movie is a very ‘dark’ and grim film to watch. It is absolutely intense and will definitely stay with you after it's over, which, honestly, I love because it means the director, actors and all involved have done a great job. It definitely made me think about Arthur and his circumstances and how I wish things could have been different for him. But at the same time, I found him revolting for thinking he could just take ‘justice’ into his own hands.
The casting in the film was spot-on with the exception, in my opinion, of Robert De Niro, who plays talk show host Murray Franklin, one of Arthur’s heroes. I just didn't feel that De Niro was believable in this role and he appeared to be out of place. But the other actors were amazing. Which brings me, of course, to Joaquin Phoenix and his role as Joker. Mr. Phoenix absolutely gives a tour de force performance! All I can say is that he's incredible and I couldn't help but see how engrossed he was in the character. If he doesn't get the Oscar - which I know we're still early on yet before that time of year - then something's wrong. Go ahead and give the man his award now. This is an amazing film that is haunting and yet beautiful to watch at the same time!
Originally Posted 10/5/19
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