A couple Sundays ago, my husband and I went to see Joker. I’ll admit, I hadn’t watched any trailers or really had any interest at all in this movie because I’m not a huge fan of Batman (though he is in DC character I like besides Wonder Woman) and because, well, the Joker is a bit overrated anymore. However, I wasn’t against seeing this film. My husband had heard nothing but great things from our friend so we went to see it!
Full review under the cut for spoilers.
Normally, I do not like posting reviews with spoilers. However, this is something I feel like needs them in order to justify my opinions towards this movie.
We know the Joker. He’s the most famous Batman villain. Some of the greatest (and worst) portrayals of him are out there. In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix is one of the better ones.
Were there predictable parts of this movie? Yes. It’s a Joker origin story after all. Was there blood and gore? You betcha. How could there not be? Was it actually an R rating? A hard R, actually. Did I enjoy myself? Oh, yes.
One of the things I truly loved about this film was how it was a period piece. The Warner Bros logo first seen is in old fashioned script and it’s got a very 80s film sort of color and vibe.
The first scene is of a going out of business sale and a clown spinning a sign. Yep, that clown is Arthur Fleck, the main star of the show. He’s shown being mugged by some hooligans that take his sign and he goes in pursuit of them, ending in him being surprise smacked by said sign (now broken) and beaten up. At this point, I lean over to my husband and say something about “what the hell is with these kids” and he reminds me that it’s Gotham. Ah, yes. If Gotham was real and if my husband were to ever say, “Honey, I got a new job and we’re moving to Gotham,” I’d ask for a divorce on the spot.
I love how this film is about an unreliable narrator. There’s a woman in the movie that’s a neighbor to the Flecks and lives down the hall. After a brief encounter in the elevator, she comes to his door. They go out. She’s there for him when his mother is hospitalized. At least, you think she is. Which is very on par for The Joker. Not everything is as it seems. Especially with the subject of Arthur’s life.
It’s also very refreshing to see Thomas Wayne as an asshole. Arthur confronts him about potentially being his father after an impromptu visit to his mansion and talking to a little Bruce, and Wayne punches him. Tells him his mother was crazy, to stay away from his son, and some other things. During the movie he’s running for mayor because he wants to help the people of the city, especially those in need. What he does is actually insults them by calling them clowns for wanting what they haven’t worked for. This of course if after a mysterious clown murders three Wayne Enterprises interns.
All said and done if you’re looking for a dark comic book film that’s done really well, you need to see Joker. I went in indifferent and came out a fan!
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