If only more comic book villains were as interesting as the Joker, DC/Warner Bros. could actually have something people would want to see. Unfortunately, there aren’t really many villains that are as popular and vicious as Joker. So taking the chance to make an entire movie about him and how he came to be, seems like it was the best moves they could have made in their, not very successful, comic movies.
Now, I really liked this different take on the character. Although Joker has had different looks and styles in the various films he’s appeared in, Joaquin Phoenix’s take on Joker is different. Maybe it’s due to the fact that he actually gets to show us who he is without the makeup and what set him on his path of death and destruction. In Joker, we actually start to feel sorry for Arthur Fleck, but it doesn’t take long before we change our tune and realize how F’d up he is. If it wasn’t for Phoenix’s ability to masterfully flip the script on Jokers’ emotional instability this would have been a big waste of time.
The other thing I really liked about this one, all the actual location shots. One of the benefits of a small budget means less money to spend on fake sets and using real city landscapes to make the story more believable.
If there was one thing I think there could have been a lil bit more of, maybe a sprinkle more of violence. It might be strange to say, but there were some parts where the dialog was too long. However, when things happened, it was good. And like I said, really let you see how crazy and sadistic Joker really is.
And just cause this is a DC Comic’s character… This film is fine for the adults but probably isn’t the kind of film you would want to bring your young kids to… Just Say’n.