Hello everyone and here I am with a new 2019 catch up review! Now today we will be looking into one of the biggest hits of last year, Joker. Now when this movie was first announced I was actually very intrigued by the idea of doing a stand alone Joker origin movie that would have the tone of a Scorsese type crime drama. It was a surprising announcement for sure but the trailers really got me interested with their dark tone, and the tease of a psychological character study. That and DC Films had been on a role with Aquaman being a ton of gonzo fan, and Shazam! had just came out and it also turned out great so naturally Joker had my benefit of the doubt. The reviews were also interesting as there were those who really loved it, and found it to be a masterpiece, while others weren’t too big on it. It got me even more curious to check it out and now that I have I can say that I am on the positive side of the critical spectrum even if I didn’t completely love everything about it. Now let’s go into the mind of Arthur Fleck and see the story of how he became known as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Set in the early 1980s, this is a story about a man named Arthur Fleck, a party clown who aspires to be a comedian one day. He lives in the city of Gotham, a city filled with crime, and unemployment with his mother, Penny, who is both physically, and mentally ill. Arthur himself is also not very well as well since he has this medical disorder that causes him to laugh spontaneously no matter what and thus he depends on his medications which are handled by social services. Every day he’s just always trying to get by and make it through everything, with the highlight always being every night when he would watch the popular talk show host, Franklin Murray, on Live! With Murray as he sees the man as a true visionary/inspiration. Things change one fateful day when Arthur is attacked on the subway after having a pretty rough day and he ends up murdering three high class businessmen who were bothering him and it makes huge waves across Gotham, and attracts many people’s attention. And thus begins Arthur’s slow descent into becoming the clown Prince of Crime we all know!
For me the movie works extremely well in the first two acts as a singular character study concerning this man who slowly descends into madness due to how every single thing in his life constantly goes wrong. The film has a nice slow burn pacing that never feels like it drags too much, and we get a sense of who Arthur is and what he’s thinking just by how things play out onscreen and it is consistently investing throughout. It works mainly because the writers made sure to make Arthur a character whom the audience understands why he makes the decisions he does, and even sympathize with him (even if his actions can be very horrific). It’s also a movie that can be genuinely disturbing at times with some really well done sequences that have a sense of dread to them, yet save for one scene it never felt like the movie was wallowing in violence, and gore (and no contrary to what many people were assuming prior to release, it does not promote or advocate violence). Really the first two acts I felt were great, and it’s able to be a reasonable, and interesting backstory for a character who has always been best when shrouded in mystery (heck he surprisingly doesn’t truly become the Joker until the last 15 or so minutes which was an interesting choice). What holds this movie back for me however is it’s final third for a number of reasons. Now don’t get me wrong it’s not outright bad or poorly done or anything like that and it’s watchable, yet it feels as if the movie didn’t quite know how to end and it becomes a little sloppy while biting a bit more than it can chew when it comes to what it’s trying to say. Now I do appreciate a movie that has a lot on it’s mind and I do commend Todd Philips and his team for having a lot they want to say here regarding social classes, how lower class people should be able to afford better healthcare, mental health, mob mentality, how society functions, and more. But some of these themes feel, and really the whole context of what’s going on in Gotham just either aren’t really looked upon in a way that’s fully new or developed, or just feel crammed into the plot and it just didn’t work for me as well as I feel it should have (also the way it comments on mental health has understandably not pleased everyone). Plus it does feel like Todd Philips originally intended to make a singular crime drama but then decided make it based around an iconic comic book villain so that people would see it as often times the references to elements associated with the Batman mythos like Arkham or the Wayne’s just often times feels very forced, and distracting at points. To me the film works best when it’s a singular character study that may borrow elements from many other films of this type (particular those of Scorsese) still works on its own terms then when it tries to and I felt that maybe with a little more streamlining in the third act, and the themes, this could’ve been even greater.
I will say though that on the technical side of things that’s something that really did elevate the movie for me. Now say what you will about the movie itself (I just find it to be a pretty lazy, and uninspired sequel) but one thing that I do like about the Hangover Part II is how it felt Todd Philips was trying to make something resembling a big scale comedy, and from the way he shoots Joker I love how he applies that here but to a small scale character drama as how he uses wide’s here make’s Arthur look like a small individual within in this world and it just feels very immersive. In particular during the more slower scenes the way he directs the proceedings makes give them a lot of tension. Also contributing is Lawrence Sher whose cinematography looks great and the color pallet is utilized to nice effect in certain sequences, while the score composed by Hildur Guonadottir adds a lot to the atmosphere of the feature. It’s just a visual treat to marvel most of the time and that is easily one of the standout aspects of the feature. Speaking of which I am happy to find that Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of iconic Batman baddie is just fantastic as he brings a lot to the role adding a lot of layers, and shadings to this character who wants his life to matter, and be greater yet ends up being an unfortunate of victim of circumstance. While I don’t know if I would consider him my favorite Joker, I do think he stands alongside the likes of Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Mark Hamill, as a great version of the character and one who is different enough from the rest and that best actor win at the Oscars was very well deserved indeed. He really does carry the movie, although everyone else does get a bit of the short shift in comparison. Not that any of the supporting actors are bad, they all do they’re best with what they’re given, but it is clear that this is the Joaquin Phoenix show through and through. Out of all of them, Zazie Beetz probably gets the most to do as Sophie, a single mother who becomes something of a “love interest” for Arthur and while she is good in her limited screen time, I was somewhat mixed on the twist involving her as I felt it made sense for the type of story being told yet it also could’ve been even more impactful had she actually (spoilers) been Arthur’s love interest instead of him imaging that she was (it could’ve given him some sort of reason to not turn bad, and thus would’ve made his descent into madness all the more tragic), while Francis Conroy does give in a very effective performance as Arthur’s ill mother and their relationship is one of the more interesting parts of the feature. Others like Robert De Niro’s talk show host, Murray Franklin, and Brett Cullen’s Thomas Wayne (yes that Wayne) are big parts in shaping Arthur’s character yet the actual actors/characters are essentially cameos in terms of the amount of material they get. Everyone else does a pretty good job overall though, it’s just that Arthur himself is understandably the main focus.
Even though I may not be as crazy about it as others, I still find Joker to be a really good movie on its own terms. It may break any new ground for the crime drama genre, it doesn’t fully develop a lot of it’s many messages, and ideas at play, and the third act didn’t impact me quite as much as it should’ve, yet I still think it works really well when it’s a singular character study, there are many intense moments that are extremely well done, it’s masterfully directed, and beautiful to look at, and Joaquin Phoenix gives in a justifiably praiseworthy performance. I can definitely see why a lot of people do really love it and I am impressed at how well it did at the box office as it does mean that at least general audiences are willing to take a chance with a movie like this if it’s encased in a well known IP (would be nice if the original ones do as well, but that’s a whole other conversation right there). May not have impacted me as some of the other movies that came out last year but it still is a another quality DC movie that continues the brand’s hot streak and I am more than stoked for whatever they have next in line (especially for their next elseworld type story, the Batman, which I am very much hyped for).
Rating: B+
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