Joker Review · 3:28pm Apr 9th, 2020
You know, it's been a rough couple of days since I... finally found something positive to watch and review. Joker is... honestly really good.
....
There is no punchline. ... It's not a joke. And yes, I am making a reference cause goddamn I loved this movie. I don't know how the rest of ya'll feel but hey, we've all got our opinions and takes, it's okay. So yeah, I'm talking about this movie today.
However before we get into this movie some more, I do feel like we should address the elephant in the room, as this involves a subject I'm sure everyone will be civil about.
Controversy! 
Before this movie even released in theaters, the mainstream media was bashing this film left and right, and just like with GTA 5, Mortal Kombat, and or most violent themed pieces of media before it, it got attacked. Some 'journalists' claimed this was going to be an anti-SJW film... which honestly makes no freaking sense, I can't see it. Others thought this movie was promoting violence and saying it was going to create murderers and criminals.
...
Are you kidding me right now? You--we-I-ju--are you serious? What did I just say about Grand Theft Auto 5, what did I just say? Movies, television, video games, hell even books do not create killers! This movie is not promoting violence. This movie in fact only shows us WHY violence happens. And you're about to understand just why I say this.
So let's actually talk about Joker.
Joker is an origin story; it follows Arthur Fleck living in Gotham City in the 1980s, but in the really bad part of the city. He lives in a crappy apartment, he's dealing with jerks left and right who do almost nothing but harass him or antagonize him, and his only dream was to make it big as a comedian. But as time goes on, we slowly start to see his progression from trying to be good to a downright sociopath.
Now I've said I like this movie, and there's a lot of reasons for it. Though the weird irony is... I am not a fan of bleak, depressing dramas. Like, none. I want to leave a movie feeling happy most of the time, though based on some of the stuff I pick it does raise questions why I subject myself to really bad ones. *glares at Manos* But let's not waste any time, and actually talk about the damn film.
The biggest pro that I think everyone can give... is Joaquin Phoenix as Joker.
Joaquin owns every scene he's in. Every time you hear him talk, you can immediately feel the tension in his voice depending on the mood he's in or the situation happening on screen. Like, god damn, this actor is just solid as hell. I think my favorite scene with this guy is somewhere close near the end, which I'm not gonna give away for those who still wanna see it, but a friend of mine knows which scene that is so, hehe. 
Another thing this movie does well is the progression of Arthur Fleck's character into the Joker. When we start, we see he's just a dude trying to get by, he's trying to do something with his life but his current conditions don't allow for that, cause, well, Gotham's a pretty terrible place. It looks like freaking New York for crying out loud. And I know one concern that was raised to me was that Joker would be a bit too sympathetic, which is an understandable concern, don't get me wrong... but I think the movie did a good job of keeping that solid line. At first they do make you feel some sympathy because of how poor this guy's living, but then as time goes on, you slowly start to see the evil grow and start to come out, and it becomes less feeling of sympathy and more terrified. Honestly I think this is a pretty realistic way of how someone could go from trying to do good to becoming someone of like the Joker. You watch this character's environment and surroundings affect him throughout the film, as well as the actions made by him and people around him too. You get why he chooses to go down this road because he has nothing else left in his life, everyone and everything around him is just constantly screwing him over, so really, he's like 'screw it'.
Another thing about Joaquin's portrayal of Joker is that throughout the movie you hear him have this very eerie laugh. Now they establish earlier that he has a mental illness where he laughs inappropriately and also the fact the man has never once actually cried. But in some of his laughs you can actually hear his throat kind of catch something in between, you can see him holding his throat like there's some pain there, so you can hear that some of his laughs are not genuine, they are in fact, sad laughs. ... Like, damn.
Cinematography is another A+ on point addition; there's some really great shots throughout the movie, and even things like the lighting really help. It's not constantly dark and dreary like you see in Batman V Superman, there's actually some lights, there is some colors which look really good.
Score by Hildur... um. I can't figure out how to say this person's last name, Ms Guðnadóttir (Icelandic lady), she did a solid job with the score; it's ominous, it's low sounding, she made it just perfect. And the movie does a good job of picking when they should use score or not, so bravo to you guys on that.
And before I forget, I wanna give credit to the rest of the actors, they cannot be ignored. Now all of the acting in the movie from everyone around is great, don't get me wrong, but my other two favorite performances have to come from Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin, the talk show host, loved him. Robert did a great job.
And Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, the neighbor. I won't give away anything on her character, but Zazie, you were great. Excellent work. 
Last thing I can really say, without giving anything away is that ending. Really loved it, I thought it was a satisfying ending, it was good.
If I had to name any negatives, the only real ones I can name is all of the controversial crap happening before the movie got released, and even during it's release.
Back to that comment about people saying this movie was promoting violence, just back off, okay? Also, there's... there's not a ton of violence in this movie. It's not as violent as some of the other dramas out there. And again, this movie is not saying violence is okay and it does not condone it in any shape or way. This movie, as I've said... shows us why it happens, it's a depiction of why it happens. It's not promoting anything, it's just showing you what could happen. So really... be nice to people, that's the big idea that I took away from this. This whole movie's realness is amped up hard, it feels less like a comic book movie and more of just... a movie. A drama. Something that could actually happen. There's a reason this movie won a billion dollars at the box office.
Honestly the only things people have done after this movie is, of course, the onslaught of memes which we knew were inevitable, and of course the famous dancing on the stairs sequence. Which I can understand why people would... and admittedly I snickered a bit hearing different songs playing over that scene, but that scene has a lot more deeper meaning that doesn't get enough credit. ... I'd explain it, but I don't wanna spoil anything from the movie, and I seriously doubt any of you wanna read for an hour about me rambling on about that.
I can see why some people may not like this movie. For some, it's a very bleak and somber film which yeah, I can definitely understand people not wanting to see that, hell just knowing that made me not wanna see it; I'm not a fan of heavy dramas, but damn it, this movie did it well, and I love it for it. And I can also see some people not liking it cause of the story surrounding Joker, this is a weird interpretation. But I think there's something else that can be said here; this is something I often forget myself but Joaquin Phoenix's take on Joker, is just another version. This is just another variation of Joker down the line, and there's probably going to be new interpretations later in time.
And to everyone who thinks he's made too sympathetic... yeah, I can get that. However this Joker is being set in the worst area you can possibly put him in; real life society in the 1980s, a time when people with mental illnesses were treated poorly, and sometimes didn't even get all the help they needed. So yeah, another interpretation. But hey, if we can have a Batman who has no remorse for violently killing people or have the son of Lex Luthor act like a clown, I think we can have a Joker who gets a little bit of sympathy in the start of his origin.
Honestly, I recommend this movie. ... If you can handle dramas, it really all depends on your personal taste. I'm not a fan of dramas, but I loved this movie to pieces. If you want my advice, give it a watch even if it's only once.
I give Joker a heckin' 8 out of 10.
So thanks for reading. And always remember, that's--
Hehe, okay, just kidding. Have a good day everyone.
I wholeheartedly agree. This is honestly my second favorite movie of 2019 (the first is obviously Avengers: Endgame) and it's way better than every single film in the DCEU. The story is one of the best Joker origin stories of all time, both the score and the cinematography are awesome, and Joaqin Phoenix is truly fantastic as the titular character. No wonder he won an Oscar for this incredible performance.
I give the movie itself 9/10.
Also, like you said, the controversy this film received was really stupid. Saying that it's extremely violent is a very ignorant claim, because if you've seen the film, you definitely know that the body count is very low. In fact, movies like Deadpool and John Wick are ten times more violent, and they received no controversy whatsoever. So, the whole controversy is not just stupid, but it's also pretty damn hypocritical.
Joker was a movie I was not at all sure I'd enjoy, but I managed to be really impressed and engaged by. Though it will not be my personal favorite incarnation of the Joker and Gotham City, it is probably one of the best "realistic" depictions of a man becoming a villain that I could think of. Solid work from most everyone involved, and props to you for the review, Four!
S O C I E T Y
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*boop*
I mostly know Joaquin Phoenix from Brother Bear...
I'm not a fan of the movie, mostly because of everything that happened to Arthur. I much prefer the origin-less Joker because him you can hate without feeling pity. Arthur... If you truly have a heart, you will feel nothing but pity for him.
“YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!!”
🔫
this movie did really well getting you to feel bad for Arthur, but not necessarily root for him. You know he's been through hell his whole life, but you also know that he's not the good guy™.