This movie is outstanding. Keep in mind when you go to see this that this is not a typical comic book movie that is just a ton of pow pow action, haha chaeesy joke, pow pow. It's basically a movie about a man going crazy but set in Gotham and that man ends up becoming the Joker. It is far more similar to Taxi Driver than it is to even the grittier Marvel movies. The only comic book movie I have seen which has even a remotely similar tone is Watchmen and even that is not as similar to it is to Taxi Driver or Apocalypse Now.
So as a short recap it starts with Arthur, an insane and severely depressed man. He has a condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably when he is uncomfortable. Literally everything in his life is shit, he gets his ass kicked at work by punk kids, he gets shaken down by his employer, his mom is completely reliant on his help and they live together in a cramped and squalid apartment and his therapy is barely keeping him hinged. In the background Gotham is experiencing lots of political turmoil around the government and wealthy residents showing a complete disregard for the well-being of the needy and Arthur is hit hardest by this. His psychiatric services are cut, he loses his job, his mom is expecting a wealthy benefactor to save them which Arthur knows is not coming, the TV show that Arthur loves and the host of it who he admires coldly shames him for something he was proud of. The shit continues to pile on him as he becomes more deranged and eventually he starts to crack and becomes more and more violent along with much of the rest of Gotham who identify with his same experiences.
The themes of this movie are easy to understand but they run extremely deep as well working on many levels. The top crust of society looking down on others, passing judgement, acting without any repercussions or any true understanding for the devastation they are causing for others. The prime symbol of this is Murray Franklin, this rich talk show host who Arthur initially admires and fantasizes about interacting with in the future but when it comes down to the reality he just stomps over his dreams and aspiration and treats him as a prop to use for his own joke. It's funny to the people looking down with Murray but it's devastating to Arthur. Joker coming onto the show at the end and turning the tables with his "Joke" is also symbolic of the other side of the message. Joker and the clown protests are not good guys, they are not right, they are not helping, they are rabid and reactionary and fueled simply by fury without logic. They have solid reasons for why they are mad but when it gets to the point where you are that beaten down it is hard to see if there is any way to improve it and so reckless fury is all they can muster.
The detailed execution in this film is OUTSTANDING and is really what takes this film to the next level. The acting of Joaquin Phoenix in obviously one of the greatest performances in recent memory. The way he talks, the innocence of his dreams juxtaposed with his tainted reality, the brutality, the way he contorts his body to make the viewer cringe and painfully stare without being able to blink or look away, the facial expressions, the crazy way he runs, the dancing, all of it. It's something you have to experience and feel as you watch it. The script itself is impeccable, the faux twists, the delusional fantasy that is impossible to pick apart from the reality, the dialogue (my god the dialogue during the Murray Franklin show bit was beyond perfect), the art style that puts you in the gutter with Arthur, the careful pacing to make sure that you saw and understood every bit of why Joker comes into being, the music and general sound editing, etc. etc. etc. it's nearly flawless.
Another part that needs further appreciation is the use of ultra-dark humor and the affect it has on being in the audience. This movie is one of the more brutal movies I have seen in recent times and as it goes on there are these subtle jokes woven into these shocking and disturbing scenes. They are jokes that most people won't laugh at (like locking the door so a dwarf trapped in the apartment with Joker has to ask to get out after seeing a friend's head bashed against the wall, or this situational humor on the talk show with the inappropriateness of the drunk driving joke in the middle of Joker's final rant) but they are really funny if you have a certain sense of humor. The amazing thing this does is that it gets the sick bastards like me who find it funny to laugh uncontrollably in the audience. This has two opposite purposes; the people who laugh are now experiencing the uncontrollable laughter and cold stares that Arthur experiences every day. On the other hand the people who don't laugh get these creepy out of place laughs coming from the people around them in the theater and they know that they're surrounded by sick bastards. It is THE most creative use of humor I have ever seen in a movie.
If we are talking about down sides I can't really speak to that much. The only things that I think might give it a lesser score are the fact that it is not a movie for everyone. It isn't a comic book movie at heart so if you're wanting a Avengers-esque experience then you're SOL. It's extremely brutal and will make you uncomfortable multiple times throughout and it isn't fun action brutality where there is a good fight and one guy wins, it's blowing people's brains out in a subway with a revolver and then chasing down wounded victim #3 type action. I can see how people might not like the lack of justification with the Clown rallies but that is also part of their purpose as I said earlier so I can't knock that. Overall it is a super complex movie that is also easy to understand at a basic level which is an awesome thing because it's hard to do both and I feel like it allows anyone to talk about it and learn the depth.
Review by SeanMSUBlockedParent2019-10-08T03:11:46Z
This movie is outstanding. Keep in mind when you go to see this that this is not a typical comic book movie that is just a ton of pow pow action, haha chaeesy joke, pow pow. It's basically a movie about a man going crazy but set in Gotham and that man ends up becoming the Joker. It is far more similar to Taxi Driver than it is to even the grittier Marvel movies. The only comic book movie I have seen which has even a remotely similar tone is Watchmen and even that is not as similar to it is to Taxi Driver or Apocalypse Now.
So as a short recap it starts with Arthur, an insane and severely depressed man. He has a condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably when he is uncomfortable. Literally everything in his life is shit, he gets his ass kicked at work by punk kids, he gets shaken down by his employer, his mom is completely reliant on his help and they live together in a cramped and squalid apartment and his therapy is barely keeping him hinged. In the background Gotham is experiencing lots of political turmoil around the government and wealthy residents showing a complete disregard for the well-being of the needy and Arthur is hit hardest by this. His psychiatric services are cut, he loses his job, his mom is expecting a wealthy benefactor to save them which Arthur knows is not coming, the TV show that Arthur loves and the host of it who he admires coldly shames him for something he was proud of. The shit continues to pile on him as he becomes more deranged and eventually he starts to crack and becomes more and more violent along with much of the rest of Gotham who identify with his same experiences.
The themes of this movie are easy to understand but they run extremely deep as well working on many levels. The top crust of society looking down on others, passing judgement, acting without any repercussions or any true understanding for the devastation they are causing for others. The prime symbol of this is Murray Franklin, this rich talk show host who Arthur initially admires and fantasizes about interacting with in the future but when it comes down to the reality he just stomps over his dreams and aspiration and treats him as a prop to use for his own joke. It's funny to the people looking down with Murray but it's devastating to Arthur. Joker coming onto the show at the end and turning the tables with his "Joke" is also symbolic of the other side of the message. Joker and the clown protests are not good guys, they are not right, they are not helping, they are rabid and reactionary and fueled simply by fury without logic. They have solid reasons for why they are mad but when it gets to the point where you are that beaten down it is hard to see if there is any way to improve it and so reckless fury is all they can muster.
The detailed execution in this film is OUTSTANDING and is really what takes this film to the next level. The acting of Joaquin Phoenix in obviously one of the greatest performances in recent memory. The way he talks, the innocence of his dreams juxtaposed with his tainted reality, the brutality, the way he contorts his body to make the viewer cringe and painfully stare without being able to blink or look away, the facial expressions, the crazy way he runs, the dancing, all of it. It's something you have to experience and feel as you watch it. The script itself is impeccable, the faux twists, the delusional fantasy that is impossible to pick apart from the reality, the dialogue (my god the dialogue during the Murray Franklin show bit was beyond perfect), the art style that puts you in the gutter with Arthur, the careful pacing to make sure that you saw and understood every bit of why Joker comes into being, the music and general sound editing, etc. etc. etc. it's nearly flawless.
Another part that needs further appreciation is the use of ultra-dark humor and the affect it has on being in the audience. This movie
is one of the more brutal movies I have seen in recent times and as it goes on there are these subtle jokes woven into these shocking and disturbing scenes. They are jokes that most people won't laugh at (like locking the door so a dwarf trapped in the apartment with Joker has to ask to get out after seeing a friend's head bashed against the wall, or this situational humor on the talk show with the inappropriateness of the drunk driving joke in the middle of Joker's final rant) but they are really funny if you have a certain sense of humor. The amazing thing this does is that it gets the sick bastards like me who find it funny to laugh uncontrollably in the audience. This has two opposite purposes; the people who laugh are now experiencing the uncontrollable laughter and cold stares that Arthur experiences every day. On the other hand the people who don't laugh get these creepy out of place laughs coming from the people around them in the theater and they know that they're surrounded by sick bastards. It is THE most creative use of humor I have ever seen in a movie.
If we are talking about down sides I can't really speak to that much. The only things that I think might give it a lesser score are the fact that it is not a movie for everyone. It isn't a comic book movie at heart so if you're wanting a Avengers-esque experience then you're SOL. It's extremely brutal and will make you uncomfortable multiple times throughout and it isn't fun action brutality where there is a good fight and one guy wins, it's blowing people's brains out in a subway with a revolver and then chasing down wounded victim #3 type action. I can see how people might not like the lack of justification with the Clown rallies but that is also part of their purpose as I said earlier so I can't knock that. Overall it is a super complex movie that is also easy to understand at a basic level which is an awesome thing because it's hard to do both and I feel like it allows anyone to talk about it and learn the depth.