Joker

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Joker feels like it’s something of a potential origin story for the infamous. The film follows Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) as society beats him down until he takes on the persona of the Joker. The film sort of borrows elements from various stories in the Joker’s mythos, namely The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns. Yet, the movie has some pretty major deviations from the comics. I don’t mind this because one could argue that this film is something of an Elseworlds story. Phoenix excels in the role, and truly feels as though he owns this film. However, I also don’t believe that the rest of the cast should be overlooked. In particular, I would also like to commend Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, and Robert De Niro. I find it so interesting to see Thomas Wayne portrayed as much more of a jerk. I think there could easily be some merit to this possibility as other incarnations only show him from Bruce Wayne’s perspective. The film is primarily a slow burn, showing a man’s descent into madness. This is a film that clearly takes influence from Martin Scorsese’s work from the late 70s and early 80s, in particular Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Overall, I really liked Joker as a small-scale, grounded, haunting look at one of comics’ most enduring villains. 

9 / 10