Isolated and bullied by society, failed comedian, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), descends into madness becoming the criminal mastermind we all know as “Joker”.
Shrouded in controversy, Joker is unlike any comic book movie you’ve seen and I applaud director, Todd Philips, for breaking the mold in comic book storytelling.
Joker is meticulously crafted, dark, depressing and an extremely unsettling film. This realistic nightmare hits close to home (honestly, way too close to home for me to “enjoy” Joker), sharing an unforgettable spiral into mayhem and madness.
The slow burn and tense filmmaking will leave you ridden with anxiety and terrified at the plausibility of this story. In this day and age, it is all too real.
Yes, Joker makes statements about the brutalities of our society. But it feels shallow, predictable and somewhat cliché. But Joker isn’t focusing on making a statement. It’s focused on sharing a story of the man behind that infamous laugh.
Phoenix is nothing short of phenomenal. I have never in my ENTIRE life, seen a character on screen that has terrified me so. His transformation is exquisite, mesmerizing and artful — a true master class in acting. This performance will certainly make Phoenix a frontrunner in this year’s Oscar race and let’s be honest, he best start working on his speech.
Final Thoughts: Joker is nothing without Phoenix.
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