Joker Movie Review

Spoiler free

The ‘Joker’ movie is dark yet beautiful. It takes you through Arthur Fleck’s journey of transformation as played by Joaquin Phoenix. Fleck goes from working as a clown performer who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian but finally morphs into the villainous the Joker.

This journey is far from any hero story; it’s real human story unlike any other comic movie to come to the cinema. Other comic movies often conclude, in some way, in a happy ending. Even ‘Deapool,’ top grossing comic R-rated movie, isn’t as dark as ‘Joker.’ This movie has pushed R-rated comic movies into darker territory.

Phoenix provides a unique portrayal of the Joker since Cesar Romero first wore a painted smile on T.V. Phoenix customized many elements of the Joker; he had the laugh, the walk, the sprinting and the dancing. Heath Ledger’s Joker will always be iconic as he gave life to the Joker setting audience expectations high. I believe that Phoenix met those expectations and carried that life onward. 

It’s not just the Pheonix’s performance that made this movie dark and wonderful, it was also the music and the cinematography. The tech crew, the editors and Todd Phillips’s direction were crucial in the way it came out in the end. The story, itself, portrayed society as the reason for madness. Initially, I thought that would be hard to convey to an audience but they had everything on point. 

Spoilers Ahead!!

‘Joker’ was dark and creepy. The way he danced had this creep factor to it and cast a dark shadow over the entire movie. I thought this movie was great. Phoenix had that look: his body looked skinny and malnourished, and his odd expressions looked crazy. My favorite quote from this movie was, “I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realise that it is nothing but a comedy.” This quote is not only shows you how torn about Arthur is and opens you up to Joker. 

The soundtrack was soulful and playful. Gary Glitter’s ‘Rock-n-Roll’ plays in juxtaposition as Joker dances down a flight of stairs, stoically accepting his tragic life. During this scene, I felt relieved and happy alongside Fleck, but then I realized I was empathizing with a mad man.

The camera angles were both nuts and beautiful. The part when he is getting in the refrigerator and it stays and it made you feel like you are walking towards him was creepy.

There were two big twists at the end. The movie made me feel happy for him, like he’s getting a real chance of love with the girl; there’s always a girl! But, the audience realizes that it was only a fantasy and the Joker’s reality is actually so very sad. Afterall, this is the Joker we’re talking about. Later, we find out he was adopted, plus his adopted mother Penny abused him. This formative trauma seems to explain his peculiar and trademark laugh, and there’s nothing funny about at all.

Conclusion

This movie is beautiful. It was perfect work from the performers to the people behind the scenes. I will rewatch this movie for a long time, and I will make everyone watch it, too, because it’s that good. I’m giving it a 10 out of 10 clown masks.

Photo credit: looper.com

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