Just like the successful storylines from Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam!, Joker also delivered a convincing story. Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian, as well as a failed clown, has a few bad days that eventually drives him to insanity. 

This movie overall did a lot of things right. The movies Suicide Squad and Venom made the mistake of trying to be edgy while keeping a PG-13 rating. For this story to work, it had to be rated R and it worked perfectly. It’s a movie for adults, but I also recommend that students see it as well. There are some cameos and familiar faces through the movie, but they are part of the narrative which makes it even better. It manages to respect the lore of comic books while still trying to tell a different story. 

The movie tells a contrasting story of the Joker and is only loosely tied to comic books. This gave Todd Phillips, the director of Joke, the creative freedom to make the alternate version of the character that he wanted. Composer Hildur Guonadottir is responsible for the chilling soundtrack of the movie that masterfully set the mood for every scene and all the songs picked were perfect. 

This movie won’t take part in a bigger DC universe and it’s better like this. This movie was meant to be a standalone story which gave the director the opportunity to do what he wanted and leave the rest to our imagination. Props to Lawrence Sher, the cinematographer of Joker, for making every shot a thing of beauty. The attention to detail in the Gotham he crafted was amazing and the retro vibes we get through the movie made the immersion all the better. The movie has no CGI, it uses all practical effects like illusions or visual tricks, which is pretty rare in a comic book adaptation. In this instance, it was the right way because every moment felt more real, and the realism in every scene made the experience much better. 

Violence, mental illness, and poverty are themes that Joker tackles. Even though it’s a comic book adaptation, these are things that happen in real life and that are real daily problems. It really felt like a cautionary tale and it made you question the way you treat others. 

A lot of people were skeptical because the Joker works better as a mysterious character with no real origin. However, the movie did give that since a lot of Arthur’s story is left to the imagination and leaves a lot of questions. We know everything about him but at the same time, we know nothing. 

This was the performance of a lifetime. The acting was surreal for the characters. Every Joker actor left their mark on the character and Joaquin Phoenix definitely didn’t disappoint. His take on the Joker is phenomenal. It’s so different from what we know because he has an actual reason for his insanity and his actions. Watch Joker to find out why. But still, he managed to make us believe that it really was him.

Joker is a definite 9.5/10 for a great director, tremendous settings, great soundtrack, and an outstanding performance by Joaquin Phoenix.