Spoiler-Free “Joker” Review
Warner Bros released Joker only a few short days ago and the film has made massive waves, generating a 93.5 million dollar box office as of this writing. The movie is a realistic, psychological thriller that follows Arthur Fleck (the soon to be Joker) as he navigates a cruel and unsympathetic world as a man with several mental disorders.
The movie opens in Gotham during the late 70s to early 80s with Arthur’s life already in spiral. The funding for the therapy he is receiving has been cut, he gets attacked in the street, he lives in poverty with his mother (Frances Conroy), and his disorders (specifically pseudobulbar affect (a disease that causes uncontrollable laughter)) gets him ostracized by practically everyone. One of the few glimmers of hope left in his life comes from pursuing his passion as a comedian (fitting, right?) and Sophie (Zazie Beetz), the girl next door (really down the hall because it’s an apartment complex). An important feature to note in the exposition of the movie is that Arthur experiences delusions, and we as the audience experience most of them with him. His first involves him being in the audience of The Murray Franklin Show, a late night show hosted by a comedian that Arthur idolizes. In this delusion, Arthur gets called out by Murray (Robert De Niro) and ends up on stage to hear words of affirmation regarding his hopes and dreams. Eventually, Arthur is fired from his job as a clown and gets attacked on a subway later that night. This is when Arthur fights back and ends up killing three men. At this point, the movie enters its second act, as the killings end up on the news, Arthur and Sophie fall in love, and Joker has become an icon in Gotham. Thomas Wayne (Bruce Wayne/Batman’s father) inadvertently launches a political movement when he essentially calls the lower class “clowns”, leading the working class to rise up against the rich. The rest of the movie focuses on Arthur claiming this new identity, and to keep the review spoiler-free, it’s better to end the recap here. If this piques your interest, definitely go and see it.
Joaquin Phoenix truly mastered the physical and vocal tone of the character. His facial expressions and body movements altered throughout the progression of the film, with each of them becoming more fluid and chaotic as the movie progressed. Phoenix did a stellar job keeping the character sympathetic in what he said while keeping some of his actions unnerving. The scenes where he performs as a clown also really do feel like a clown and almost seem like a separate persona to Joker and Arthur. Zazie Beetz also balanced the subtlety of her role incredibly well (unfortunately, I can’t provide examples without subsequent spoilers. Really, you should absolutely see it).
“Joker” makes several amazing moves, one such being the flexibility in the way he speaks and acts being more freely expressed as the movie progresses. The film also feels completely different at the end than the beginning, which is a big plus for any psychological film. The best part about the movie is without question how it works with its audience. Every person who sees this movie will end up seeing it differently, which creates a personalized experience with the audience. “Joker” takes inspiration from an under-the-radar Robert De Niro movie, “King of Comedy”, and does it much better. It takes the delusion sequences a step further and makes the protagonist much more relatable. Another great aspect is how Arthur remains relatable to an extent throughout the movie. His delusions exposes the audience to his inner desires, which resonates with the audience in a way where we wish for him to succeed. A small detail that is worth praising is that there are no comic references, which could be seen as a reference in it of itself to the fact that little to no comics were used as inspiration for the movie. A personal critique is that the movie seems too cynical. I love this movie, but it does have the classic DC grimdark that makes the world seem a bit too cold and uncaring, however a lack of this would result in a very different movie. There is also a reference to massive rats at the beginning of the movie that foreshadows protests that show up later on, with this being a reference to strike rats. The movie also uses awkwardness really well to truly convey the mental tax of some painfully uncomfortable scenes.
Final thoughts: I’d give it a 9.5/10. It’s definitely a movie to see several times with several perspectives in mind. I don’t think anyone would blame you if you took notes during it. The movie is rated R and is best suited for anyone who doesn’t mind a psychological thriller and some murders.
The movie opens in Gotham during the late 70s to early 80s with Arthur’s life already in spiral. The funding for the therapy he is receiving has been cut, he gets attacked in the street, he lives in poverty with his mother (Frances Conroy), and his disorders (specifically pseudobulbar affect (a disease that causes uncontrollable laughter)) gets him ostracized by practically everyone. One of the few glimmers of hope left in his life comes from pursuing his passion as a comedian (fitting, right?) and Sophie (Zazie Beetz), the girl next door (really down the hall because it’s an apartment complex). An important feature to note in the exposition of the movie is that Arthur experiences delusions, and we as the audience experience most of them with him. His first involves him being in the audience of The Murray Franklin Show, a late night show hosted by a comedian that Arthur idolizes. In this delusion, Arthur gets called out by Murray (Robert De Niro) and ends up on stage to hear words of affirmation regarding his hopes and dreams. Eventually, Arthur is fired from his job as a clown and gets attacked on a subway later that night. This is when Arthur fights back and ends up killing three men. At this point, the movie enters its second act, as the killings end up on the news, Arthur and Sophie fall in love, and Joker has become an icon in Gotham. Thomas Wayne (Bruce Wayne/Batman’s father) inadvertently launches a political movement when he essentially calls the lower class “clowns”, leading the working class to rise up against the rich. The rest of the movie focuses on Arthur claiming this new identity, and to keep the review spoiler-free, it’s better to end the recap here. If this piques your interest, definitely go and see it.
Joaquin Phoenix truly mastered the physical and vocal tone of the character. His facial expressions and body movements altered throughout the progression of the film, with each of them becoming more fluid and chaotic as the movie progressed. Phoenix did a stellar job keeping the character sympathetic in what he said while keeping some of his actions unnerving. The scenes where he performs as a clown also really do feel like a clown and almost seem like a separate persona to Joker and Arthur. Zazie Beetz also balanced the subtlety of her role incredibly well (unfortunately, I can’t provide examples without subsequent spoilers. Really, you should absolutely see it).
“Joker” makes several amazing moves, one such being the flexibility in the way he speaks and acts being more freely expressed as the movie progresses. The film also feels completely different at the end than the beginning, which is a big plus for any psychological film. The best part about the movie is without question how it works with its audience. Every person who sees this movie will end up seeing it differently, which creates a personalized experience with the audience. “Joker” takes inspiration from an under-the-radar Robert De Niro movie, “King of Comedy”, and does it much better. It takes the delusion sequences a step further and makes the protagonist much more relatable. Another great aspect is how Arthur remains relatable to an extent throughout the movie. His delusions exposes the audience to his inner desires, which resonates with the audience in a way where we wish for him to succeed. A small detail that is worth praising is that there are no comic references, which could be seen as a reference in it of itself to the fact that little to no comics were used as inspiration for the movie. A personal critique is that the movie seems too cynical. I love this movie, but it does have the classic DC grimdark that makes the world seem a bit too cold and uncaring, however a lack of this would result in a very different movie. There is also a reference to massive rats at the beginning of the movie that foreshadows protests that show up later on, with this being a reference to strike rats. The movie also uses awkwardness really well to truly convey the mental tax of some painfully uncomfortable scenes.
Final thoughts: I’d give it a 9.5/10. It’s definitely a movie to see several times with several perspectives in mind. I don’t think anyone would blame you if you took notes during it. The movie is rated R and is best suited for anyone who doesn’t mind a psychological thriller and some murders.
Controversy: Is “Joker” Influence a Benefit or a Danger?
By: olivia Pulliam
On October 4th, “Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, was released to theaters in the U.S. For months, people have been debating back and forth whether “Joker” is a safe movie to be watching at this time, especially with recent gun violence and the infamous Aurora theater shooting tainting the Batman universe experience.
While it is true that “Joker” is an overly violent and intense movie, fans argue that this is true to the character of the Joker. The film is focused on the journey of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) as he becomes the Joker. Through mistreatment and misfortune, Fleck quickly goes further and further over the brink of insanity, until he finally embraces who he’s decided to be; the Joker.
The current argument is something like this: the first side argues: “’Joker’ is a dark and disturbing movie that sympathizes with the violence - prone mentally ill,” while the second side argues: “’Joker’ is a well acted, cinematically beautiful film that tells the story of the Joker while displaying the danger of not paying attention to the people around you.” There is a third stance, but again, that’s just DC fans who like the Joker as a character, and were excited about this movie in the first place.
The fear of the first side is that there will be a shooting like what occurred at the Aurora theater. When beginning to write this article, I decided to postpone for a while, to make sure that I could report if something had happened. Graciously, nothing has occurred; not even a threat on social media.
Some individuals have complaints about the gory content of the film, and that they didn’t want their children to see that. Quite frankly, they shouldn’t have brought their children into an R-Rated movie in the first place. This is not a normal superhero movie, with cool fight scenes and comedy. It is literally the descent into madness. Heed ratings carefully before watching.
Even with the complaints and concerns of the public, more and more people seem to be watching “Joker” and coming back with positive reviews. The new “Joaquin Phoenix Joker” is being accepted as one of the greatest, which include Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Cesar Romero, Mark Hamill, and now Joaquin Phoenix. Fans of the Joker character rank these individuals by their acting and dedication to the role. It takes a lot to be a good Joker.
Despite the controversy, I think that “Joker” will nevertheless be accepted as the phenomenal film that it is, and be the subject of conversation for a long time. In my opinion, the messages in “Joker” don’t support the Joker’s actions, they’re a warning and a reminder that there are people who are ignored like the Joker, who need attention and love just like everyone else.
Overall this movie was phenomenal. It was beautifully acted, deeply intriguing, and there were even some jokes in it that felt really bad to laugh at, but in a good way. I think that sums up the "Joker" controversy. Stay funny.
While it is true that “Joker” is an overly violent and intense movie, fans argue that this is true to the character of the Joker. The film is focused on the journey of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) as he becomes the Joker. Through mistreatment and misfortune, Fleck quickly goes further and further over the brink of insanity, until he finally embraces who he’s decided to be; the Joker.
The current argument is something like this: the first side argues: “’Joker’ is a dark and disturbing movie that sympathizes with the violence - prone mentally ill,” while the second side argues: “’Joker’ is a well acted, cinematically beautiful film that tells the story of the Joker while displaying the danger of not paying attention to the people around you.” There is a third stance, but again, that’s just DC fans who like the Joker as a character, and were excited about this movie in the first place.
The fear of the first side is that there will be a shooting like what occurred at the Aurora theater. When beginning to write this article, I decided to postpone for a while, to make sure that I could report if something had happened. Graciously, nothing has occurred; not even a threat on social media.
Some individuals have complaints about the gory content of the film, and that they didn’t want their children to see that. Quite frankly, they shouldn’t have brought their children into an R-Rated movie in the first place. This is not a normal superhero movie, with cool fight scenes and comedy. It is literally the descent into madness. Heed ratings carefully before watching.
Even with the complaints and concerns of the public, more and more people seem to be watching “Joker” and coming back with positive reviews. The new “Joaquin Phoenix Joker” is being accepted as one of the greatest, which include Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Cesar Romero, Mark Hamill, and now Joaquin Phoenix. Fans of the Joker character rank these individuals by their acting and dedication to the role. It takes a lot to be a good Joker.
Despite the controversy, I think that “Joker” will nevertheless be accepted as the phenomenal film that it is, and be the subject of conversation for a long time. In my opinion, the messages in “Joker” don’t support the Joker’s actions, they’re a warning and a reminder that there are people who are ignored like the Joker, who need attention and love just like everyone else.
Overall this movie was phenomenal. It was beautifully acted, deeply intriguing, and there were even some jokes in it that felt really bad to laugh at, but in a good way. I think that sums up the "Joker" controversy. Stay funny.