JOKER Review: An unexpected and frightening look into our clouded crystal ball.

Todd Phillips 2019 film, JOKER, with Joaquin Phoenix can be seen as an unexpected and frightening look into a clouded crystal ball of what could be in store for our dystopian society.

As Gotham seemingly begins to fall deeper and deeper into poverty, Arthur Fleck is let go from his rental clown position after it’s revealed that he was carrying a gun while on the job, only left to hopelessly pursue a career in stand up comedy and take care of his sick mother. Following his termination, Arthur watches Gotham City collapse, while his sanity inevitably does the same. 

Being completely honest, I was not impressed at first. It seemed as if we had been shown the first 15 to 20 minutes of the film through the trailers. As the plot begins to thicken however, Arthur’s insanity becomes more and more uncomfortable to witness. While showing Arthur’s downward transformation into the Joker, Todd Phillips does a fantastic job integrating the Wayne family backstory into the main plotline. The pacing in this film was nothing short of brilliant. While the film at face value, chronicles a man losing his mind in a city that is doing the same, it seems to cover all bases of explaining his past, prior to the film, and tie up any loose ends that could’ve been left hanging. By the end of the film, it was crystal clear that this film was no longer just about a failing society in a fictitious city,  but a comment on our own society and how if we continue with the acts of violence and the “Resist the Opposer” mindset, then we are bound to end up imploding.  

WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW

OVERALL: 46.5/50 (93%)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 9/10

ACTING:10/10

EDITING: 10/10

SCORE:8.5/10

SET DESIGN:9/10

CAST:

Joaquin Phoenix - Arthur Fleck/Joker

Robert De Niro - Murray Franklin

Zazie Beetz - Sophie Dumond

Frances Conroy - Penny Fleck

Brett Cullen - Thomas Wayne