Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not represent those of allgames.com.
Introduction to Joker Movie Review by Ms. H
After reading and hearing the warnings about attending the Joker movie, I was apprehensive at first about seeing it. I wondered what was in this movie that could possibly warrant an increased security presence, etc. However, I decided to watch the Joker movie for myself and come to my own conclusion. So how was it? Did the Joker movie live up to the hype? Check out my movie review of Joker to find out.
Categorization of the Joker Movie
There are many different genres of movies, ranging from comedies to suspense, dramas, thrillers, etc. Of the various labels, I would categorize Joker as psychological drama -- not a thriller, per se -- but a drama. In fact, I would compare this movie to Glass, specifically James McAvoy’s character which was also a drama similar to this type.
Plot of the Joker Movie
The Joker movie centers around the character Arthur Fleck played by Joaquin Phoenix attempting to realize his aim to become a comedian. In the midst of trying to achieve this, he had several personal obstacles that seemed to hamper him reaching his goal -- many tied to a character he plays as part of his job which is a clown. I’m not sure if the director was trying to get the audience to sympathize with the Joker; however I do know a lot of time was spent on his psychological background which probably attributed to the long movie length.
Disconnects in the Joker Movie
There were several disconnects in the Joker movie. For example, a disconnect or illogical sequence of events occurred during the conversations with him and his social worker where he made a comment relative to her listening to him -- which she did not bother to answer. Another disconnect was that the TV host seemingly did not recognize who Joaquin Phoenix’s character was -- even though he had previously called him on the stage from his audience during a previous TV show.
Drum roll please…. The biggest disconnect was the idea that the city of Gotham would all of a sudden become riottus because of the plight of the Joker when he seemed to be absorbed with his own personal issues rather than those of the people. Additionally there was a disconnect when it was inferred that people were rioting against how rich people treated them, when the Joker, in fact, wasted no time to destroy someone who was not wealthy.
Acting Skills of Joaquin Phoenix in the Joker Movie
I think Joaquin Phoenix did an excellent job in portraying the Joker. Personally, I think the director took too long to get him into the character of the Joker, even though I knew the storyline dealt with how one of Batman’s enemies - the Joker - actually became the Joker. That being said, I don’t think you will be disappointed by the performance of Joaquin Phoenix in showing off his acting skills in the Joker.
Assessment of the Joker Movie
I was relieved that the violence did not escalate to what I thought it would in the Joker movie. While concentrating on the psychological aspect of the Joker, I think the writer/director remembered at the last hour that there may have to be some type of altercation between characters in the movie. I get the impression, the appearance of the character who got destroyed was more of an afterthought than the main focus of the movie.
Suffice it to say -- There was a lot of hype prior to the movie release of the Joker. As is mostly always the case -- the hype to me seemed to be overly-exaggerated. In hindsight, maybe there should have been more increased security in the movie theater during the Rambo Last Blood movie, since I lost count of the number of humans destroyed in that film. That being said, my opinion is that making movies safe via security, etc. should be prevalent at all times, regardless of the particular movie that may be showing.
Rating of the Joker Movie
I rate Joaquin Phoenix 5 stars relative to his acting performance. As for the film itself -- I rate the Joker movie 3 ½ stars.