Joker Review

Writer/director Todd Phillips shifts away from the humorous genre that he’s known for to write and direct a far different kind of comedian. The long-awaited character-driven story Joker about the legendary comic-book villain of the same name delivers on many of the elements that are a necessity for its success, the haunting and unhinged performance by Joaquin Phoenix fits chillingly into the dark and menacing atmosphere that the rich production design and beautifully faded color palette produces. But the captivating character transformation and world-building thrive within a narrative that can feel indecisive and clunky, producing an array of underdeveloped plotlines that ultimately lead to the same result. Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver conjure enough drama and intrigue to be entertaining but are unable to create a story or character arc that manages to break free from its predictability, resulting in a film that’s more captivating for its bleak performances than the odyssey of its titular character.

Joker focuses on the iconic nemesis of Batman, creating a fictional standalone origin story for the character. Arthur Fleck is a lost and troubled civilian of Gotham City suffering from mental illnesses, a clown-for-hire by day and an aspiring comedian at night, Arthur struggles to find purpose and a place for him in the world. Isolated, bullied, and misunderstood, Arthur’s perspective of himself within society slowly begins to drive him berserk, sending him on a descent into madness that transforms him into the villainous and deranged Joker.

The film achieves a gloomy and moody atmosphere that immediately adds depth and life into each scene, the chaotic activity and noise that Gotham produces is detailed and makes each location feel believably lived in. However, placed in front of the enjoyably desolate and miserable sets stands the fantastic performance from Joaquin Phoenix, who presents a catalog of powerful emotions throughout his transformation from Arthur to the Joker. It’s obvious that the film is dependant on the dark portrayal of its lead, and Phoenix delivers sensationally.

The issues that arise from Joker come from the various narrative decisions that Phillips and Silver pursue, producing events that can feel tonally inconsistent, often failing to construct enough throughout its runtime to validate some of the creative routes that the movies decide to take. This results in scenes where the overall mood can become lost amongst the scenes of violence, melancholy, sadness, and humor. The scattered moments throughout the movie that attempt to sympathize or glorify the actions of Joker are not executed well enough to give the audience a good reason to validate his motives. Combined with the screenplay's unsubtle approach to its themes of mental illness and classism, many moments throughout Joker can come off as heavy-handed.

Overall, the inconsistent and sometimes formulaic story elements scattered throughout is not enough to spoil the mesmeric performance from Phoenix and the indulgent world that acts as a backdrop for the psychopathic origin of his character. Despite moments that could have been added to or removed completely, Joker wraps everything up in a riveting third act that fans of the character are sure to enjoy.

The gripping production design and hypnotic performance from Joaquin Phoenix helps Joker overcome some of its more noticeable narrative flaws.

Produced By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Runtime: 122 minutes
Rating: R