Joker (2019)

Just watched Joker .. for the unfamiliar, there is nothing funny or happy about this movie despite its title. One may even ask the question "Why so serious?" to which I would say "Why not?!" if it means we can witness something so splendid in today's cinema which has been dominated by mindless super hero movies from both Marvel and DC.

Joker is quite possibly the most artistic and least "super hero" like entry in the comic book hero movie genre ever made. Based on the legendary Batman villain, this DC movie features no super hero appearances, and focus instead on the background and circumstances which led to how the Joker originated. When the film opens, we immediately feel transported back to the late 1970's, with the use of the old Warner Brothers' logo appearing, followed by the choice of music and font used for the opening credits. The look and feel of the movie reminded me of how some of the old movies were made where there is zero reliance on special effects, and heavy dependence of the actors' performances to carry the movie through. Under the direction of Todd Phillips and with Joaquin Phoenix's performance, Joker emerges as a powerful study of various social ills such as the cruel consequences of an uncaring society on the mentally unsound, and the dangers of guns falling on the wrong hands. It is devoid of any high handed special effects, and over the board actions or stunts. The script is raw and gritty to reflect the tough times, but never crude and vulgar.

As many critics have already observed, Joaquin Phoenix owned the movie with his amazing performance which has already generated Oscar buzz! His portrayal of the Joker is so authentic that it makes every other portrayal earlier seem so cliched and cartoon like. Indeed the movie plays like a serious Oscar contender with accolades at all levels. The great Robert de Niro has a wonderful supporting part as a talk show host, which is probably one of his best appearances in recent years. I shall not be surprised if he also get an Oscar nomination or win for this supporting act. It has already won the coveted Best Film award recently at the Venice Film Festival where it premiered.

While I am not complaining, I am surprised by the movie's amazing box office performance. It has hardly any action in it, is filled with negativity, plays like an arthouse movie and has an R rating to keep the younger audiences away. Yet, its box office dominance globally continues! So what we have here is indeed a rarity in Hollywood. An extremely well made serious and almost arthouse like movie, that is a super hero movie that has no super heroes in it, and yet a global box office sensation. This alone is cause for celebration for all movie loving audiences.