I decided since there was so much talk about this new "Joker" Film, I'd go see it.
The Good
This film is obviously a vehicle for the acting skills of Jaoquin Phoenix. For the rest of the "Good" I present a review by KMYT listener and FB friend Candice Lowe:
"I liked it a lot. It was unexpected. It will keep you guessing.
I’ve always wanted a studio to explore why he is the way he is; studios have spent decades telling and then regurgitating back stories of heroes, it was refreshing to watch somethingentirely different. It was dark, creepy at times and sad but it’s a true villain so I expected as much.
Phoenix did a fantastic job of giving that character life, showing his many depths and even garnering empathy from an audience amidst all the chaos. Well done!"
The Bad
This film is obviously a vehicle for the acting skills of Jaoquin Phoenix. This is now me writing:
So much emphasis was placed on Phoenix to carry the film, it made the other characters stilted and unimpressive, and I couldn't help thinking what would this have been like if the late Heath Ledger had secured this Joker role....
The Recommendation
If you are looking for a typical comic book remake, this film isn't for you.
This is not a film for your young children either. There are no heroics. The word "Batman" is never uttered, although there are loose, but direct connections made to the Batman story.
This is by far the darkest of films associated with comic book characters and deals with some depressing social issues like mental illness and the governments lack of support for mental health care.
If you can get to the last 15 minutes of the film, you will be rewarded with a shocking event and how things play out will be interesting for you if you follow the comic book stories.
The film is now playing at The Angelika Theater in CMR and The Reading Cinemas in Murrieta.