Todd Philips and Scott Silver, the director and writers of Joker, take on the task of bringing the beloved character of the Joker to life. This character has seen many reincarnations from Jack Nicholson’s version in 1989’s Batman, a regrettably angsty gangster in Suicide Squad played by Jared Letto and of course the outstanding Heath Legder’s Joker in The Dark Knight. 

On Oct. 4, 2019 Joker finally hit theaters changing the story of the Joker as fans know it. Taking the character in a very different direction Joaquin Phoenix develops the character of Arthur Fleck to be the sick and twisted Joker while still adding humanity to the role. Getting the viewers to sympathize with his character without diluting the fact that he is still a villain and a cold-blooded killer. 

Dealing with topics such as mental illness, mob mentality and politics, this Joker makes it all the more real. Fleshing out the deterioration of Arthur Flecks mind taking the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster that is almost unreliable. Keeping the viewer’s eyes glued to the screen in amazement.

Coming full circle with gripping performances, the film is also cinematically beautiful. Taking the terrain of Gotham city and giving it a personality of its own to fit the the dark nature of the film. It’s on edge just like Arthur Fleck’s mind is and with a beautiful soundtrack by Jimmy Durante to give chills down the viewers’ spines.  

It’s twisted, it’s dark, it’s emotional, it’s exactly what the film needed to be. It’s up close and personal, it needed to be evil. It gives shock value, it gives plots twists, it gives laughs and it gives the Joker. From the performances to the cinematography to the music to the storyline 2019’s Joker definitely stands on its own.