Joker! If you told me a Taxi Driver-esque origin story about probably one of the most famous comic book villains directed by the same guy who did The Hangover would ever see the light of day, I’d probably have called you crazy and yet here we are today. Not to mention, it’s now probably one of the most controversial movies in recent years, even before its release. It’s funny, however, how most of that outrage came from people who hadn’t even seen the film. Regardless, all that needless protesting is yet another example of the toxicity behind today’s social media culture.Considering all the hate it’s gotten, Joker had an unfair disadvantage weeks before hitting theaters. Its pre-release narrative made it something to root for, so harshly judged by the online film community. One way or the other, that type of vitriol is never justified. 

In terms of technical filmmaking, Joker is as strong as any other gritty, grounded, awards worthy crime story. The music is strong, the cinematography is fantastic, and the editing is seamless. It’s refreshing to see a comic book story that actually fulfills its marketing promise of being extremely realistic. Joker succeeds in spades on that front and it’s impressive how well it captures the vibe of 70’s style cinema.

Aside from a well-crafted, energetic, and almost operatic final few moments, that’s were the major strengths of the movie end. It’s a film that is disturbing just to be disturbing and artsy just do be artsy. It’s there to provoke and that really seems like its only purpose. This is especially true in some of Joker’s more gruesome scenes as well as the many times Joaquin Phoenix slowly waltzes around his apartment for no reason. I’m not angered by the existence of this movie. It’s an idea which always caught my interest. What’s disappointing, is how such a promising premise can be so mishandled. There’s just no reason for this iteration of the character’s origins to exist except to upset and irritate an already troubled generation of fans. I’m also somewhat weary of the message Joker seems to be trying to send. To me, that’s one of its most problematic elements. It’s already a tumultuous time full of anger and outrage. We need to stop placing blame on others and take responsibility for our personal faults. This movie won’t help with that issue. On a completely different side of things, the film’s Batman references seem a bit too on the nose (particularly at the end). It all combines into a disappointing result.

Joker clearly wants to be showy and boy does it deliver in that sense. However, you can be showy without taking yourself way too seriously and this movie fails on that front. Something like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has just as much theatrics around it but is still able to have fun with itself. Joker’s story may not allow for that type of tone but at the end of the day, it wants to be extremely profound and simply isn’t. It’s designed to have a certain level of depth that it doesn’t reach. While I love the concept, the result of Joker is something I’m left to question.