Joker reviewed by Mark Kermode
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Mark Kermode reviews Joker. In 1980s Gotham City, troubled loner and wannabe comedian Arthur Fleck find himself pushed over the edge.
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"Boiled in the loathing that surrounds him." How poetic!
Soon the Vessel holding the Poison is Corrupted
that is around him*
"And I was wrong" You don't hear a lot of that these days
IF you haven't seen it - check out Mark's re-review of A.I. He details how his original review of the film was very much wrong. Having seen it many years ago, I was able to admit to my friend that I was wrong about District 9... I FELT LIKE A NEW MAN!
@@waynemongo Haha! I even feel like admitting you were wrong has a different kind of enjoyment to it. Like you've discovered something on your own.
I felt that with Interstellar a bit. Didn't like the film as much, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it despite some of its problems from my POV.
Open your ears sometime, and then read the survivorship bias entry on wikipedia
I love that Kermode can review a highly anticipated film for 10 minutes and not give away a thing. Wonderful critic.
10 mins is too short also..could do with half of this
You know that, it's a lost art.
Kermode's the best in the review business.
Someone give that man an award for services to cinema.
Maybe a dark knighthood. The amount of time he saves us all by sifting through all deserves an award. Arise Sir Mark of Critic.
he gave one thing away. mark's reaction to 'woke culture killed comedy' instantly had me thinking remoaner. so i checked, i was right.
Completely agree! I watched Chris stuckman and IGNs review and bloody hell the amount plot points they went in to was ridiculous
It's interesting that the scriptwriter of "The Hangover 2" ended up doing "Chernobyl" and the director to "The Hangover" movies ended up doing "Joker".
And the composer doing both!
the people who laugh most have best intuition of darkness
😟😃🐴🐗🍛
Can't do comedy anymore it offends too many people, shame.
No way! Chernobyl was a masterpiece!
This is why Mark Kermode's been consistently great. Even if I don't always agree with his takes, he explains his opinions very thoroughly and you can tell he tries to understand a movie FOR WHAT IT IS not WHAT HE THINKS IT SHOULD BE, which is a trap a lot of critics fall into.
100%. Even with a lot of broader films that a lot of people would probably dismiss right out the gate, he at least gives them a chance (off the top of my head, I remember him quite enjoying Baywatch).
"which is a trap a lot of critics fall into"
Not critics, but comic book fans...and the "geek" fandom in general, wheter it's superheroes or Star Wars or whatever
Not professionals
@@simonegreco1958 yeah Star Wars and Game of Thrones are the worst offenders in that regard. Can't stand those fandoms anymore.
Armin Haracic Well said. Agree 100%
@@simonegreco1958 you're blaming the fans? Have you seen the awful agenda driven reviews by "critics" in the access media? Seen the reviews of this movie by "critics" gathered on the Rotten Tomatoes site?
You blame fans? Amazing.
The film actually made me decide to try to be nicer to people.
Yup, treat everyone nicely and this world would have been a better place.
@@TheGamingg33k yeah and you wont get stabbed in the head with a pair of scissors
Not to be nicer, but to actually listen to each other. Many of the escapades of this movie could have been solved by listening to understand.
@@ShelbyBaby27 - Imagine what would happen if we listened to each other instead of getting triggered and yelling our opinions and demonizing people who disagree with us.
I think that's the right and natural reaction to it
When he is in the stairwell with his mother's file, that scene broke my heart. Phoenix is miraculous.
Ganja Mozart yes me too I was teary and upset for him.
Phoenix good, writing is MEDIOCRE!
Wasn’t even sad. Very generic background
I felt like this film screamed more 'Taxi Driver' than anything. Loved both
"I am not entirely sure which film you were expecting!" :D
@@aegresen It is close to a masterpiece, there are a couple of moments that seemed just a bit off to me. Pheonix's performace itself it is amazing, I can't see him not being nominated for an oscar, unless the academy really hates this movie for the message it gives
Commits is an understatement. I’ve just seen it and for all I have mixed feelings on it as a hole his performance is never in question.
@@aegresen I lost respect when The Lego Movie wasn't even nominated for Animate Picture and when I retroactively discovered that Shakespeare in Love beat Saving Private Ryan.
"I love that whole thing about inner states being expressed through outer movement."
You must absolutely love Terrence Malick.
The dance scenes gave me chills. It's also great they evolve every time Arthur evolves as a character.
@@gernwind9262 I don't think I quite understand what you're talking about. What Terrence Malic impostor?
@@DamnZodiak
I hope the guy is harmless.
But we're on a Joker thread here.
The concerns that the film is incendiary are valid, but that's the bloody point of the movie - to show and condemn the systems that lead to such outcomes, which exist whether we show or ignore them.
He's right. Joker is a character to be pitied, not admired.
I think the fact that he can be both is what's astonishing. And Phoenix's talents are what are able to show us that.
@Tattle Boad well done, a man who has no words of his own but instead uses his intellect to repeat the words of others often out of a pretentious illusion of being a cultured fellow!!!!!!
@Tattle Boad not bad, I like it!
It's kind of hard to do either with a psychopath. That's what the REAL Joker is. Joaquin Phoenix's Joker wasn't, because he had a different condition and the director wanted to make his own version. He succeeded.
And yet there's a scene where he poses like Christ and is cheered by hundreds of people around him.
I found that the end of king of comedy left it open to the audience to decide wether he was actually a tv star or still living in his delusion‽
the end of the joker does the exact same thing. was it all in his head
We don't know, and that's the whole point of the Joker - if he's going to have an origin story, he'd rather it be multiple choice 😉
That's how I interpreted the end of KoC.
The movie lingers with you after and makes you want to watch it again. That’s an amazing film
J Luq I saw it on Thursday night and I’m still thinking about it. You can always judge a film based on how long it lingers with you long after you’ve watched it. There’s so much to unpack that I need to see it again, at least two more times.
I watched it at 11:30am today. I am very tempted to go back again tonight. I can’t stop thinking about it.
I've been thinking about it for over a week now. Viewing it was disconcerting so although I love it dunno if I want to watch it again soon...
This was basically all about Phoenix's performance. That was the strength, the driving force and in practice, the chief reason to see this movie and as far as I could tell, the main reason they decided to make it in the first place.
Can't criticise it too heavily on the other stuff, mainly because I always saw its objective to enable a talented character actor, specialising in playing uncomfortable, damaged characters, to run riot with a character we know has a lot of nuance and existing interpretations. He did so spectacularly well, so watch it for that alone if nothing else.
I enjoyed it a lot. I hope we get more character driven movies from DC universe, allowing different directors to take on their own projects. The best movies always come from directors who pick their story to tell, rather than these by the numbers predictable as all hell movies where we've seen the plot a hundred times over. Anything that bucks the trend Hollywood usually puts out in cinemas is worth supporting. Keeps things fresher and hopefully encourages more like it, as opposed to more of the same we get so often.
I definitely agree that Phoenix's performance is great and worth buying a ticket, but what would you say this Joker's character is, aside from being mentally insane? I see zero character development in this movie, just a mentally ill person being driven into committing terrible acts because of a set of random circumstances and coincidences.
@@Enzaio There's not a lot of change in the character per se, but rather our perceptions change as the movie goes on. Like he's living with his mother, he's having "positive" interactions with his next door neighbour, he wants to be a comedian and make people laugh, he's very much alone and is bound by his mental issues. The subway incident is originally sparked by his desire to protect a woman. These are all well meant actions that show somebody who wants to fit in and connect, but also do some good things.
Now what we learn later on about the reality of these things, with respect to his mental health clouding his and our perception of what was actually happening, and his reaction to him learning about what really happened, that exacerbates the mentally ill and dangerous side of him, that is genuinely sick and twisted too, and it's a full plunge into depravity.
Like I said I felt some things weren't done great, it's not a perfect plot and the whole rich v poor thing was a little lazy and at least poorly executed in some respects, they could have done more with better writing and director, but honestly it doesn't matter to me that much. The movie succeeds in letting Phoenix take the helm as lead in a mainstream drama while comic book fans got a Joker origin story, one based entirely in its own film where drama allows deeper dives into the circumstances that lead to him becoming the Joker than a side explanation in a Batman movie. Joker as a character is unique in that he's an interesting villain with a lot of takes on how he can be portrayed and I think a lot of people wanted to know more. The genius of Ledger's joker is how he's mysterious and yet irresistibly uncomfortable to be around, you're left wanting more and he was the clear star of the movie in the end, in what was also a very strong movie in itself. I think a movie wasn't necessary but people do want more of the creepy clown Prince of crime and this gives you another take on it. It's like Batman or James Bond, there are multiple ways of representing the character, and for the type of movie you're shooting, you can make it what you want, and allowing actors to just do what they want to do with it, works fantastically.
@@llamaofvinter5801 I get that you enjoyed parts of it, I'm glad you did. But I think this could have been an absolute masterpiece if Phoenix was given a more interesting story to work with. My expectations were probably too high going in, because I didn't know this was the director of the Hangover movies.
@@Enzaio My expectations were quite high too considering the early reviews. I didn't like it as much as the folks I saw it with. They loved it but they hadn't seen King of Comedy or Taxi Driver or any number of other movies it was borrowing from. I'm still a little torn on how I feel about it, it left me wanting more but not in a good way. I kind of wanted just a little more insight or a little more danger or a little more originality. At the same time it made me invested in seeing the character in a movie alongside Batman because I think it opens up the franchise to explore some more interesting, challenging themes. Something that DC movies haven't been doing at all since after The Dark Night. Weirdly enough I think future movies could retroactively put this movie in a much more interesting light.
Just my thoughts. Great description
I watched with an audience who were absolutely gripped. And quite rightly so.
I'm going to see it very soon, hopefully within the next 7 days.
Me too. The audience in the theatre I went to were dead quiet and absolutely stunned.
Wayne called the poor in Gotham "Clowns" that's also why it became a political symbol.
Pretty sure he just called the people who supported the killing of the three guys on the train clowns. He definitely didn't say all the poor people in the city are clowns
Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal. This movie was a masterpiece.
I’m still processing the film as I’ve just watched it, but i came out feeling so sad that he was driven to what he becomes by society failing him and others. It’s a powerful film and an astonishing performance by Phoenix
Mark never stop reviewing movies!
Deal
Very much like Falling Down. I was on MD's side till a certain point. JP sucked me in like he always does. He is so amazing. I will go see it again
>woke culture has killed comedy
>It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has just entered its 14th season
Ava you obviously didn’t watch the last episode 😂
>Joker released in theaters and makes a killing.
>Jojo Rabbit, a movie about a boy who’s imaginary friend is Hitler coming soon
>Yeah woke culture has killed everything REEEEEEEEEEE!
I’ve enjoyed this film more after watching it and having time to think about it.
For me I think I’ll enjoy the second viewing more than the first.
JP is awesome
I’m going to watch King of Comedy before seeing this. Haven’t seen it for years.
And Taxi Driver and you were never really there is also a good film with Phoenix also now that one is a slow 🔥
j mula it’s super polarising. It’s an art house movie and nothing makes sense. With that in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed it and phoenixs performance.
What a story, Mark.
not since taxi driver and clockwork orange has there been a masterpiece film of such cold brutality...brilliant, unnerving and ultimately despairing, a bleak, true reflection of these times we're in...
Been looking forward to this review!
Same 🙄
Indeed
he's is the best
We’re on the precipice of a fragmentary society. A key difference being that we somehow deem it acceptable, and take umbrage with those who vocally oppose what we have sanctioned, subconsciously, and that’s why it has touched a raw nerve among those of us who feel somewhat guilty about the shame inherited from our collective decision for allowing it to happen, under the pretence of righteous conduct and bereft of all indignation.
Great review. Thank you. I left the movie theater unable to calm down for hours. As Arthur was sitting in the police car, and White Room started playing... It was a unique, singular experience for me, possibly the strongest movie scene I've ever experienced. I adore Joker.
Johan Israelsson from that point to the end of the movie is epic
I don’t think it’s nasty or cynical, but I do think that it’s trying to be better than it is. Technically it’s really great (acting, score, cinematography) but thematically its all over the place. Let me ask this. ‘What was the film trying to say?’ I can’t think of anything. Just me, though.
theLonelyCultureShow You’re spot on. People are so desperate for their comic book worlds to be taken seriously. It’s all manufactured.
But how much of what we see is ‘real’ given the unreliability of Arthur’s viewpoint?
I was thinking the same thing.
Exactly we all see things from our own perspective n we have choices
It’s both grounded and fantastical in its storytelling.
‘ I prefer the past to be multiple choice’ The Joker, The Killing Joke
The film was magnificent and a a real treat to see how the Joker character yes can be played beyond Ledger's The Dark Knight performance in 2008. Proving that *A)* the character is so big he can be re-interpreted by another actor of equal skill in another movie and *B)* how the iconic DC villain origins isn't set in stone. The Joker possibly has untold ways to view his potential backstory, which makes a film like this even more intriguing and possible anyhow!
Thought this movie was amazing, and i believe the perfect origin story for Joker, I used to prefer the whole ambiguous origin/multiple origins as with heath ledger's joker but this origin was so raw, i realized it was just what I had wanted all along. I believe this performance is better than ledgers (previously the best) and the origin is better than the killing joke (also previously the best). I was so happy with this movie and its message on how we should treat each other with decency (especially the ones we believe to be mentally ill) or else we have only ourselves to blame for how they may begin to view the community around them and the larger world. Some ideas and scenes were taken almost directly from Taxi Driver and King of Comedy BUT Phoenix's performance brings a whole new life to those scenes so its ok in my opinion not just some inferior actor miming a better scene as is sometimes the case
In the first half, joker mistakenly fires the bullet in his room and suddenly the he rans towards tv to raise the volume so his mother is not afraid of that and was so embarrassed.
But in the later half he killed his mother......so joker is not mentally ill. But due to excessive pain given by society he was tired within himself and was fighting the wrong guys.....who helped him reach that level of illness.
JOKER is a cinema masterpiece.
Joker? I barely know her!
What were people expecting ffs!!!!! A gag reel????? It's meant to make you feel uncomfortable - you've just met the Joker and not many people come away happy from that meeting in fairness.
Films are meant to make you think, both good and bad.
I wish this review was 30 minutes long.
Yes it was an amazingly skilled review. Much respect for Kermode.
I wish it wasn't 480p like a youtube video from 2009.
@@MasterCrumble Actually I wish the review was twice as long as the movie. 😂
This film is part of Heath Ledger's legacy - a fascination with The Joker, thanks to his monumental portrayal of the character in the Dark Knight. This includes Jared Leto's terribly misdirected method-acting attempt at forcing a similar portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad, and now this: an entire film, an origin story. The quality of the film is almost immaterial, because it simply stands as an artifact arising from the impact of Heath Ledger's portrayal.
There's no narcism there. It is nihilism. The Joker stated it, it is a comedy in the tragic sense.
Critics hated it because this movie dares to talk s*** about their corporate bosses. Elitist want to skirt responsibility. The more power you have, the greater responsibility. Joker wasn't narcissistic at all, nor did he intentionally create the riot, the rioters created him. Murder count was only 3 revenge kill. The first 3 subway kill was self defense. Taxi driver's character and Joker have totally different motivations. Joker said it, he wasn't doing it for a cause, which Taxi driver's character was. The 2 movies are similar only aesthetically.
Legally he the frist 2 he killed on the subway were self defence but when he chased after the wounded third banker and shot him at point blank range that is murder legally. And he kills the TV host and the clown who gave him the gun and his mother. So a 4 person murder count.
Less than 12 people are killed in the whole film which us low for a modern movie.
I’m genuinely shocked by this movie. Shocked that a major studio had the balls to do something like this. It’s as close to the golden age of 70s Hollywood as we’re going to get.
I think that Mark was too preoccupied with the fact that the director had done The Hangover movies. He seemed to have an almost snobby assumption that this would somehow not enable him to produce something different (although Mark then equates the tone of Joker with these movies). It would have been interesting to see how the review would have been different if he had not known who the director was and had not had the baggage of judging an single film partly on an unrelated franchise of films.
De Nero plays himself perfectly!
Not only was it one hell of a sensational feeling-transporting score, but even the tracks were put into the story in an amazing way.
First visual confirmation of Arthur having become "Joker" is him dancing down the steps to a song written by a child-molester/abuser which would be the first (not the only) reason he became mentally unstable.
Also not only the text from "My name is Carnival" kind of reflects Arthur's life but the descent of Jackson C. Frank into mental illness from 1966 can be seen as a mirror-image for Arthur's life.
Then there's "That's Life" from Sinatra with it's morbid view on life itself describing rising up only to fall down and ending in one's death while keeping it in a happy tune all the way.
"White Room" by Cream is astonishingly correct in depicting another pivotal moment in Arthur's transition:
"You said no strings could secure you at the station
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows
I walked into such a sad time at the station
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning"
"Smile" from Jim Durante describes the only thing still making sense to Arthur. After being told to "put on a happy face and just smile" he indigested the idea of that smiling or laughing about something makes it okay or normal not minding the reason something should be seen as bad (or "evil").
"That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile"
What do you think?
Mark, you’re one of the good ones. Don’t start pandering to the establishment now. Woke culture is absolutely killing comedy and you damn well know it.
I saw Joker for the first time a couple of days ago, and it genuinely affected me in a very profound way. I struggle with mental illness and perhaps that may be part of why it affected me so deeply, but for the majority of the film I felt deeply sorry for Arthur, as he was constantly humiliated and dehumanized. Yes, it made me extremely uncomfortable, but it also simultaneously touched something very dark that I think exists within all of us. Fantastic film, and very thought provoking.
The problem with art in general, including movies, is that the audience, very often perceives its message in a different way that intended by the author(s).
Or is the issue that some people believe that their interpretation of a work of art is the only correct interpretation. Art is subjective.
Exactly , you have people defending what joker does but todd Philips said we shouldnt agree on his actions .
simplistic review - phoenix's performance is so good that you do sympathise with the character whether u should or not - this is a film and a performance that will be remembered for a long time - what kermode doesnt recognise is this is a director whos first film was a documentary on gg allin - thats why it makes perfect sense that he directed joker - dont get caught up in the hangover
Todd Phillips also directed 'GG ALLIN: Hated In The Nation', I wonder if GG inspired him for this movie?
ash hunter looking at it, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised. It would even makes sense too since GG was also an emblem of chaos, anarchy and destruction... all because of a troubled childhood.
Incredible film, a difficult watch but this is how it should be done, more like this would be great from DC.
Mark writes Todd Philips off in my opinion and doesn't really respect him. He's allowed to do that, that's cool and in the end he does like the film and praises (kind of) Todd for the achievement. I get Todd Phillips on the "Woke" comment. I don't think Mark has really thought about that comment. If you're an observational comedian, it would be extremely difficult not to offend anyone. Even if it wasn't racial, sexist, etc. If it was something to do with occupation even, you would offend someone. And, I get that that would become extremely frustrating to think... "I can't say that cause I might offend someone."
Salman Rushdie said...
"Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read.
If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people.
I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it.
To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended."
I agree with him. This is the same with any comedy, film, sattire, art. Thinking about if you're going to offend someone, shouldn't stop you making art. And this my friends, is art. Beautiful art.
I've watched this 3 times this weekend on Netflix...Its a great film ...I cant stop thinking about it ....brilliant acting from JP....
I don't agree that he is not a sympathetic character. Clearly he does bad things and, lacking any sort of supportive structure, irrevertably loses his way, but take the scene for example where De Niro makes fun of him on television. Worse still, makes fun of his condition, which is everything but funny to Arthur. I could 100% understand his emotional reaction in cases like this.
Being "a sympathetic character" doesn't mean we like or agree with his actions, or that we share his conclusions. I have sympathy for his situation, I really feel for what could've and should've been a good life but got ruined early in his childhood (through abuse and trauma) and throughout his life circumstances (his mother and environment, and a terrible healthcare system).
Ultimately, it's the absolute worst of circumstances, personally and societally, coming together and creating the Joker
Yeah but the great thing about this film is that that it can be explained in different ways , we normally root for arthur because we spend the rest of the film watching his life but ignore how other charecters view the world because they have little screen time , we can say thomas wayne is a jerk for punching arthur in the face but i believe anyone would be mad with any stranger talking to their kid im not saying arthur was wrong to go to the waynes place because he just wanted to know if thomas was his father those are some of the scenes in where he doesnt know any better and its not his fault but we dont see things from thomas,s perspective or the scene in where murray makes fun at him , he didnt known arthur had a condition , there have been many videos in where people do Random and emberrasing stuff in the internet and we laugh at them for emberrasing theirselfs , and sometimes comedians show those videos on their shows for comedy purpuse, i agree we should be careful for the mentally ill but like i said murray didnt know about arthur being mental so arthur gaining so much hatred to the point of killing him just becomes sociopathic and theres people saying his mother got what she deserved but you can tell she was mentaly ill and that the guy use to beat her too since you see her black eye in the flashback so maybe the guy beating arthur had her to not do anything theres little hints like that since why would she have the black eye in that scene ,but in the other hand theres scenes in where those side charecters arnt right , like the scene in where murray says to joker that hes wrong for killing those walstreet guys , the media made e guys seem inocent while in reality they were horrible people, so it also makes you see how often we believe the news and blame people who just kill for self defense, but that doesnt make people who believe the news bad people theres a diference between being blinded or ignorant and being a bad person , i did indeed feel horrible for arthur in every scene and i do understand what why he does what he does , yet i believe many people agree on his actions because we just see his perspective but at the same time it shows you how we can misunderstand certain people like arthur and judge him Thats why i love this film
This is the first blockbuster in 10 years that I've actually been hyped for. Such a great film.
When I first saw Joker 2019, I thought it was scatterbrained, shallow and tame.
Now nearly 5yrs later, I realize that those who enjoyed Joker 2019 liked whatever the movie made them feel about themselves and their world, not what Arthur Fleck was going through or even if he became The Joker that Batman fights in the end. Even his origin story wasn’t about him; it was about just them…no wonder why Arthur snapped.
As always, Kermode knocked it out of the park. The wider conversation surrounding this movie really misrepresents what it is, overstating how socially impactful it will be, and understating how well it is made.
I saw the film yesterday.......it is fantastic.....will see it again
Best film I've seen in years.
villains are the heroes of their own story
Look, if this doesn't win Best Actor, I don't know what will. I haven't felt so engrossed by a character in absolute years. Todd and Joaquin have brought classic cinema back in style
Charles the dancer You really need to more movies if you think that.
This is a really great review in so many ways. But I think Kermode is wrong about the lack of subtlety, and especially how it speaks to the issue of audience sympathy with Joker. From the beginning of the movie we are shown in big, non-subtle ways that Arthur Fleck is breaking down under the stress created by his environment and his lack of ability to relate to other people and make them laugh. But it's a magicians trick. We are shown, also from the beginning, in very subtle ways that there is a monster lurking underneath. Because we ARE given reasons to sympathise with him, we IGNORE those warnings. It sets us up for audience culpability when the film shifts from being about a man getting turned into a monster to a film about a man discovering that he always was a monster, and in that discovery finding liberation.
I love this review I just seen the movie last night and have been watching the joker related content since I left the theatre
It's not gonna incite anyone to commit RANDOM acts of violence.
It will incite people to commit diliberate acts against injustice and corrupted individuals.
If people are afraid then we are already living in a modern day Gotham city.
I mean, that's kinda the problem with the movie. It just isn't a dark movie. It's basically a three hour public service announcement about the importance of treating mental illness. Fight Club on the other hand is actually a dark movie. People watched it and started un-ironically agreeing with the philosophy of the schizophrenic cult-leading alter ego. It tapped into a certain nihilistic, violent, amoral emotion that's just below the surface. Joker doesn't come anywhere near that.
Brilliant film. Amazing choreography.
The King of Comedy one of the greatest films. Hopefully they did not copy it
They didn't. It is, however, a weird and badly written mishmash of The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver.
Marvelous! Live in a society that encourages selfishness and no one bats an eye, release a movie that depicts it and everybody loses their minds.
Excellent point. It's a soft world lol we need to do and act better. Helluva film too.
No ones really losing their mind though. It’s all manufactured by the studio and media to generate buzz. Way to fall for the marketing scheme.
@@paulmartin591 There are a lot of uber woke morons saying it's about incels and it's dangerous. These people are the dangerous ones...they are the book burners, the people who want to censor art and do it in the name of 'progress'....check out Vice, Salon etc....they are publications that demand compliance to their agenda and if a movie or book etc doesn't fall in line they are attacked as 'dangerous'. Vice and Salon are essentially like religious groups..
Reminds me of the life of brian and all the puritanical outrage.
Mark, you managed to not talk about the film in a 10:30 long review of it. Excellent comparison piece!
Mark's reviews are so next level. I love that he's never pretentious for the sake of being so. That he goes to watch a film as a "normal" film goer.
But, I thought the Joker was a solid/good movie. Its lack of subtlety gives away a bit too much upfront. And the first half of the film was really one note for me. Also, apart from Phoenix's performance, don't think other characters really offered much. Which is a stark contrast to KoC and TD which have fantastic supporting casts to complete the films.
I will say, being a Scorsese fan probably made me a bit more cynical towards the film than other people.
Well I thought it was brilliant. Well directed, subtle and the acting was truly exceptional. Hope he gets an Oscar for this role, it was inspired acting. However, I imagine a 'worthy' subject will be deemed more appropriate. Really don't understand the negative reviews. Glad it's popular with the public and Mark Kermode (who is usually bang on). However, I did feel for The Joker and literally had my hand in my mouth at the door scene. Knock, knock...
Excellent film. What intrigued me was the way it made me re-think Thomas Wayne as a character. I’ve always seen him portrayed as a great benefactor but seeing him punch Arthur Fleck did make me wonder about Penny Fleck’s story. This is when I feel the price of the cinema ticket is worthy. I want more thought provoking films like this, please x
Just saw the movie last night. This movie will be analyzed for years to come. It's an absolute masterpiece, and Phoenix's performance in it is nothing short of mind blowing.
I'm not an easy guy to impress at the movies, and it took a lot for me to go and see "another superhero movie". Boy, I'm so glad I did, and will probably go to the theater again to see it.
I watched it last night and really liked it, i've been thinking about it all day today.
A high quality review
It's about society today, the best points are definitely about being nicer to people. More respectful, everyone has problems. The part about the rioting is what the rich or should I say the elite who rule us would love us to do. What they portray as the nasty masses. Then they could come down hard on the people, show us what they are really like. They always show the bad in people mainly, on news in media in general. But actually most people are decent people who would help others . The thing the elite would hate to happen was for people to realise we can change everything ourselves if we turned our backs on government bodies and do things for the good of everyone, animal species on earth alike. And we could. Remember nothing is government funded it's all people funded. By us.
I'll see on Monday when there are no people in the theatre. I want to enjoy this movie not hear a bunch of people talking during it.
I take it you didn't attend the Avengers Endgame launch screening? lol
Man I saw it in a fairly crowded theater, (granted it was a more local theater) and it was great experience. Very engaging with the audience.
I was in a relatively full screening and nobody said a word through the movie - it has been ages since that happened - the movie is fantastic.
Look how the MCU fanboys get triggered..lmao but I also like to wait a week or so for certain movies
See,I asked nicely in the previous review and here he is.
Sad to say, but despite Phoenix's terrific performance, I actually dozed off several times.
a few too many tangents into other films..i was wondering are you still talking about the other film or this one now?
Woke culture has killed comedy, in fact it’s killing everything.
Loved this film & the darker, more intelligent tone... So much better than the vacant, moneymaking Disney-marvel movies which are soulless & designed for milking your wallets... I hope they make more... Many, many more
A movie critic with a backbone. Like a breath of fresh air.
Anyone who has complaints about this wonderful film should just go and live in their Disney bubble! Its been a while since ive left the cinema actually thinking about the film i have just seen. Its just great to see a new film with the old school values that relies on acting, story and difficult questions. Not just a C.G.I. action fest for over 2 hours. W.B should definitely stick with this style they have tried to do the Disney thing but its not working for them.
Funnily enough! I saw this just now for the first time. I think this review is almost word perfect. But perhaps a little too much has been made of it’s deeper meaning. It was a thrilling Batman type movie. That was dark and fairly enjoyable to watch.
If you are interested in a movie, never watch any trailers, never read any reviews. Just go and watch it and make your own mind up. I didn't know much about this movie, went to see it and thought it was brilliant. Disturbing, but brilliant.
Can you please turn on Subtitles/Closed Captions? It makes it easier for people who have hearing impairment to follow along.
What does he do next as an actor? It is a great film in my opinion. I don't think anybody else could play the Joker character after him..
Honestly I was glad to see it
The film felt like it had a voice
It had a story
And it made you have that feeling that makes you feel weird in your stomach
Found it dark and intense with a great score. Best film I've seen in a while.
Excellent film. Striking commentary on a society gone tits up and what creates Joker figures or rather the likes of Arthur Fleck to snap. You can't help but sympathise with him in his rage against the rotten establishment. Brilliantly played by Joaquin Phoenix. Deserves a clean sweep at the next Oscar's but we know it won't. The reaction shows the disconnect between cinema goer and critic and a populist against elitist vibe going on.
3:01 The condition is called PBA, or Psuedobulbar affect.
Kermode is wrong about the King Of Comedy. The ending to that film could be another daydream sequence. Maybe this is the ultimate parody to that film.
For me, Joker was quality acting, direction and score but too little plot for 2 hours, and didn’t develop in interesting ways. Without the framing knowledge that he is a supervillain, this was an average story. Happy to discuss
Qwerty123, I agree that it explains the lack of plot but for me that doesn’t excuse that there’s a lack of plot, which is something I otherwise need. I don’t think a character-based story must necessarily be plot deprived, as Breaking Bad demonstrated so well
Great film, you feel sympathy for the character although that makes him less scary than other incarnations.
'Boiled in the loathing around him....' So the character does 'fall' into a pool of toxic waste...which dissolves away the last thread-thin grip he had on his inner 'illnesses'... Hmmmm, "...madness (as you know) is like gravity, all it takes is a little push"
The film’s intriguing, interesting & the cast delivers one of their best roles as the film’s A genuinely well crafted DC film. (80%) (4/5 stars) (positive)
Agreed... 100% . and Loved the way he brought back the Hangover "Cynical and Nayty" qualities in relation with the view of Todd Phillips on this movie and the comments on the tone, resgister and consistence of Phoenix performance, very interesting.
I agree with the director that woke culture has killed comedy, at least in mainstream movies and TV. Stand-up can best be described as moribund, with only a smattering of visible signs of life stopping it from also being declared.
dave chappelle just proved that stand up is the last bastion of real comedy
Jack_The_Masochist_Kelly MMA and look how the media reacted to it
This guy knows everything.
Kermode has nailed it again.
People have really gone too far with saying this a dangerous film and detracting away from it. I know it’s realistic but it’s a JOKER origin movie. He’s a cartoon character who in his fully realised state is a psychopathic murderer. I don’t see how people can see this portrayal and the film as offensive. It’s just testament to Phoenix’s acting and the moviemaking that we find it shocking. It’s a brilliant film and brilliant performance.
I can't believe you dismissed his criticism of woke culture. You should read Douglas Murray.
You should stop reading that idiot and read something worthwhile.
@@wgo523 How is he an idiot he's considered one of the intellectual thinkers of our age. Our Jordan Peterson.
My only criticism is the lack of realism in the subway confrontation. It is 99% more likely that the aggressors would NOT have been drunk white men from Wall Street; but unfortunately, it was necessary for the story for the perpetrators of violence to be from the upper class.