Name: The Critics Have Seen Joker And This Is What They're Saying
Uploaded: 2019-10-03T18:05:10.000Z
Duration: 6 min 15 s
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Todd Phillips' new film Joker is no laughing matter.

This dark, gritty, R-rated take on DC Comics' infamous Clown Prince of Crime isn't premiering

until October 4th, but the film had its debut on Saturday, August 31st at the Venice Film

So what happened when audiences finally saw Joaquin Phoenix portray the mentally unstable

Most critics agree: The film is pure magic.

"[Joker] was met with an eight-minute standing ovation and shouts of 'Bravo!' at its conclusion."

Critics raced to their laptops to publish their first impressions of the film, and most

Right now, the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes proclaims that,

"Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves

as a brilliant showcase for its star and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema."

Writing for Vital Thrills, Jenna Busch applauded Phoenix's transformative performance as Arthur

"The physical [movement] of the character alone could convey what is going on with him,

[...] He's awkward and twisted (particularly his arms and the position of his head) when

The little dances he does as he tries to act sexy or confident are the sort that make you

As he becomes who he really is, the movements are powerful."

Busch gave Joker a perfect score, adding,

"I'm struggling to find something to critique here.

As I've spoken about the film to myself and my colleagues, I've come up with nothing.

This standalone film was a brave choice by Warner Bros., and it's very likely going to

Again, this is a difficult film to watch, and it's going to take time to process, but

ultimately, I think this is going to be a definitive part of Joker canon."

Empire Online's Terri White also gave the film a flawless score five out of five stars

"[Joker is] a sad, chaotic, slow-burn study of someone who isn't visible; who doesn't

"What writer/director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver[...] have written into life is

What they and the film [are] interested in is the mental, moral, emotional, physical

[...] Bold, devastating and utterly beautiful, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix have not

just reimagined one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, but reimagined the comic

Time Out's Phil De Semlyen also gave Joker five stars writing:

"This is a truly nightmarish vision of late-era capitalism – arguably the best social horror

"[Phoenix] runs Heath Ledger cigarette paper-close as the finest screen Joker."

Brandon Davis at ComicBook.com also gave the film a perfect score five out of five stars.

He writes that Joker is quite unlike any DC film or comic book movie that's come before

In fact, he predicts the film will rake in lots of awards, writing that:

"Phoenix's Arthur laughs his way through terrible scenarios.

For this, the actor demands an Oscar nomination [and] it might not be the only nod this DC

The cinematography, score, and direction create something unlike anything before it and it's

"There has never been a movie like this in the genre.

[…] You'll need to see to believe it and, even then, you still might not believe it."

Pete Hammond at Deadline loved the film too, and was particularly affected by Phoenix's

"[The actor gives] a performance so dazzling, risky, and original, you might as well start

engraving his name on the Oscar right now."

"No joke, this is a movie [...] unlike any other from the DC universe, and you will find

Hammond absolutely loved Phoenix's performance, writing that:

"Heath Ledger took it in a different direction in The Dark Knight and won a posthumous Supporting

Actor Oscar, and now Joaquin Phoenix gets his turn as the character in the stand-alone

origin movie Joker in a bravura piece of filmmaking that speaks to the world we are actually living

If you thought you knew Joker before this Joker, think again."

Many reviewers said the film offers a stark commentary on modern society.

Deadline's Pete Hammond argued that the film will make audiences think about the role that

Of course, not everyone enjoyed Joker but negative reviews have been few and far between.

RogerEbert.com critic Glenn Kenny didn't feel like the film offered any sort of meaningful

"As social commentary, Joker is pernicious garbage."

"The final minutes, which will move any sentient viewer to mutter 'would you just pick a g------

ending and stick to it?' are likely an indication of what kind of mess we would have had on

our hands had Phillips been left entirely to his own cynical incoherent devices for

Stephanie Zacharek of TIME Magazine felt similarly:

"The aggressive and possibly irresponsible idiocy of Joker overall is [Todd Phillips']

Phillips may want us to think he's giving us a movie all about the emptiness of our

culture, but really, he's just offering a prime example of it.

[…] Joker is dark only in a stupidly adolescent way, but it wants us to think it's imparting

She also found Phoenix's performance extremely off-putting, writing that:

"[He's] acting so hard you can feel the desperation throbbing in his veins.

He leaves you wanting to start him a GoFundMe, so he won't have to pour so much sweat into

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The Critics Have Seen Joker And This Is What They're Saying

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