Reviews

This film transcends its genre in a way I wasn't sure possible, and it is all credited to the understanding of the titular character by both the actor playing him, and the director directing him. I am an avid Joker fan. I read the comics, own many of the iconic graphic novels that center around him, and I can honestly say this is the character fully realized. I was honestly baffled by the level of character depth revealed, not just in the acting, but also in the direction. This movie is literally Arthur Fleck, aka Joker's, point of view; and the director and lead actor take you down the rabbit hole descent into madness in the best possible way. It's both incredibly original, and yet incredibly grounded and respectful of who the Joker is, and what we the fans have come to expect. The movie is not for everyone. It is not an action packed thrill ride. It's not an ultra violent theme park ride of sadism. It is a very realistic, psychologically in-depth character study thriller. It's slow burn tension, the tension being the character's descent into madness. I found myself on edge waiting for him to snap, and yet hoping that he would not. I did not expect that at all, and I can only praise the film more because of that. It creates depths I had not expected, nor had I imagined. Yet there they were! In short, Joker sits firmly next to The Dark Knight as a masterpiece of comic book filmmaking. They're the only two films that transcend the genre, and they both center around The Joker. Coincidence? I think not.

It ranks among the all-time great miniseries, and is perhaps, the greatest ever. Seriously.

This show is fantastic because it is next level in terms of the layers to its characters, as well as the story arcs, and the world in the show as a whole. The acting is fantastic, and the show gives a great assessment of the state of power and corruption - particularly in the corporate and political realm - and how it impacts the rest of humanity. It's smart, exceptionally violent, hilarious, and a surprisingly deep show.

I honestly question if the laughter in this special was just a laugh track and they were trying to fool us. He's just not funny, but I think part of it is that he is basically a stereotypical big, dumb jock with zero introspective thought - and watching him do stand up amplifies that by like 1000. I think another problem is that it doesn't feel natural. I recognize stand up routines are scripted, but the greats make it feel like it isn't. Needless to say, it was not good. I couldn't get through it. I think I did a half-chuckle once. Not that I'm surprised. But yeah. Save your time and money and go watch some actual comedians. If being unfunny is an art form, Schaub has it down to a T.

The only bad reviews I have seen are by conservative commentators who see it as a political diatribe. It isn't. It's the brutally honest story of a horrible tragedy and the racial discrimination of the time, exemplified in a nationally known case. Unfortunately for conservatives, if it's a story about racial discrimination - which has existed throughout history and continues to exist today - its considered a liberal agenda, even though it is not. It's a story of Injustice, and an excellent one at that.

Side note: Now some commentators have some now claimed that it blames Trump, but it doesn't. I would point out, however, that Trump backed their conviction and opposed their being let go even after it was demonstrated they were innocent.