Joker Movie Review: Critics Praise Joaquin Phoenix's Raw Performance and Call the Film a Perfectly Twisted Masterpiece

Joaquin Phoenix's Joker has been the talk of the town ever since its first look released. The DC film managed to intrigue the audiences with its impactful trailer too and now after first reactions for the film suggest that it is an unmissable affair. Joker recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2019 and the critics reviews for the film are now out. Going by these, it seems Phoenix certainly seems to be a contender for Oscars thanks to his layered performance in this film. Joker Early Reactions Say Joaquin Phoenix Delivers an Oscar-Worthy Performance, Critics Hail the Film as a Dark Masterpiece.

With the star-studded cast of Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, and Zazie Beetz, Joker takes fans back in time to the 1980s when the comic book villain was a failed comedian known as Arthur Fleck. In the trailer, we see Phoenix's character struggling to keep his sanity in a world full of chaos. We have already heard the stories of Joaquin losing a huge amount of weight for this role during his prep. It seems all the efforts he took may have paid off considering the film is glowing with positive reviews. Here's looking the reviews of the film.

IGN: Does humanising the Joker mean romantising the villain? IGN throwing light on the script wrote, "Joker the film may ask viewers to empathize with its central protagonist but it doesn’t ask us to forgive him for his increasingly evil choices. As many real-world parallels and inspirations can be uncomfortably drawn from Arthur’s descent into violent madness, the film still knows he’s deranged and not to be romanticized – merely understood." As final thoughts, they wrote, "Joaquin Phoenix’s fully committed performance and Todd Phillips’ masterful albeit loose reinvention of the DC source material make Joker a film that should leave comic book fans and non-fans alike disturbed and moved in all the right ways." Joaquin Phoenix Looks Unbelievable As The Joker For The Upcoming Todd Philips Film - Watch Video

IndieWire: Calling the film perfect even with its imperfections, Indiewire wrote, "By the time “The End” comes in its cute, old-timey font, “Joker” is neither a game-changer nor just “another day in Chuckletown.” It’s both. It’s good enough to be dangerous, and bad enough to demand better. It’s going to turn the world upside down and make us all hysterical in the process. For better or worse, it’s exactly the movie the Joker would want."

The Guardian: Speaking about Todd Phillips' filmmaking, The Guardian wrote, "Phillips’s film – a longtime labour of love – was partly seeded by The Killing Joke, the 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. But its real inspirations are Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Martin Scorsese’s conjoined masterpieces, each spotlighting the tawdry underside of American celebrity. Joker frames Fleck against Gotham’s neon-drenched streets in a direct nod to Travis Bickle, while his flailing stabs at stardom echo the hapless Rupert Pupkin." Raving about the film, they wrote, "What a gloriously daring and explosive film Joker is. It’s a tale that’s almost as twisted as the man at its centre, bulging with ideas and pitching towards anarchy."

Variety: Lauding Phoenix's performance, Variety wrote, "Phoenix’s performance is astonishing. He appears to have lost weight for the role, so that his ribs and shoulder blades protrude, and the leanness burns his face down to its expressive essence: black eyebrows, sallow cheeks sunk in gloom, a mouth so rubbery it seems to be snarking at the very notion of expression, all set off by a greasy mop of hair. Phoenix is playing a geek with an unhinged mind, yet he’s so controlled that he’s mesmerizing. He stays true to the desperate logic of Arthur’s unhappiness."

The Hollywood Reporter: "Some of the best moments of Phoenix's highly physical performance are the transformative interludes in which the increasingly unhinged Arthur applies his clown makeup and later dyes his hair, becoming the Joker. What's so compelling about the title role, both as written and in Phoenix's full-throttle, raw performance, is that we're encouraged to feel sympathy for the Joker even as he's clearly turning into a homicidal maniac."

Looks like Todd Phillips has a winner on his hands. Going by these reviews, Joaquin Phoenix may have just locked his Oscar ticket with this iconic role. The film is all set to release in theatres in India on October 4.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2019 12:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).