Joker

Rewatching to refresh my memory before seeing Joker: Folie à Deux. I saw Joker twice in theaters back in 2019. The first time, I went with friends, but I was the only one allowed in because everyone else was underage, so I watched it alone. My friends sill hate me for this lol. When I made my Letterboxd account in 2021, I gave Joker an immediate 5-star rating. But does it still hold up five years later? Here are my thoughts after rewatching. The two main critiques that you heard everywhere in 2019 were: (1) it was too similar to Taxi Driver, and (2) the movie was too violent. I hadn’t seen Taxi Driver when I first watched Joker, so I wasn’t sure how accurate that comparison was. But now, having seen Taxi Driver, it’s clear that Joker was heavily inspired by it and is maybe even a little too similar. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other films (all movies are influenced by something), but it feels more obvious here. The violence in Joker was often criticized, but I think it’s what made the movie so impactful. The intensity of it certainly left an impression on my 16-year-old brain. Also, I still feel that the last like two minutes could have been cut, which would have made the ending stronger. Despite these minor flaws, Joker is remarkable in every aspect. The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir is hauntingly beautiful and, along with the gorgeous cinematography really sets the tone of the movie. Joaquin Phoenix still delivers one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. His acting is so good that Arthur Fleck and his alter ego, Joker, feel like two completely different people. He completely deserved all the awards he received for this role. I think the movie still holds up incredibly well. It remains one of my favorites, but because of those minor flaws, I’ve lowered my rating from 5 to 4.5 stars.