Joker Review Roundup: Critics Praise Joaquin Phoenix

One of this fall’s most-anticipated films, Joker, has had a lot of hype around it. From the film’s official hard R rating, the early praise as a “cinematic achievement on a high level”, to buzz that the film — especially the performance of star Joaquin Phoenix — could be an Academy Award contender, expectations are high for the Todd Phillips-directed take on the iconic DC villain. Now, as reviews for Joker are starting to hit, it turns out that all of the hype may just be true with Joker delivering a unique film worthy of all the praise.

Starring Phoenix along with Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, and Brian Tyree Henry, the gritty, late ’70s/early ’80s-set film is a new take on the character and his origin story. Phillips has previously stated that they didn’t follow anything from the comics. It’s a gamble that he said will likely make some people pretty mad, but based on the reviews of Joker, it’s a gamble that has paid off. Many of the film’s critical reviews have praised Phoenix’s performance while some have gone as far as to call the film one of the best of the year. While there are some reviews that are a little less than glowing, the overall consensus appears to be that the Joker is an impressive film, one that fans will surely want to see for themselves.

Read on to see what critics are saying about Joker.

COMICBOOK.COM – BRANDON DAVIS

“Joker is loaded with mystery on top of its numerous twists. By the time it ends, viewers will be left with several questions about the experience, some of which might be scarily directed at themselves. Phoenix’s Arthur laughs his way through terrible scenarios. For this, the actor demands an Oscar nomination it might not be the only nod this DC Comics movie earns. The cinematography, score, and direction create something unlike anything before it – -and it’s terrifying, thrilling, and moving.

Whether or not Joker is a social commentary on issues such as poverty or mental illness, a new and mysterious take on the best known DC Comics villain, or just another unforgettable piece of cinema which producer Martin Scorsese is attached to, you’ll need to see to believe it and, even then, you still might not believe it.”

You can read the full review here.

FORBES – MARK HUGHES

“Joker is a phenomenal film, destined to be pitted against Ledger’s The Dark Knight performance for the title of definitive on-screen portrayal of the character. So fabulous is this version of the Joker, it is hard to imagine the upcoming Batman rebooted franchise offering yet another new version any time soon — which is why I hope Phoenix can be persuaded to reprise the role and somehow cross over into Matt Reeves’ Batman movies in the next few years.”

You can read the full review here.

THE GUARDIAN – XAN BROOKS

“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.

Having brazenly plundered the films of Scorsese, Phillips fashions stolen ingredients into something new, so that what began as a gleeful cosplay session turns progressively more dangerous – and somehow more relevant, too. Gotham City is aflame and they’re rioting on the streets. And a rough beast is slouching towards the TV studio to be born.”

You can read the full review here. 

EMPIRE – TERRI WHITE

“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 book movie itself.”

You can read the full review here.

IGN – JIM VEJVODA

“Joker isn’t just an awesome comic book movie, it’s an awesome movie, period. It offers no easy answers to the unsettling questions it raises about a cruel society in decline. 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.”

You can read the full review here.

COLLIDER – STEVE WEINTRAUB

“While some might have wondered why Joker was playing in competition at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, after seeing the film I completely understand. Joker is a great movie. It just so happens to be a comic book movie.”

You can read the full review here.

VARIETY – OWEN GLEIBERMAN

“Many have asked, and with good reason: Do we need another Joker movie? Yet what we do need — badly — are comic-book films that have a verité gravitas, that unfold in the real world, so that there’s something more dramatic at stake than whether the film in question is going to rack up a billion-and-a-half dollars worldwide. “Joker” manages the nimble feat of telling the Joker’s origin story as if it were unprecedented. We feel a tingle when Bruce Wayne comes into the picture; he’s there less as a force than an omen. And we feel a deeply deranged thrill when Arthur, having come out the other side of his rage, emerges wearing smeary make-up, green hair, an orange vest and a rust-colored suit.”

You can read the full review here.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – DAVID ROONEY

“But this is Phoenix’s film, and he inhabits it with an insanity by turns pitiful and fearsome in an out-there performance that’s no laughing matter. Not to discredit the imaginative vision of the writer-director, his co-scripter and invaluable tech and design teams, but Phoenix is the prime force that makes Joker such a distinctively edgy entry in the Hollywood comics industrial complex.”

You can read the full review here.

INDIEWIRE – DAVID EHRLICH

“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.”

You can read the full review here.

DEADLINE – PETE HAMMOND

“Phoenix is all in and then some, 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 — premiering today at the Venice Film Festival — unlike any other from the DC universe, and you will find it impossible to shake off. At least I did.”

You can read the full review here.