Since the 60’s, Batman was the original main character of the Batman series — until now.

The Joker is one of the most well known villains of the Batman series and fans anticipate a movie fit for this unique villain. The original comic books, T.V. shows and movies provide snippets of the Joker’s origins and how he came to be. This is the first movie where it truly shows the origins of the super villain. 

Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix takes the role as Joker, to create the emotional and disturbing character. Showing the trauma and turmoil portrayed by the actor makes fans feel sympathetic towards the villain viewers are accustomed to hating. The movie describes what the Joker went through to become who he is and his rise in Gotham crime. 

In the original comic books, the Joker was a past criminal named the Red Hood. To escape Batman at the end of one of his heists, he jumps into a vat of chemicals as a last resort. The chemicals disfiguring him, because of the chemicals disfiguring him he soon took the name the Joker after resembling the playing card. The movie depicts nothing of his original character and gives him an original origin story.

Overall, the movie was slow. The movie went from violent to mundane and disturbing in a split second. With this inconsistency of the movie it shows you how frantic the Joker feels in the moment and gives you a rushed perspective. As the Joker slowly slipped into insanity, fans experience every aspect of his world made him go mad. One line in particular showed a perfect example of the Joker’s development: “Even I didn’t know I ever existed.” This shows how isolation is a major factor of his transformation.

The movie often made the theater an uncomfortable space, by not knowing whether to sympathize with the villain or the people of Gotham. This aspect of challenging the audiences own judgment made it an experience. The Joker accomplished making audiences attach to a character or feel dazed after the movie. Although a harsh movie, seeing it on your own would be the best, the experience of this movie wouldn’t be the same with a group of people. Without a group people tend to be their most authentic selves, this way people can judge or perceive the movie in their own way without judgment. By yourself you can really be absorbed by the movie because of the characters and the atmosphere and think about the many messages it portrays.

The movie does have its ups and downs, literally. One scene seems very minimal then it jumps right into an important turning point action scene. The movie often went through the same details that affected characters earlier in the movie and lengthen the movie with these extended scenes. Many of the answers to questions the audience had where jammed into small parts. This made it seem like they were trying to pack the ending because of time.  

The movie is an experience, it was an original take on a main character in the Batman series. Taking a refreshing new look on the main villain of the series was perfect to bring the series into 2019.