By: Keaton Marcus

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 17, YOU MUST ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!

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I never knew that a DC comic-book adaptation would go down as one of the most controversial, stupendous, incredible films of all-time. The film given is "Joker", a dark origin story on the iconic villain, dialing down the big-budget and bringing out a gritty, horrific character study. In 25 years or so, we will not only look down at it as an excellent movie, we will recognize Joaquin Phoenix's manic, chillingly realistic lead, stand-alone performance. If director Todd Phillips can go from emotional drama to no-holds-barred horror, then the audience has realized the guy has achieved what few filmmakers even aspire to. Combining multiple, complex genres in one picture. Pin it down for its unwieldy violence, or mishandling of weapons, it is nearly impossible to deny that "Joker" is truly something to awe. Warning: it's utterly not for the common person, but those willing to brave the controversy will worship it.

Phillips introduces our lead as Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a mentally-ill, struggling loser nearly disregarded by the city of Gotham. Arthur is a poor clown-for-hire who dreams to be a stand-up comedian and meet the famous comic Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro reliving "The King of Comedy"). However, after he is fired from his low-life job because he brought a gun to a children's hospital, Arthur starts his dwindling journey into madness. Both the sound work and cinematography are key in setting the scene, expertly done by Hildur Guðnadóttir and Lawrence Sher respectively. They both make the tone a little bit modern, a tad '80s, and above all, freakishly terrifying. Whether Phoenix is dancing on the stairs to Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll 2", or inflicting chaos in the city, you won't be able to withstand the Oscar-worthy performance.

There have been many attempts to create the perfect Clown Prince of Crime, most have failed, but a couple has made it onto the list. This notably includes Jack Nicholson in 1989's "Batman", and especially the fantastic, late, Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". Sure, the latter won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but nothing and I mean absolutely zilch can compare to Phoenix's outing. One major advantage Joaquin has above his predecessors is the director's unique approach to dig deep into the life of the character, and make Joker the main character. Yep, not another supporting role under the reign of Bruce Wayne, a stand-alone, haunting focus on solely him.

There's one massive set-up with Mr. Wayne, however. I won't blabber on much about spoilers in the end, and generally hope to stick to what worked, and what didn't, but this is important. The finale of the 115-minute, show-stopping event may include a tie-in to the remainder of the DCEU franchise. Meaning that the upcoming "The Batman" starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, Zöe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as the Riddler, may merge universes with Phoenix's Joker. The set-up is subtle, unconfirmed, but largely possible. The one risk is the possibility of upstaging the only, truly real comics adaptation with a 200 million budget, and special effects galore. So while that dims our excitement, you can still put on a happy face for "Joker".

The final opinion is: "Joker" is something of dreams, featuring a compelling, horrifying performance by Joaquin Phoenix, impeccable direction by Todd Phillips and a nearly-perfect, realistic origin story...$PLURGE IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: 96.2M

Domestic Total: 335.4M

Worldwide Total: 1.074B