Joker is a film that I was really hesitant about watching. The Joker has become one of the most iconic villains in the world of superheroes, maybe even all movies. The clown prince of crime has had all sorts of appearances over the years, even becoming a part of the Mortal Kombat universe. An origin story just seemed odd for a villain whose greatness partly comes from his mysterious past and strangeness.

Now that I’ve seen it, I honestly feel for the guy. Bullied, abused and knocked down at every opportunity, a man that already struggled with mental illness was handed a weapon which triggered a power driven descent into madness.

The first kills made Arthur Fleck (Joker) feel confident, it gave him belief in himself as he’d gained fame. To be honest, given that he stopped a woman being harassed and protected himself I think these were justified or even heroic.

Fleck’s mental illness gets worse as the film goes on. He’s rejected and made fun of and finally gets his big chance as a comic on his idols TV show. A movement starts in protest of how the rich treat the poor and the movie climaxes in a dramatic way that indirectly means Joker caused the death of Batman’s parents.

The movie is quite slow going but it’s deep and interesting. It’s not the fun, chaotic film that the Joker could have had, instead it’s dark and slightly creepy. A film all about how hard normal people can have it and how scary it can be when those people lash out.

It’s a good movie but it’s not an easy one to watch. The representation of the Joker is quite good with the acting and appearance being spot on. The craziness is even believable with anger, fantasies coming long before vicious outbursts.