Joker Reactions Highlight Game-Changing Superhero Film

Todd Phillips‘ standalone Joker bowed at the Venice Film Festival this past weekend and the reactions have been, well, intense. Phillips and his star Joaquin Phoenix joined forces to do something different, something unexpected, with their origin story. They succeeded. The reviews are impassioned, with some hailing the film as a masterpiece, and many pointing out that it received an astonishing 8-minute long ovation after it bowed at the festival.

Joaquin Phoenix’s turn as Arthur Fleck, the mentally troubled failed comedian who becomes Gotham’s most twisted villain, is being hailed as Oscar-worthy.

Variety calls the film ‘hypnotically perverse,’ which is the praise of thing the Joker himself would probably appreciate:

Here’s a quick tour of what some other critics are saying. We’ve kept these to spoiler-free reactions. The review embargo has been lifted, so if you don’t mind having some of the surprises spoiled, you can do that:

Joker hits theaters on October 4, 2019.

Featured image: ‘Joker’ theatrical poster. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryan Abrams

Bryan Abrams is the Editor-in-chief of The Credits. He's run the site since its launch in 2012. He lives in New York.