[TL/N: I recommend you guys to just skip this chapter, its nothing but review about the joker movie.]
"The Joker is Martin's most ambitious work, not just a film but a dark epic. From script to performances, direction to core concepts, it transcends the comic-book adaptation genre. It deserves an Oscar, yet it's more—a societal warning, dissecting North America's issues. The scene at Wayne Manor, where an iron gate separates two worlds, is profoundly telling. Martin's balanced lens captures it: inside, opulent wealth; outside, ragged streets and jobless crowds. A silent metaphor. Similarly, the theater scene: inside, elites laugh in luxury; outside, desperate protesters rage. Gates, theaters—barriers of division. In such a chaotic society, who wouldn't go mad? Arthur, an ordinary man, was made a monster by Gotham's elite. He went mad, yet remained sane. Unrestrained, he laughed freely, danced wildly, refusing to betray his life. His emotions—pain, fury—flowed through his piercing laughs and erratic moves. When Arthur danced atop the car, he vanished, and the Joker emerged. Gotham's elite birthed a madman whose mission was to destroy them. Martin's unhinged performance is the film's cornerstone. His portrayal of Arthur's loneliness, despair, and stifled pain is exquisite, capturing a yearning for dreams, love, and normalcy. As Arthur becomes the Joker, Martin unveils a unique villainy—twisted, charming, stylish, and darkly humorous. His uncontrollable laughter, triggered by mental illness, is the hardest to portray, surpassing even his physicality in the locker room scene. Yet, his eyes reveal fear and sorrow, his movements a desperate urge to stop, unable to. His laughter is closer to weeping—a pinnacle of tragedy. This helpless despair, unseen in my twenty years of filmgoing, gripped me, left me trembling. 'Madness' defines Martin's performance, not just brilliance. Only a madman could embody this lunacy, but Martin isn't mad, making it all the more insane." — Kevin Thomas's heartfelt review.
He was Martin's ultimate fan, outshining Chris Pratt and Daniel Radcliffe. This was just a fraction of The Joker's acclaim. From Friday morning, outlets like The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Entertainment Weekly showered it with unanimous praise.
James Blen, Thomas's friend, wrote in The California Film Journal: "The Joker isn't a horror film, but it terrifies with its realism. Economic collapse, unemployment, crumbling welfare—it's our society's newsreel. We empathize with Arthur's small shifts, finding his descent into extremism logical, inevitable. My fear stems from this: we're so close to crime, to the abyss. One bad day can break anyone. Arthur's trials—bullying, betrayal, job loss, accidental killing, loss of therapy, police scrutiny, a delusional mother, a mocking idol, an imagined girlfriend—shatter his mental defenses. Could you stay sane if your life's pillars crumbled at once? Arthur went mad, and unexpectedly, he gained followers. When rioters freed him from the police car, crowning him their god, they didn't need to know him. They needed a symbol. On that wrecked car, Arthur became their faith, revered, supreme. His grotesque, humorous dance sparked frenzied cheers and imitation. He realized this chaotic stage was his destiny. Embracing his brokenness, he painted a blood-soaked smile, tears black as night. At that moment, Arthur became the Joker, the Joker became Arthur—the King of Chaos was born."