Just over a month before the worldwide release of the film "Joker", it has already been presented at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival and the first reactions from critics seem to confirm what festival directors and test screening attendees had previously mentioned on the Internet. From "work of art" to "it will leave a mark", Joker has not left indifferent the group of critics who have shared their initial reactions on Twitter.
What makes this project special is that it is an adaptation of the famous comic book character but it deviates greatly from its original source to tell a more realistic story. Director Todd Phillips proposed the idea to Warner Bros. but it was not well received initially because Joker is extremely popular among children and adults, almost as much as Batman.
Below are the first reactions to Joker, from the 2019 Venice Film Festival, originally compiled by Digital Spy:
"I made it to the Joker premiere! I can't believe how good Joker is. It's a work of art. Funny, dark, beautiful, full of rage, and really cool. Joaquin Phoenix is masterful and every shot is sublime".
Made it to the Joker premiere! #Venezia76pic.twitter.com/KZpyaS5qGq
— James Jones (@jamesjonesfilm) August 31, 2019
"There will be a before Joker. And there will be an after Joker. I don't know if the world is ready for this movie. Or maybe it is? It is radical. It is crazy. It is audacious. It doesn't hold back. Wow. I can't believe it exists. But it does. And it's coming".
There will be before Joker. And there will be after Joker. I don't know if the world is ready for this movie. Or maybe it is? It is GNARLY. It is crazy. It is audacious. It doesn't hold back. Wow. I can't believe it exists. But it does. And it's coming.
— Alex Billington @ Venice (@firstshowing) August 31, 2019
"Todd Phillips creates a bold and convincing portrait of the disintegration of a man full of tedium, driven to unthinkable extremes, with the inspiration of classics like 'Taxi Driver', both featuring men whose mental instability led them to ambiguous extremes".
"Phoenix evokes a sense of tragic and melancholic beauty in his transformation as the Joker, going beyond interpretation and explosively appearing on screen in a performance so flawless in rhythm and understanding of the character, it's frankly one of the most impressive method acting feats".
Phoenix evokes a sense of tragic, melancholic beauty in his transformation as the #Joker, going beyond impersonation & disturbingly explodes on screen in an act so flawless in timing & character perception, it's quite frankly one of the most impressive method acting feats.
— International Film Critique (@IntFilmCritique) August 31, 2019