Joker 4k Blu-Ray Review

January 3, 2020 at 3:38pm
By Jason Stettner

Joker is an incredible film, it delivers a remarkable origin story that acts as a standalone entry in the DC Universe. It’s a grounded experience, and also mirrors a look at the state of modern mental health in many developed countries. It paints a dark picture of the right situation for a monster to be created, and it’s just stunning to take in.

You get to see this man slowly descend into madness, and it’s a glorious journey. It surprises, while also providing a precise look at how this particular take on the character came to be. There’s an extra sense of horror to it as you not only see others fail this individual, but also the general system that should support him. This is set against a grim Gotham, being almost a time piece in the era it presents.

The film was beautifully shot, it’s a cinematic masterpiece quite honestly. Every single scene is stunning, with an insane performance from Joaquin Phoenix. I wasn’t sure if this would be as amazing with another viewing following my theatrical visit, but it was just as good to see it again. I’ll likely continue to watch this going forward.

Joker 4k Special Features

The Joker 4k Blu-Ray comes with a number of special features. These are available to view on the traditional Blu-Ray disc as opposed to the 4k one. They include the following selections that can be viewed individually.

"Vision & Fury”, “Becoming Joker”, “Please Welcome… Joker!” and “A Chronicle of Chaos”. I found the extras to be somewhat limited for this release which was disappointing. Honestly, the movie itself is enough and these are just some nice little things to round it out. They’re so limited that they should have been included on the actual 4k quite honestly.

The visual quality is absolutely insane in this, it looks fantastic. The HDR is a nice touch on top of that, and in general the color range here is great to take in. Every scene pops like it should, while the dreary ones are extra dark.

The Conclusion

The Joker 4k Blu-Ray package comes with a couple extras to help round out what’s one incredible visual treat. This is a masterpiece in film, and a complete surprise the whole way through. This is beautifully shot, thought invoking and so chilling. It’s a great look at mental illness in modern societies, relating to the current climate with intense accuracy. It’s a chilling time to see this shift to darkness, as you understand and feel bad for this man as he descends into madness.

There’s a whole system that failed, and then created this individual. It’s quite a progress, and the movie is striking in how it’s presented. The use of scenery, how this was shot and how it all comes alive beautifully with this resolution quality. The HDR helps lean into that further, and it just pops when it needs to do. The bleak elements shine with a dreary sense, whereas the twist into color is amazing to see. I wish they would have gone further with the extras, but they’re just a distraction from what should be your primary focus when viewing this glorious movie.

Joker 4k Blu-Ray Review
Provided by Warner Brothers

Rating Overall: 10