Joker

The introduction of the famous DC character, "Joker", commenced in the first tale of the comic "Batman No. 1", which was released in 1940. This introduction has successfully established the image of the demonic clown. You might even argue that he has become the smiling face of coulrophobia, the dread of clowns.

And the movie "Joker" - unlike prior zeitgeist blockbusters - or every other film in 2019's ten highest-grossing pictures, belongs to a long-running series. The other nine highest-grossing films are either animations or CGI productions, a trend that started in the early twenty-first century with the success of Spider-Man and Shrek, the Transformers sagas, The Toy Stories, as well as the revival of the Star Wars saga.

While some audience voiced the common concern that "Joker" might incite copycat violence, the researcher Adrian Raine thought the film is "quite true in its portrayal of the anti-illness hero, and the way he was slowly led to reactive aggression.'' In other words, the film may foster empathy rather than chaos. With realistic plotlines and amazing acting from Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker" is one of the best underdog movies of all time.

Year of Release: 2019

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert de Niro, Zazie Beetz

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%