Members of the press were able to see Todd Phillips' Joker ahead of its screening at the 76th Venice Film Festival, and the first reviews and impressions are overwhelmingly positive towards the film and its star, Joaquin Phoenix.

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In our 10/10 review of Joker by Jim Vejvoda, we called it a masterpiece and said "Starring a captivating Joaquin Phoenix, The Clown Prince of Crime gets a standalone film for the ages with Joker."Many others shared our praise of the film and agreed that Phoenix gave an Oscar-worthy performance as Joker in a film that is dark and twisted and will stick with you long after the credits roll.Here's our roundup of the first reviews and Twitter reactions to Joker.

Critic Reviews

The Hollywood Reporter

Variety

Empire - 5/5 Stars

The Guardian - 5/5 Stars

Time

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Forbes

CinemaBlend - 4.5/5 Stars

JoBlo.com - 9/10

IndieWire - C+

The Many Origin Stories of the Joker 22 IMAGES

Twitter Reactions

"The clown prince of crime is alive and mentally unwell in Gotham City in Todd Phillips' grippingly atmospheric supervillain origin story, Joker. While a never-better Joaquin Phoenix paints on the famed maniacal smile with his own blood at one memorable climactic moment of messianic rebirth, what's most noteworthy about this gritty entry in the DC canon and the lead actor's sensational performance is the pathos he brings to a pathetically disenfranchised character — just like countless others in a metropolis in which the social chasm separating the haves from the have-nots has become a pit of incendiary rage." - David Rooney (Full Review) "Many have asked, and with good reason: Do we need another Joker movie? Yet what we do need — badly — are comic-book films that have a verité gravitas, that unfold in the real world, so that there’s something more dramatic at stake than whether the film in question is going to rack up a billion-and-a-half dollars worldwide. “Joker” manages the nimble feat of telling the Joker’s origin story as if it were unprecedented." - Owen Gleiberman (Full Review) "Bold, devastating and utterly beautiful, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix have not just reimagined one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, but reimagined the comic book movie itself." - Terri White (Full Review) "Joaquin Phoenix provides a comic-book hero for the left behind with Joker, a brilliantly insurrectionist origins story that landed like a firecracker in the midst of this year’s Venice film festival. Playing the role of Cain to the sunny Abel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Todd Phillips’s blockbuster charts the formative years of Batman’s nemesis, rewinding to his time as a failed standup in grubby Gotham City, when he was lonesome and lost and out of joint with the world. Audaciously, it’s a film that invites us to love the monster." - Xan Brooks (Full Review) "Arthur is a mess, but we’re also supposed to think he’s kind of great — a misunderstood savant. Dressed up for his big TV moment in a turquoise paisley shirt, marigold vest and dapper cranberry suit (admittedly a marvelous feat of costume design), Arthur struts down an outdoor stairway like a rock’n’roll hero. It’s the most energizing moment in the movie, but what is it winding us up for? Arthur inspires chaos and anarchy, but the movie makes it look like he’s starting a revolution, where the rich are taken down, the poor get everything they need and deserve, and the sad guys who can’t get a date become killer heroes. There’s a sick joke in there somewhere. Unfortunately, it’s on us." - Stephanie Zacharek (Full Review) If you’re going into Todd Phillips’ Joker movie expecting to see a number of costumed heroes joking around between massive action set pieces, you need to adjust your settings. That’s because Phillips has crafted an intimate, standalone character study that’s extremely influenced by another era of filmmaking. From the way the opening credits play, to the final frames of the movie, Phillips has taken the colorful comic book movie to the dirty, gritty streets of the late 1970s with fantastic results. Trust me, you have never seen a comic book movie like Joker and I’m not sure we will ever get one like this again. - Steven Weintraub (Full Review) "Get ready to rethink what's possible in comic book movies. Again. In a little over a month, Warner Bros. releases the latest DC Comics adaptation Joker — an origin story of Batman's arch nemesis — and if you thought The Dark Knight and Logan pushed the boundaries of adult storytelling and Oscar quality for these types of films, Joker is about to up the ante." - Mark Hughes (Full Review) "Joker is bound to be the subject of controversy upon its release, but it’s a controversy that it invites by leaving a great deal open for interpretation. Everybody is going to have their own moment where they view Arthur going one step past "the line." Everybody is going to have their own take on what’s real, and what’s fantasy. Everybody is going to have their own particular political read. And then all of those opinions are going to flip when the movie is screened a second time. You’ll definitely feel like you’ll need a shower after seeing it, but once you’ve dried off and changed clothes, you’ll want to do nothing else but parse and dissect it." - Eric Eisenberg (Full Review) "Phillips and Phoenix have crafted a truly unique take on this character and raised the bar of their individual work to boot, paving the way for (hopefully) a wealth of more diverse, compelling and riskier takes on these iconic characters that will challenge our perceptions and leave us with something to chew on for years to come." - Paul Shirey (Full Review) "By the time “The End” comes in its cute, old-timey font, “Joker” is neither a game-changer nor just “another day in Chuckletown.” It’s both. It’s good enough to be dangerous, and bad enough to demand better. It’s going to turn the world upside down and make us all hysterical in the process. For better or worse, it’s exactly the movie the Joker would want." - David Ehrlich (Full Review) IGN's Jim Vejvoda also Tweeted his reaction to Joker alongside his review, saying "Joker isn't just an awesome comic book movie, it's an awesome movie, period." IGN's Terri Schwartz fully endorses Vejvoda's review of Joker, and says she hasn't stopped thinking about it. Rob Keyes of ScreenRant "REALLY dug" Joker and says its an acting showcase for Phoenix and one that "really grounds Arthur Fleck's transformation. Erik Davis of Fandango says Phoenix is "so damn good" and that it's a "bold, bodacious love letter to Scorsese's The King of Comedy." Mike Cecchini of Den of Geek said Joker is "disturbing and uncompromising" and is a "horror movie, and an effective one." Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com said Joker is an "insane masterpiece," also scoring it a 10/10.

Joker Final Trailer: 44 Gorgeous Cinematic Moments 46 IMAGES

For more on Joker, be sure to check out how director Todd Phillips fought hard for his R-rated vision for Joker and read about the 1980's cult classic that inspired this newest take on the Clown Prince of Crime.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait to see this film. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.