A new film exploring the origins of DC comic book villain The Joker has left many critics grinning from ear to ear - but not all of them are amused.
The Guardian called Joker "gloriously daring", while Total Film said it was "challenging [and] subversive".
Joaquin Phoenix's lead performance has been variously described as "fearsome", "astonishing" and "mesmerising".
According to another reviewer, though, the film is guilty of "aggressive and possibly irresponsible idiocy".
Director Todd Phillips, writes Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek, "may want us to think he's giving us a movie all about the emptiness of our culture".
"But really," she continues, "he's just offering a prime example of it".