Joker: Folie à Deux

This feels more like a spin-off than a true sequel, spending most of its runtime rehashing the original through court scenes and interviews, rather than pushing the story forward. The writing is serviceable at best, often relying on thin threads to loosely tie one musical dream sequence to the next. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is fine, but it lacks the raw intensity that defined his portrayal in the original. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, seemed to intentionally tone down her usual flamboyance, likely to avoid overshadowing him, which, while understandable, feels like a missed opportunity for a more dynamic performance.

The musical numbers, full of energy and spectacle, are easily the highlight of the film, with the singing and dancing offering moments of reprieve from the otherwise sluggish narrative. Unfortunately, these sequences can't sustain the film's momentum. The lack of a substantial plot causes the movie to feel overlong, dragging on for more than two hours, making it feel unnecessarily stretched. Without the gripping psychological tension of its predecessor, the film struggles to find its footing, leaving it more of an indulgent showcase for musical theatrics than a coherent, engaging continuation of the story.

Joker 2 attempts to once again dive into the mind of Arthur Fleck, but unfortunately, it treads too much of the same ground as the first film. The original Joker was such a meticulous and thorough character study that by the end, it felt like there was little left to uncover. That exact feeling haunts this sequel, as it struggles to find new dimensions to Arthur's complex psyche, leaving the film feeling more like an epilogue rather than a fresh narrative.

Joaquin Phoenix, as expected, delivers an excellent performance as Arthur Fleck, further cementing his unsettling portrayal of the Joker. Lady Gaga also brings depth to her role as Harley Quinn, adding a new dynamic to Arthur's story. However, the movie continuously pulls away from their strong performances with unnecessary musical numbers and courtroom drama that feel out of place.

Ironically, the movie feels its best when it alludes to the iconic scenes and atmosphere of the first film, rather than when it tries to experiment with new elements. The callbacks to Arthur's lonely and disturbed journey in the original film evoke the same eerie tension and emotional weight that made Joker so powerful. However, the attempts to add new layers with the courtroom drama and out-of-nowhere musical sequences ultimately detract from the story's flow, feeling more like distractions than meaningful additions.

The film shines brightest when it focuses on the twisted and toxic relationship between Joker and Harley. The chemistry between Phoenix and Gaga adds a fascinating layer to the film, but unfortunately, these moments are too few and far between.

Ultimately, Joker 2 feels more like a continuation that didn't have much more to say. While it has its highlights, particularly in its performances, the film feels like an unnecessary add-on to the first rather than a compelling new chapter. For fans of the original, it might feel redundant, offering little new exploration of Arthur's character or the world he inhabits.

• Rating is 6.5/10
• Watched on Sept. 30 2024 @ Fan First Premiere (First Watch)
• Format: (Digital) IMAX

Todd Phillips repeats exactly what he did to The Hangover trilogy with Joker 2. The director goes on to make a sequel that is unfortunately empty and has no character development.

Phillips outdone himself in directing a film that has an outstanding cinematography/visuals that portrays every feeling and emotion that it wants to tell and express. BUT, he failed in creating an engaging storyline. From a part one to a part two, usually the characters of the film change. Their arc either declines or inclines. Their personalities change. Events/obstacles come along their way to shift their lives. OR new character/s enter their life which opens the door for more interesting events to come along their way resulting in a "Folie à Deux". In this film, Joker's/Arthur Fleck's life doesn't seem to change much as Gaga's character, Lee, is added. Instead, the film keeps repeating its events by REvisiting the past (the first Joker film) or reacting some of its scenes. It also keeps coming back and forth to the same locations and events within this film itself. Resulting in an overall dull film that is ONLY visually entertaining.

This film introduces two major characters within the Gotham world, Harvey Dent, who is played terribly by Harry Lawtey and written even worse. By the end of the film, I felt like he was useless and is taken advantage of because of his 'name' within the comic books fandom. Same goes to Lady Gaga's Lee that simply felt like it wasn't even in this film.

I enjoyed how this film uses music/songs to showcase that it's an ESCAPE for our inner selves. But, the song choices weren't on point. On the other hand, their performance was well done by Gaga or Joaquin Phoenix and Lawrence Sher's cinematography skills.

Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel that disappoints, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga offer a good performance giving life to two tormented and complex characters. However, it is the story that is full of holes.

While the first film had won us over with its psychological depth and its powerful social criticism, this second chapter seems to struggle to find its own identity. The plot, at times fragmented and predictable, cannot hold its own against its predecessor. The characters, although interesting, remain in the background compared to an action that gets lost in useless digressions.

In conclusion, Joker: Folie à Deux is a film that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, it is often even boring. Despite the technical merits and the excellent performances, the story is weak.

A sequel that disappoints expectations, with a poor plot and a much lower emotional impact than the first film.

I absolutely loved the first Joker movie directed by Todd Phillips, but I have to say, what the hell were they thinking when they decided to go into the sequel. Unlike the first film, this movie has practically no story, but rather a series of strange delusional vignettes that were thrown together along with musical numbers that got old very fast and made the run time way longer than needed for how unentertaining it actually was. Joaquin Phoenix delivers a decent performance, but it's nowhere near as good as he was in the first film. I kept waiting in anticipation thinking this must be building towards some big moment that unfortunately never arrives, and instead was left with nothing but disappointment as the movie ends on a worse note than it began.

I was on the fence when I watched the trailer, but now having seen it I kind of wish I wouldn't have. If you're a fan of the first movie, it's a pretty big toss up whether you'll like this one or not, but I wouldn't recommend it.