★☆☆☆☆ (1 star)
In 2019, DC and Warner Bros. took a massive creative risk by making a darker, strictly adult-oriented look at one of the most famous comic book villains of all time. The result, Todd Phillip’s “Joker” starring Joaquin Phoenix, was a massive critical and commercial success, further proving that superhero movies can be unique pieces of art that win over critics and audiences alike. Five years later, they screwed it all up.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is a sequel to the original “Joker”, which attempts to expand on the gritty and realistic world the original film successfully established, while also pushing the boundaries and exploring different genres and tones to create a unique take on DC’s most famous villain. While the film is definitely a bold experiment, the end result is a complete mish-mash of baffling creative choices that, at times, almost seems to be a combination of two completely different movies, and neither one of them are any good.
Taking place two years after the events of the first film, the movie begins with Arthur Fleck (better known as the Joker) incarcerated in Arkham Asylum for his crimes, awaiting trial. While locked away, he meets fellow inmate Harleen Quinzel, an obsessive fan of Arthur and his actions as the Joker. The two form a bond that eventually turns romantic, something the film explores alongside the duality of Arthur’s mind as he is confronted by his past during his trial.
The film does its best to juggle the complex themes established in the first film while also trying to push as many creative boundaries as possible. This mostly involves exploring the dark subject matter it presents through unorthodox means such as musical numbers and other strange ways. While “Joker: Folie à Deux” is certainly an interesting creative experiment because of all that it attempts, it ultimately fails as a film and most certainly as a sequel.
Even though the movie is pretty terrible, there are a few positive elements that are worth mentioning. Much like the first film, the performances, especially by the leads, are pretty incredible. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga both bring their all, and it shows in the film. A lot of the technical work, such as the cinematography and production design, are also pretty solid. These elements definitely help the movie stand out visually and are almost breathtaking at their strongest.
With all that being said, there is almost nothing enjoyable to be found in any other aspect of the film. Probably the most noticeable blunder in “Joker: Folie à Deux” was the choice to make it a musical. When this decision was announced, it was met with confusion and bewilderment by most fans, though some held out hope it would make sense in the final product. Sadly, no such justification is in the finished film.
The musical numbers feel incredibly misplaced and completely inappropriate for the type of film they are featured in. On top of that, they often come out of nowhere and add nothing to the story other than clutter. Lady Gaga is a very talented singer, but that is really the only positive element to these sections of the movie.
Beyond just the musical aspects of the movie, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is filled with confusing decisions that hold it back from being something impressive. Much like the first “Joker”, this movie tried to explore the psychology of Arthur Fleck and develop him further as a character. He spends most of the movie however almost as a static one-dimensional version of who he was in the beginning of the first movie, and the development he goes through almost feels like he is going backwards from where he was originally. Every other character is either badly written or barely in the movie, so as a character study, this film is a total failure.
On top of all that, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is a boring movie. So much of the runtime is spent with characters talking non-stop, yet very little of interest to the story is said. Ironically, the first film had a fraction of this movie’s budget, yet was light-years more engaging than this movie, which feels bloated and pointless. At times it feels like an extended post-credits scene for the first movie.
All in all, it is actually pretty shocking that “Joker: Folie à Deux” shares most of the first film’s creative team, since it feels completely different from the original. While there are some solid performances to be found, they cannot save this movie from its ludicrously baffling creative choices and uninteresting story.
