Review: “Joker: Folie à Deux” is a disappointing sequel that damages the credibility of the original

The Joker has become one of the most recognizable characters in comics, television and films. The character has enticed some great actors to bring him to life.

In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix gave us arguably the darkest take on the Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips' Joker. The film made an absolute fortune at the box office and earned Phoenix an Oscar for his performance. Five years later, a sequel to the dark and depressing origin story is coming to theaters, and it doesn't work.

The film is a disaster and even manages to lose the disturbing brilliance of the first film.

Here are a few things that worked in Joker: Folie à Deux and why it's an unsatisfying sequel.

The good

The acting

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but Phoenix is ​​once again excellent as Arthur Fleck. He brings the same energy and discomfort to the role as he did in the first. The performance doesn't seem quite as impressive since we were treated to this madness in the first film and there isn't quite the same surprise in the sequel.

Lady Gaga is also solid in her role as Harley Quinzel. It's not necessarily amazing, but she does a good job alongside Phoenix. Other solid performances include Brendan Gleeson and Jacob Lofland.

The score

I found Hildur Guonadóttir's music in the first film to be breathtaking. It was minimalist and atmospheric, but it fit the film perfectly and the haunting melodies resonated in the bones. Thankfully, Guonadóttir returned for the sequel and continued with those melodic cello solos and slow-building crescendos.

You may have heard that Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical, and that's true, but when I say the score is outstanding, I don't mean the musical numbers, but Guonadóttir's contributions.

The bad

History is a mess

The first Joker was a well-staged slow burn into mental illness and eventual violent outburst. The sequel seems more about being strange and quirky and throwing in random musical numbers than about telling us a fascinating story that continues Arthur's story.

It feels like nothing is happening, and we're introduced to characters, storylines, and major storylines that are eventually abandoned and never come close to being resolved. Characters we care about in the first half are all but abandoned in the second half. Storylines and relationships that we connect with are forgotten or ignored as the film comes to an unsatisfying conclusion.

Given the attention to detail in the character development and storylines of the first film, the lack of this in the sequel is a real disappointment.

The ending is annoying

I won't give any specific spoilers here, but if you're hoping to avoid anything that might hint at the film's ending, please skip to the next section.

The filmmakers wanted to surprise us at the end – and I admit, it was a surprise. What I also have to admit is that it was the wrong surprise. I couldn't get out of my head how the first movie ended. It was a depressing film and not for everyone, but it raised questions of mental health and forced me to see this iconic villain in a completely different light.

When Joker: Folie à Deux ended, I couldn't stop thinking about it either, but for all the wrong reasons. The so-called twist not only weakened the entire film up to that point, but for me it also took a bite out of the first film. Honestly I can't look at the first film and characters the same way I used to with the way they ended the sequel and that's frustrating to me.

What parents need to know

This shouldn't come as a surprise, but Joker: Folie à Deux was rated R and is not intended for younger audiences. There are dozens of F-words and other expressions, plenty of graphic violence, dark themes, and an overall depressing tone. There is a sex scene with no nudity, but it is still very graphic. There is also covert nudity in some scenes.

Even if you forego the violence, sex, and language, this film still gets an R rating based on its overall tone and themes. Just like the first film, you need to be prepared to leave the theater a little lower than when you entered.

Diploma

It probably sounds like I loved Joker and wasn't interested in Joker: Folie à Deux. I liked “Joker” and how well made it was, but I didn’t particularly like it. I saw it once and as I was leaving the theater with one of my brothers I said, “I never have to see that again,” and I didn’t. The film was brilliantly constructed and executed, but it wasn't for me.

Not only was the sequel not for me, it was poorly constructed and executed. As I mentioned before, I see the original in a different light now, and this film could be damaging to the legacy of the franchise as a whole.

Joker: Folie à Deux is officially rated R for strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity.

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