Joker: Folie à Deux topped the box office with a $40 million debut, but reviews of the film were no laughing matter.
Read our review of the highly anticipated film below.
When we use the word “icon,” we typically think of heroes—good guys and girls who resonate with most people.
These are the individuals meant to inspire, after all.
But allow me to switch things up.
There have been some iconic villains throughout history: Darth Vader, Lex Luthor, The Wicked Witch of the West, Nino Brown, and so on.
Antagonists are just as important as the protagonist.
Every Professor X needs a Magneto, and every Batman needs a… Joker.
One of the most cerebral and sadistic psychopaths in comic book history, the Joker has been played—or sought after—by top Hollywood A-listers.
The most recent being Joaquin Phoenix.
His portrayal was an epic one, with the movie grossing over one billion dollars at the box office.
Five years later, he’s back in the sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
But is this new movie as serious as its predecessor, or is it a joke? Let’s dive in!
Jokers are wild—if you want to be tamed, I’ll treat you like a child so you’ll be named.
The highly anticipated sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Directed by Todd Phillips, this film picks up two years after the events of the first movie, with Arthur Fleck in custody at Arkham State Hospital, languishing while awaiting trial.
Despite his deplorable conditions, Fleck still has a massive following on the outside and a couple of admirers on the inside.
During a visit to another wing of the hospital, Fleck encounters Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, a patient who is very much enamored by him.
The two strike up a conversation (and spark a fire), and what we have is a musical love-story-psychological-thriller hodgepodge of a film.
Listen, I loved—and I mean loved—the first “Joker” movie.
It’s on my list of the greatest films ever made.
I never, and I mean never, wanted a sequel because it’s always extremely hard to top a masterpiece.
Sooo, when I heard they were not only making a follow-up but converting it into a musical, I was like, “Whaaaaat?!?!” My intuition was correct—I didn’t get the joke.
Performance-wise, Phoenix and Gaga go hard!
Fleck still manages to make us feel remorseful for him, even though we know what he did to land in this position.
The system and society at large continue to fail him, and on top of that, the naiveté he possesses is yet another reason to kind of root for him. Lee (Gaga) is his catalyst.
She believes in him, but more so in his symbolism.
I wish that dangerous storyline had been explored further. Here’s where the production falters—the musical scenes.
Every time the film gets serious, a musical routine breaks the mood like an awful comedian.
Whose idea was it to turn a thriller into “Grease” meets “La La Land”? Oh, right—the director.
I’m not sure what Todd Phillips or the production company had in mind when they pitched this idea.
If that weren’t bad enough, the plot doesn’t truly challenge the film as a whole.
Some characters are entertaining, but just as we become interested, here comes another musical number! And then there’s the ending… Lawd Jesus.
You won’t see it coming, and I wish I hadn’t seen it at all.
You mean to tell me, this is how you finish this thing?
Anyway, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is (in my Whitney Houston voice) nothing… nothing… NOTHIIIIIIING like the original “Joker.”
I’m giving it a straight-to-streaming co-sign. So much potential, so little reward.
The moviegoers are the butt of this joke.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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