‘Joker 2’ Review: Phoenix and Gaga’s Chords Can’t Save This Mess of a Sequel

Exactly five years after the original premiered, Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in theaters everywhere. The film picks up two years after Joker and sees Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), now locked up in Arkham Asylum. Once he meets Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) on the inside, she convinces him to embrace his inner persona as Joker and leave Arthur behind, and the two embark on a tale of love, obsession, and ridiculous hijinx.

As someone who mostly enjoyed the first Joker, but can also acknowledge it has dangerous and irresponsible flaws that too closely resemble a major problem in America’s justice system, I was curious about — if not moderately excited for — Joker: Folie à Deux. After walking out of the theater, not only were my biggest musical fears realized, but the movie drops a plethora of other issues straight in your lap that are simply impossible to ignore.

’Joker: Folie à Deux’s Most Beautiful Songs Fall on Deaf Ears

The choice to make Joker: Folie à Deux a musical will go down as one of the worst choices for any sequel, ever. More often than not, the musical numbers are poorly timed, coming in the middle of scenes designed to lock the viewer into the dramatic effect. When Phoenix and Gaga start singing and dancing in the middle of a courtroom out of nowhere, it leaves you asking, “Why is this happening?” There’s one particular sequence, however, when Arthur is singing to Harley on the phone, that serves as a perfect reminder of how the musical element could have been more subtly and effectively utilized.

The film also suffers from the major problem of obvious corporate greed. From top to bottom, head to toe, it feels like a sequel to a movie that was designed to be a one-off. It never quite finds its footing or holds to any one genre for long enough to be captivating, but it also feels like a sequel, prequel, and standalone original, all at different times. It takes entirely too long to get where it wants you to believe it’s going, then is afraid to commit to being there by constantly pumping the brakes and mashing the gas.

There are things to enjoy about Joker: Folie à Deux, not least of which is the cinematography, which picks up right where it left off on Oscar-nomination-worth levels thanks to director of photography Lawrence Sher. It truly is a visual spectacle from start to finish — not in the same vein as a colorful sci-fi epic, but how it finds elegant beauty in the simple things that aren’t designed to be stunning, largely through the use of ambient lighting and craft camera work. While many are expecting the performances in Joker: Folie à Deux to be one of the high points, fans will likely be more divided over them than anyone previously expected.

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix Shine Separately, but Fall Flat Together

While director Todd Phillips‘ take on Harley Quinn and Joker is a bit more grounded than what you might see in a comic book or animated property, excitement was still sky-high with Phoenix returning to his Oscar-winning role and a talented actor like Gaga stepping into the role of Harley. When Harley and Joker are apart — which isn’t for very many scenes — is when they do their best work. When acting opposite each other, the chemistry feels forced and, while it does improve slightly as the film progresses, it never gets to where it needs to effectively capture the essence of a Joker and Harley story.

There are a few members of the supporting ensemble who get the chance to shine, not least of which is Brendan Gleeson, who puts on a comedic show as Arkham guard Jackie Sullivan. Veteran performer Catherine Keener also delivers big time as Maryanne Stewart, Arthur’s attorney, portraying a tender care for her client but also a fierce desire to see him through to a win at trial. Zazie Beetz and Steve Coogan each get a few minutes in a single scene and do a fine job with the small role they’re given.

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Won’t Even Sniff the Box Office or Award-Season Highs of the Original

Joker: Folie à Deux will likely find some box office success due to the first being a $1 billion earner and the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever until Deadpool & Wolverine. But, it certainly won’t break any of the same records, and likely won’t receive the same amount of awards nominations, if any. The Joker sequel is a largely overindulgent, and oftentimes incoherent mess that offers only a meager amount of entertainment value, especially compared to the original.

Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in theaters everywhere. Follow the Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.