Movie Review of Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker: Folie à Deux breaks that mold by focusing less on the nuts and bolts of how Joker came to be and telling its story through music as well as, (mostly), the mind of The Clown Prince. Todd Phillips is directing Joker, reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix to take on the origin story of the leading Batman villain. Lady Gaga will play Harley Quinn in this unconventional love story that unfolds in Gotham City.

Arthur Fleck, institutionalised at Arkham Asylum and coping with his dual identity as the Joker and trying his luck at love, is where the movie takes off. Some also thought Lady Gaga's performance was a delight to watch play out in musical moments, but perhaps feeling that while she delivered the music with aplomb, she did not capture how fun, dangerous and wild Harley Quinn should feel like. Phoenix again impresses as the deeply disturbed Joker, his performance is both chilling and sympathetic

Folie à Deux, on the other hand, is completely different from the first film in terms of musical elements. While some critics praised the boldness of including the musical numbers, others felt that they occasionally took away from the story, and that the choreography was understated compared to what it could have been. Hildur Guðnadóttir score further increases the chilling depth of a film that never blinks.

So all in all Joker: Folie à Deux is a marmite film. It has garnered acclaim for a variety of reasons, including its bold execution, and the performances from Phoenix and Gaga (which fans argue are exceptional), but it is also met with backlash for being too self-indulgent at times — not to mention, many find that without the intense focus of Cuckoo's Nest as a backdrop, there isn't much to keep them interested in the second season. What Campell and Bleeding Eyes have done here is perhaps a weird combination of psychological thriller/musical, which unfortunately will not appeal to traditional comic-book film fans.