"Joker: Folie à Deux" Movie Review

There is no joking around when it comes to “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel featuring the classic villain viewers know and love. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous “Joker” and Lady Gaga as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn in this cinematic universe.

Directed by Todd Phillips, the movie continues the story of Arthur Fleck, or Joker, a failed comedian struggling with his dual personality and guilty conscience as he is locked away in Arkham State Hospital. He meets Quinzel while in an asylum, and they connect through their shared pessimistic perspective of the world.

The audience follows Fleck’s court case, surrounding the various murders he committed in a weeklong killing spree. Throughout the film, the question the court tries to deliberate is whether Fleck committed these crimes as himself or the Joker.

Unfortunately, the projections for this sequel could not predict how much it would tank in the box office. The budget consisted of an impressive 200 million dollars and has made 114 million globally, deeming it a substantial loss.

The genre continues down the path of crime-drama and additionally brings a melodic performance element to the stage. Unlike many predictions for this sequel, the writers decided to make “Joker Folie à Deux” a musical, including multiple singing acts from both leads.

The vocal quality of many performances was incredible, however, there were too many songs which made the runtime lengthy.

They connected to the plot well, symbolizing how Fleck’s mental illness caused him to further spiral into delusion. On the other hand, some musical sequences were unnecessary and repetitive, leaving the audience uninterested.

While the cinematography and color grading are breathtaking, there is a huge lack of substance to the plot. There was weird pacing that felt rushed and messy, and no commitment to one single concept.

With a two-hour and 20-minute runtime, more editing would benefit this project. As mentioned before, many scenes were either unessential or dull which led to low viewer retention by the end.

Another interesting feature was the change of having Quinzel be the dominant character within the pair’s relationship. Typically, within the franchise, the Joker is the one manipulating Harley Quinn, however, this time around Quinzel is the one in charge.

The switch of the power dynamic roles serves Fleck’s characterization, as he is a victim of abuse from many people in his life, as well as society.

The backlash this sequel has received emphasizes the main message of the film. Many Joker fans wanted the second movie to focus and build upon the cult-like following and destruction that the Joker caused, but it followed the character arc of Fleck, and how society treats a person like him.

The audience’s refusal of this narrative embodies the way characters did not care about Fleck, they cared about the Joker, symbolizing the phrase, “Life imitates art.”

Overall, “Joker: Folie à Deux” had incredible potential, but ultimately fell short due to confusing story structure and failure to commit to the musical genre. It might be a solid movie, but not a well-executed Joker sequel.

Rating: 2/5

Allison Curley is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email amc9204@psu.edu.