Several major scenes appear to have been cut from the final cut of Joker 2while Todd Philipps’ film has been heavily criticized since its release.
After the resounding success of Joker in 2019 (1 billion dollars in global box office revenue, Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and two Oscars including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix), we could fear that its sequel would undermine its legacy. And unfortunately, the miracle did not happen, this time with a clown missing the point in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Massacred by critics and fans, the sequel starring Lady Gaga had a disappointing start at the box office, with a weaker American weekend than Sony’s infamous Morbius in 2021 (that’s saying something). An unexpected disaster for Warner Bros., which raises questions while many important sequences appear to have been removed from the film.
Joker: Folie à Deux but not too much
Among the (many) criticisms addressed to Joker: Folie à Deux since its release, several Internet users have noted the absence of many scenes from the trailers of the film. Something rather innocuous usually, since these can be based on an unfinished edit or simply deliberately show false plans (hello Marvel) to thwart expectations.
However, in the case of Joker 2the cut scenes all seem to have a very particular common point: Harley Quinn. The sidekick of the clown prince of crime, played by Lady Gaga for the occasion, is one of the big points of contention around the feature film. Indeed, if the singer’s performance is widely praised, his role suddenly loses importance as the storyline progresseswhich has the gift of frustrating.
So, several key scenes were missing from the filmand they all feature Harley (or Lee Quinzel), as she gradually descends into madness, which the final montage ultimately explores very little. In sequences that echo the first Jokerwe find her in the elevator of the building where Arthur Fleck lived, but also descending the New York stairs that have become cult.
Scenes strangely absent from the film, but clearly highlighted in the promotion. Just like a mysterious sequence where Harley and the Joker dance together in courtwhere the young woman is clearly pregnant. Here again, an element that the film sets up, but on which it returns very little afterwards. Enough to question the approach of director Todd Philipps.
The fantastic story of Joker 2
Using snippets of images from the promo, we can have fun reconstituting Harley Quinn’s lost arc in Joker 2. Todd Philipps’ original intention appears to have been to give him a story that mirrors that of Arthur Fleck in the first opus. The director recreates the elevator scene, where the Joker’s final form first appears, then that of the stairs, Arthur’s birth certificate which has become legendary.
Problem, in the version released in cinemas, Harley’s journey comes to an abrupt end at the end of Fleck’s trialthe latter admitting that he no longer wants to be the Joker. We see her briefly in Arthur’s old apartment, a gun to her head, then towards the end on the stairs, where she says goodbye to her former companion. His psyche is very little studied, and the film abandons him at the moment when his role becomes most ambiguous.
The feature film juggled with an intriguing ideanotably through the famous final scene of the staircase. In a video from the shoot, Harley can be seen dancing and singing at the top of the stairswhile Arthur goes up to find her (another version shows her alone). All while the police finally find the ex-Joker to intern him again in Arkham Asylum.
A parallel far from trivial, since it implies that Harley symbolically descends into madnessjust like Arthur in the first opus. Was she originally intended to take over the role of the Joker in this universe, preferring to keep his legacy alive rather than focusing on abandoning Fleck? There is reason to ask the question, and imagine a much more important role for the character in the last act of the film.
That said, we can also say that the majority of these scenes are just illusions in the Joker’s deranged mindwhich uses the musical as an escape. In the version released in the cinema in any case, the staircase scene is very different, with Harley who simply abandons an Arthur wanting to return to a normal life by letting go of his alter ego.
This overhaul of the character arc is probably a creative decision by Todd Philippsperhaps to refocus the feature film on the Joker. In an interview for Entertainment Weeklythe director has claimed to have cut a scene improvised by Lady Gagawhere he kisses a woman in the crowd in front of the court, arguing that it hinders the particular vision he has at the moment.
These mysterious cut scenes are in any case a lot of talk, even though the film has only just been released. And while Todd Philipps has already confirmed that he will no longer make films in the DC universewe can potentially expect some answers in the coming weeks or months. Waiting for, Joker: Folie à Deux has been in theaters since October 2, 2024 in France, and there is still time to form an opinion on it.
