Jokerhere’s an excellent surprise. Hailed by critics and the public, acclaimed for its writing, its acting, its direction and the relevance of its words, the 2019 film was able to create a surprise where no one expected it. Things could have ended there. Unfortunately, the call of money remains the master of crime in Gotham and here we are with a sequel that risks doing a lot of harm. Yes, despite superb ideas on paper, Joker: Folie à deux is a huge disappointment.
You got what you fu**g deserve !
Where did we leave Joker at the end of the first film? Yes, I say Joker. The reason? Arthur Fleck no longer existed. At the end of the 2019 feature film, Joaquin Phoenix’s character had definitely ignited madness. And, if he had plenty of room for improvement to become an adversary worthy of Batman, we could easily imagine how this man, transformed by society, could evolve towards evil and darkness. Intriguing for what comes next, isn’t it? Warner and Todd Phillips crush your hopes as quickly as Bruce Wayne was orphaned. From the first moments of Joker 2, we understand that Arthur will hesitate between his two identities. What if all his childhood trauma had created dissociative identity disorder? Interesting, in a world where Split, Psychosis, Glass, Shutter Island, Dr Jekyll et Mr Hyde or even Identity (whose concept is very close to that of the film) do not exist. In fact, this simple pitch completely sweeps away the conclusion of the first opus, to serve as a trial film that never takes off. Everything is profoundly boring, despite some flashes. And, despite an admittedly surprising finale, we ask the question… All that for that?
What does this project bring to the established universe? Nothing. Does Arthur’s character evolve? No, worse, he is regressing. The multiple themes and social messages that are terribly relevant and so well carried out in the first film disappear. This sequel focuses on madness, acceptance of oneself and one’s actions. That would be the only thing to save from the scenario. The few scenes dealing with Arthur’s childhood ring true. The “bubble” in which the psychologists say he locked himself comes up many times. Joker first of the name blurred the lines between imaginary and real, its sequel goes further into this idea. This is the only thing on which the film does not backtrack. For the rest, we end up with a 2h20 project that could have been completed in around thirty minutes, as it tells so little. If only the musical interludes had been relevant…
Gotta go my own way
Because yes, Joker: Folie à deux is a musical. Such a brilliant idea, so poorly executed. Surfing on the ideas of Damien Chazelle with La La Landthe film never derives any identity from the genre. A very large part of the sung scenes take place in Arthur’s head and too few really advance the plot. Worse, we have the impression that they only serve one thing: to allow Phoenix to don the Joker costume, so that he does not spend almost the entire film as Arthur Fleck. Fortunately, there remains the pleasure of the ears. If the songs are three-quarters boring and put the film on pause, the duet he forms with Lady Gaga is effective. Yes, it’s only after three paragraphs that I find a way to mention the person of Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. That says a lot about the relevance of his role within the plot. Massacred in the DC Cinematic Universe and in the Gotham series, the fantastic and fascinating character created by the 1992 Batman series also misses the opportunity to shine here.
Forget the idea of the psychiatrist who slowly falls in love with her patient only to fall into madness with him (why can no one manage to adapt such a simple idea?). Forget everything that makes up the essence of Harley Quinn, the madness, the violence, the submission and you get this version. Worse, the character in the film is described as much more stable than Arthur, more manipulative… less in love with him than he is with her. A shame! Like the film, everything is too wise, even for such a complex and tortured character. Lee could have been replaced by any woman (or man), it would have given the same thing, as she is Harley in name only. The only exception: its very last scene which, added at the very end of the film, allows us to imagine how the character will evolve in the future, although we will probably never see it. As for Lady Gaga’s performance, the actress revealed by A Star is Born does what she can with what she has, so not much. She sings, poorly when it’s real, well when it’s imagined by Arthur. She sings, and that’s it.
Joker: Arkham Asylum
The worst part of all this is that apart from anything directly or indirectly related to the scenario, everything is fine. Todd Phillips proves that he’s come a long way since Hangover and continues to impress when directing. From superb transitions to fantastic ideas for framing, staging or play of light, this sequel is a worthy sequel to its predecessor. At least, that’s for everything related to technique. Unfortunately, everything is held back by the lack of ambition and the sadness of the plot. Joker: Folie à deux is almost behind closed doors. The entire story evolves in three main locations: Arkham Asylum, Gotham Court, and Arthur’s mind. The first two offer bland and artistically boring settings to death, leaving no hope of letting the staging shine, which despite everything tries to get by. There remains the photography, still mastered, although we notice a real absence of color, replaced by an omnipresent darkness. An interesting bias, accentuating the theme of depression and madness. The only passages where the film becomes a film again are the musical parts imagined and fantasized by Arthur. Phillips is like his character: imprisoned.
Because yes, the observation is there. Joker: Folie à deux is not a film. It is an epilogue to Jokera $200 million DLC (according to Variety) which could very well be streamed on HBO. Worse, it is a work that does a huge disservice to the 2019 project, flouting its ideas, its ending and everything that its main character represented. The incarnation of Joaquin Phoenix was compared to that of the greatest and Arthur Fleck sat proudly alongside Nicholson and Ledger. Today, we wonder if this sequel will not make him fall into oblivion, over time. No, all this should have stopped in 2019 and our eyes are already turned to the future, to see the evolution of the character in Matt Reeves’ trilogy. A really bad joke, in short.
Joker: Folie à deux – Trailer
Technical Sheet – Joker: Folie à deux
Director: Todd Phillips
Casting : Joaquim Phoenix / Lady Gaga / Brendan Gleeson / Catherine Keener
Scénario :Todd Phillips / Scott Silver
Music: Hildur Guonadottir
Photography:Lawrence Sher
Production : Warner Bros, DC Studios / Village Roadshow Pictures
Distribution : Warner Bros
Genre: Psychological thriller / Drama / Musical
Duration: 2h19
Release: October 2, 2024 in theaters
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