Title – Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Director – Todd Phillips (The Hangover) 

Cast – Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan

Plot – Incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) meets Lee Quinzel (Gaga), unlocking a whole new part of his life and persona he never knew existed.  

“Get ready for the judgement day”

Review by Eddie on 04/10/2024

There’s not too many things in life that can be fully assured but if there’s one thing I can be confident of with about as much assurance as one can have is that Joker: Folie à Deux (aka Joker 2) is going to be disliked and likely hated by a lot of people

A $200 million dollar follow-up to one of the most surprising billion dollar earning films off all-time, Joker 2 is for all intents and purposes the anti-2019 Joker.

A film that shares DNA, musical cues, similar stylings and obviously the return of its Oscar winning star Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips, Joker 2 actively works on being almost an entirely different beast as this musically minded and centred oddity goes all out on being the film many will not be expecting or wanting. 

Reported over preceding months to be an all out musical, Joker 2 is as much a court room drama as anything else as Phillips and Phoenix explore the troubled Arthur Fleck’s life in Arkham Asylum following the events of the first film as well as his public trial hearing and new found relationship with Lady Gaga’s fellow Arkham resident Lee Quinzel.

Infused with a mix of fantastical and very glum music centric scenes that in equal measure happen and not happen in the real world, Joker 2 is a wild swing from Phillips and his team and there’s no doubt a lot of these attempts fail to land but at the same time there’s still a lot to like here and it’s refreshing to see a sequel do so much to separate itself from its forefather, who itself leaped out from expectations to great public fanfare. 

Dragging in multiple segments across its over two hour running time (there’s absolutely indulgence here on Phillips behalf), Joker 2 is still a hauntingly captured film and one whose aesthetic is one to be praised, combining with Phoenix’s and Gaga’s performances to create some special moments that culminate in an unexpected and brave finale that is going to be a large reason why many waltz out of this event with a bad taste in their mouths, if they didn’t already after the many dialogue and music infused moments that help create an anti-comic book movie. 

While unlikely to draw the same plaudits as he did first time around, Phoenix is once more a tour de force here as Fleck who is initially out-staged by a scene stealing Gaga, who unfortunately suffers from a second half switch around giving her less too do than one might have hoped but when her and Phoenix get to really shine in the spotlight, Joker 2 sings, providing us with ample delights and showcases of the great film Joker 2 might have been.

A dangerous and risky venture that on early signs has appeared to disappoint and anger many fans of the first Arthur Fleck lead outing, Joker 2 stands out as a flawed but also original attempt to do something a little different and while the core themes and ideas from Joker are all present here once more, no one can accuse this follow-up as taking the safe route. 

A reminder then that Hollywood still has attempts at going outside the box, even if this efforts reception and colder than expected box office results may halt anyone else having a similar go for sometime. 

Final Say – 

Not a film for the die-hard fans or mass audience consumption despite its big budget conception, Joker: Folie à Deux is a wildly different beast to what’s come before with its sheer audacity and strong performances enough to cover up a large portion of its failings. 

4 Yellow Pages books out of 5