Set two years after the events of 2019’s Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s titular character awaits his trial in the desolate and grim Arkham Asylum. The movie begins shortly before he meets Lady Gaga’s ‘Lee Quinzel’, and from there we continue to follow the pitiful man as he descends further into his fantasies.
Part courtroom drama and part jukebox musical, Joker: Folie à Deux feels less like a standard sequel that expands upon the universe of the original and feels a lot more like a self-constrained character study of Arthur Fleck.
Since it was officially confirmed, the elephant in the room regarding the sequel to Todd Phillips’ take on the DC Universe character was the decision to make it a musical. The decision seemed to instantly turn away a large part of the first film’s audience. Though with Lady Gaga joining the main cast, the course was set.
As it turns out, the musical sections are a bit of a highlight throughout Folie à Deux. They offer further insight into both the protagonist’s and the deuteragonist’s minds. Specifically, all the musical sections in the first half are fantastic. Towards the end they begin to falter, not offering much new information, but still offering slight escapism from the grounded reality the rest of the movie offers.
And the escapism really is needed. Folie à Deux is pretty rough to watch at times. Phillips doesn’t shy away from the subject matter, diving into the horrible way people like Arthur can be treated – especially in prison. You can never find it in yourself to root for Arthur after everything he has done in the previous movie. However, you can still feel sympathetic towards his situation and hope he gets help- even if the final outcome of his trial is obvious from early in the film. The film builds up a strong sense of dread, the two-hour and eighteen-minute runtime all leading to a foregone conclusion.
Out with a whimper
Joker: Folie à Deux is very much an unnecessary sequel, and that’s why I feel conflicted about it. From the ending of the first movie to the ending of this one, very little has changed- especially the lasting implications. Additionally, the same message about how mental illness going unchecked in a society not suited to help it can lead to disaster is just repeated here, albeit even more on the nose. Yet at the same time, that doesn’t take away the fact that it’s a great film on a technical level.
The cinematography is great, especially in the musical sections which have a great use of lighting to peak inside Arthur’s head- a world where nobody but he and Lee matter.
Speaking of, Joaquin gives a performance just as great as the first movie, and Gaga is exceptional as well. The relationship between the two of them develops quickly but feels right for the mad intensity of the two characters, and throughout the movie they stoke each other on. It all feels like it’s leading to a grand crescendo like the first movie- however it all falls apart and the movie instead ends on a pathetic whimper.
The long runtime doesn’t lead to anything new, bold or epic, and for a lot of people that may feel like a waste of time- but to me it feels like it needed to happen. Arthur’s story couldn’t have ended any other way.
The joke’s on you
A big complaint about the original Joker was that it shied away from its comic book source material. Instead, it used the setting and character as a guise for a story about mental health that Phillips wanted to tell. Fans who were unhappy with that won’t find anything new to enjoy in this one. This movie isn’t about The Joker and Harley Quinn – it’s about Arthur and Lee, two people who desperately need help.
The story told here is nothing you haven’t seen before, but if you enjoyed the original Joker and the message it portrayed, Folie à Deux is more of that with pretty presentation.
The first half of the movie is great, though when the courtroom drama takes precedent the movie loses me a bit. Quite a lot feels like padding, as we are recapped the events of the first movie, though it does eventually pay off a plot thread from the first film.
Overall, in the case of Joker: Folie à Deux, the questions of “is the movie good?” and “is the movie worth watching?” do not have the same answer. Yes, the movie is an entertaining sequel that puts a cap on the franchise, and while it does nothing special it’s a fun time. On the other hand, I wouldn’trecommend it to people due to its repetition of the same plot threads and themes from the first movie. It’s not really worth it unless you really enjoyed the first movie or have nothing else to do.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.