-REVIEW-
The Joker has been a staple DC villain for decades and has been in dozens of comics, movies and TV shows, but the most recent piece of media featuring the famous clown, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” takes an unexpected approach to his backstory and brings a new side of his character to light.
This sequel to the 2019 “Joker” isn’t an action-comedy like the typical superhero and villain movie but is rather a dark psychological take on the background of a broken character. It takes the same grungey atmosphere from the first “Joker” and puts a bit of a mystical spin on it, adding well-known songs sung by Arthur and Harleen throughout the movie.
The movie follows Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, two years after the events of “Joker,” where he is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum for the five murders he committed. There, Arthur meets Harleen Quinn, played by Lady Gaga, and the two quickly fall in love. Amid their love affair, Arthur is put on trial for his gruesome killings where he faces the death penalty as he continues his internal battle between the “real” him and Joker, leading up to a dramatic ending that leaves viewers speechless.
The jukebox musical spin on the sequel was not received well by most viewers.
One Letterboxd user, Preet, said, “joaquin phoenix was not the joker, the real joker was me who decided to watch this.”
However, for those who enjoy musicals, it was wonderfully done. Phoenix and Gaga’s voices aren’t overly autotuned or made to sound like a trained singer would. Instead, they sound authentic and raw, like how one would expect an average person without musical training to sound. It made both of their characters easy to connect with and gave an interesting look into their psyche.
While it’s understandable for someone who doesn’t like musicals not to enjoy the movie, it’s unreasonable to say that Phoenix and Gaga did not put on exceptional performances. Phoenix won numerous awards for his acting in “Joker,” and somehow outdid himself in the new movie. He brings a raw sense of emotion into Arthur, making the audience able to sympathize with him and also be terrified of his character’s behavior.
Phoenix’s harrowing and intense execution of the role of Arthur Fleck is only enhanced by Gaga’s refreshing representation of Harleen Quinn. Gaga herself put an entirely new twist on the character of Harleen Quinn, making her more grounded while still showing obvious signs of the crazy supervillain fans are familiar with. Gaga is a huge star because of her impressive music career, innovative fashion sense and amazing live and on-screen performances and this film showcased her flare for dramatics and versatile acting abilities in an enthralling way.
Out of all the things critics and superfans are ripping on, viewers’ biggest problem with the movie is the shocking ending. The film’s finale creates many questions considering the future of the DC universe and leaves them unanswered, much to fans disappointment. Many people felt as if it were very anticlimactic and unnecessary, however, the ending does a job well done of causing viewers to think back to the rest of the movie and the previous one and change their perspective on the storyline they thought they knew very well.
This conclusion of the “Joker” duology left me wanting to see more of Harleen’s story, but satisfied and slightly devastated with Arthur’s. All of the negative reviews and hate the movie is receiving is a bit out of left field, considering it is very well done and has some of the best acting from 2024 movies so far.
