Joker: Folie à Deux feels less like a sequel and more like a punishment. Todd Phillips, who turned 2019's Joker into a global sensation, grossing over $1 billion, returns with a follow-up that’s perplexing, tedious, and often outright hostile towards its audience. Where the original film, despite its controversies, found a disturbing resonance with viewers, the sequel seems to revel in alienating those same fans. In fact, it appears to hate them, which could be an interesting angle if only Phillip's had real ideas to play with.
The first Joker offered a warped yet compelling portrait of Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill loner whose descent into violence was framed as a tragic response to a society that rejected him. But Folie à Deux takes this concept and strips it of any of the raw energy or tragic nuance that made the first film at least watchable. Instead, it devolves into a dull, overdrawn exploration of Arthur's time in Arkham Asylum and a monotonous courtroom drama that rehashes the events of the previous film. When the film isn't a boring courtroom drama, it is a dull musical.
From the outset, it’s clear that Phillips is uninterested in giving audiences what they expect, let alone what they want. Folie à Deux feels suffocating, with most of the film taking place within the confined walls of Arkham and Gotham’s courtroom. Fans who hoped to see Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker once again unleash chaos on Gotham will be sorely disappointed. Instead, the film's claustrophobic setting offers little relief or excitement, as Arthur languishes in Arkham, trapped both physically and narratively.
The introduction of Lady Gaga as Lee, a reimagined Harley Quinn, promised some hope for excitement, or at least energy. Unfortunately, that promise is squandered. Gaga's talent is wasted in a role that reduces her to a mere fangirl, obsessed with Arthur, flattering him, and even engaging in limp musical numbers. While a few duets between Arthur and Lee momentarily inject some life into the film, they are brief and lack the ambition needed to elevate the story. Worse, Gaga’s role is criminally underused, with most of her screen time spent fawning over Arthur or whispering half-baked justifications for his actions.
The musical numbers, which could have been a bold and audacious twist on the dark material, are uninspired and timid. Instead of fully embracing the genre, Phillips dials back any real sense of spectacle. Aside from a handful of half-hearted MGM-style set pieces, most of the songs are dreary, crooned in bleak hallways or dark prison cells, leaving viewers wondering why they bothered at all. Lady Gaga, one of the most dynamic performers of our time, is given a few musical moments but none that live up to her potential. Meanwhile, Phoenix's attempt at musical performance feels more like a gimmick than a genuine character exploration, leaving much to be desired.
Where Joker succeeded in making Arthur’s madness feel unpredictable and dangerous, Folie à Deux is repetitive and boring. Joaquin Phoenix remains committed to his role, his physicality still impressive as he contorts his body into the emaciated, broken figure of Arthur Fleck. But that’s where the positives end. Arthur’s character arc flatlines in this film. Despite Phillips’ attempts to explore the relationship between Arthur and his Joker persona, the film never really takes off.
The courtroom drama, which dominates the second half of the movie, is a tedious, drawn-out affair that grinds the already sluggish pace to a halt. Watching Arthur’s trial feels like being subjected to a never-ending lecture on the first film’s themes. It’s as if Phillips, unsure of how to expand on the original, decided instead to relitigate it, hoping that this would somehow pass for deep commentary. It doesn't. The trial scenes are void of any real tension or insight, instead becoming a chore for the audience to endure.
In what feels like a desperate attempt to challenge critics of the first film, Folie à Deux adopts a smug, meta approach that verges on trolling. Phillips seems more interested in antagonizing those who found fault with Joker’s violent message than in creating a compelling narrative. But in doing so, he ends up alienating everyone, including those who initially championed Arthur’s story. Folie à Deux feels like a film that is trying too hard to be clever, but in the end, it’s just irritating.
The film’s final act, with its feeble attempts at a grand statement on fame, madness, and public adoration, is as hollow and uninspired as everything that came before it. The courtroom showdown lacks any real payoff, and Arthur’s relationship with Lee is so underdeveloped that their final scenes together feel more like an afterthought than the culmination of a significant bond.
Ultimately, Joker: Folie à Deux is a bitter, self-indulgent exercise that refuses to engage or entertain its audience. Phillips trades in the raw, gritty energy of the first film for something far more tedious and self-satisfied. Rather than building on what worked, he has created a sequel that is not only a slog to sit through but also devoid of the psychological intrigue or narrative propulsion that made Joker such a talking point. If Joker left audiences divided, Folie à Deux will leave them united—mostly in their disappointment.
1.5/5
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