Movie Review: Joker: Folie à Deux is a hollow, unnecessary, mean-spirited sequel and a huge disappointment

It’s no longer news that major film studios are going through a severe economic and creative crisis, and some of their biggest productions have failed during 2024.

Specifically, after 100 years, Warner Bros is not at its best. They have risked a lot and generated so little, that it seems they have abandoned the quality entertainment that was once appreciated by both insiders and outsiders, who turned the studio’s productions into cult classics.

In 2019, filmmaker Todd Phillips reinvented one of the most iconic villains of comics, live-action series, animated series, and cinema. Joker went from being just an origin story to becoming an instant classic. Its story and cinematography were never seen before, elevating and enriching the character at a time when the multiverse was all the rage.

In 2024, a sequel was released, **Joker: Folie à Deux**, which was completely unnecessary. Since its announcement, it has been surrounded by many issues, resulting in extreme controversy and division. It’s a film you either love or hate, with massive exposure that polarizes every opinion.

What is Joker: Folie à Deux about?

Two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is confined to Arkham State Hospital, awaiting trial for his crimes. As he struggles with his dual identity, he meets what he believes to be his true love, the mysterious Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). While enduring abuse, he realizes his world of madness is on the verge of collapse.

Talking about a sequel to a film that was complete in itself feels overly ambitious, stretching these characters further when their story had already been told. This story serves as an unnecessary epilogue to what we already saw, with some very interesting plot twists. For starters, much of the film is a musical, something that displeased most viewers and placed it in the eye of a storm of controversy, perhaps unjustified.

The first Joker movie was surprising and highly original in its portrayal of a villain in a different light. Despite initial doubts, it became a brilliantly crafted character study, yet disturbing at the same time. It uniquely respected the original material while adding new creative elements. It had one of the best endings, which was fitting for the story being told, a flawless work that didn’t need a sequel.

This sequel arrives five years later, apparently out of nowhere when it was first announced. Fans and critics alike were willing to give it a chance, but as production details emerged, our expectations shifted. The fact that the plot became a musical complicates the idea that we are watching the supposed continuation of the story of a murderer and criminal who sparked a significant social movement in Gotham City.

**Joker: Folie à Deux** boasts of being an ambitious sequel, which perhaps had more to gain than lose. Some elements could have matched its predecessor, but instead, this feels like a near-total waste of resources and talent. Along the way, they could have explored incredible ideas and significant creative changes to enrich the story further. Unfortunately, the result has not met expectations, thanks to terrible narrative decisions, making this sequel entirely unnecessary.

Many of us expected to see this character consolidate his development as the villain that the film itself needed, with subtle yet precise comic book references to make this part of a new universe where Batman could at least be mentioned as the nighttime vigilante trying to rid the city of crime. What started as an origin story could have added depth to the character, giving him new motivations to be even better—or worse—at what he does, in a city on the brink of decay.

The film opens with a fantastic animation of Joker fighting with his shadow and singing in a fictional show where he’s the protagonist. Afterward, the police break in and violently subdue him, a recurring element in the story to absurdly reflects how violence rules in prison. Then we see Arthur in live-action form, being verbally and physically abused by the guards.

Being a murderer, he’s treated as such. When meeting with his lawyer, he’s charged with five crimes to be evaluated by a psychiatrist, to determine his mental competence for trial. If deemed competent, he will face trial and be placed in an appropriate hospital with trained doctors. His madness is justified by his traumatic childhood, which created a split in his personality—another person living within him called Joker, who committed the murders and caused a popular uprising.

The script, written by Scott Silver and Phillips, contains plotlines that this film tries to explore but ultimately go nowhere. It’s incredibly disappointing that this falls into complacency, considering how excellently the plot and subplots were explored in the first film. Here, there’s very little ambiguity to make us question the protagonist’s final fate, cementing more of his madness.

The film’s main story focuses on the trial, paralleled with a romance that, at times, feels endless. It could have been entertaining if not for the excessive cuts and re-edits. In the end, the story remains shallow. As for what happens outside of that fantasy world, there’s nothing new, original, or surprising to offer. Combined with its unbearable musical numbers, this is one of the most boring superhero films made to date.

The musical scenes and dances add much-needed touches of color, along with a change in pace and setting. But calling this a musical is an overstatement. The musical sequences are dull and serve no purpose in advancing the story. Each song tries to have a deeper meaning to justify the actions and madness of Lee and Arthur. The scene from the trailer where they dance on the iconic stairs from the first film isn’t even in the movie, just like the courthouse steps.

After establishing its own rules, this sequel betrays them. The main characters have very little development, and there’s no real chemistry between them. There’s no sense of true love or a solid future for both, as each looks out for their interests. A poorly written script, rewritten countless times, prevents these two supposed villains from coexisting in such a chaotic world.

The biggest failure of this film is that it’s entirely unnecessary, and it knows it. On the other hand, there are speculations about what the studios did with all of this. The first film wasn’t technically produced by Warner Bros. Studios but made with a more modest budget. Warner distributed it because they held the character’s rights. Rumor has it that executives pressured Phillips to make a sequel with a higher budget, and after his multiple refusals, they threatened to cancel his future projects.

Faced with this, Phillips reunited with Scott Silver to plan a sequel imposed by the studio, hoping it would achieve equal or better results than its predecessor. Many ideas were proposed and rejected by executives, leading Phillips to decide on a musical format, hoping the songs would help tie the scenes together and smooth out the cuts. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Whole sequences end abruptly, and the narrative moves in a linear fashion, making **Joker: Folie à Deux** feel like two different films in one: a courtroom drama and interspersed music videos.

Lady Gaga was not initially considered for the cast. Phillips and Phoenix decided on her to create a record inspired by the film and tied to the story—a complementary album called **Harlequin**. Gaga accepted but was disappointed that her character wasn’t the Harley Quinn everyone expected. In the end, she plays a woman obsessed not with Arthur but with the Joker. She’s drawn to his madness to the point of having a sexual relationship and becoming pregnant. In the end, we find out that she’s not even a doctor and isn’t as crazy as she led us to believe. She’s the daughter of a Gotham millionaire with existential traumas who saw in this man the perfect excuse to channel her supposed madness.

Phillips planned more than one ending for the film. Among the rumored conclusions, the first had Arthur serving time in Arkham. The second saw him escape trial and begin a crime spree in Gotham City. Finally, the ending we all know: Arthur’s death at the hands of an inmate in the penitentiary. This has caused further dissatisfaction with the audience. As such, there’s little chance of a third installment, which is probably for the best. We hope Warner moves on from projects like this and gives James Gunn a free hand to create a new multiverse.

Everything the first film presented is indeed contradicted here, making it seem like none of it happened. The Waynes aren’t mentioned at all, and Arthur’s transformation is reversed. Now he’s a regretful man who no longer wants to be the Joker and is willing to face the consequences of his actions from the first film. All of this is framed in a beautifully shot film that leaves us feeling pity for him. Its message and moral are misplaced, as are everything else. Criminals are treated as such and deserve to be beaten, raped, and humiliated at every turn. The consequences we face must be subject to others’ judgment, and finally, if life is going terribly, just sing—life is better when you’re singing.

Everything here, except for a few redeemable aspects, makes no sense. There’s no shared or symbiotic madness. The hatred and disdain from the audience have played a huge role in its failure. The mistake was comparing it to its predecessor. As a musical, it leaves much to be desired, and as a suspense film, it fails as well. It doesn’t achieve balance, nor does it care to. It’s a strange and highly incomprehensible film.

The film’s strengths lie in its technical aspects, which are unfortunately marred by poorly executed narrative and bad directorial choices. The atmosphere, texture, costume design, makeup, and performances are outstanding, far surpassing the story itself. The references are minimal, including Harvey Dent’s (Harry Lawtey) appearance as district attorney and his transformation into the villain Two-Face in one scene, as well as the return of two important characters from the first film during the trial.

This film exists merely to fulfill the ambitions of a studio on the brink of collapse. Of the $190-200 million it cost, it has grossed just over $20 million worldwide in its first week of release. While this figure might progress over time, several executives will likely lose their jobs. This isn’t about voting off the weakest link, but about building something worthwhile while leaving certain things as they are. **Joker** was a self-contained story in its first installment, and attempting a sequel was both ambitious and foolish.

Here we have a clear example of unnecessary projects that add nothing of value, showcasing the studio’s lack of originality and capacity to handle characters. Worse yet, it betrays its established foundations. **Joker** was an unexpected experiment that no one anticipated would succeed, but it triumphed with a raw and clear social message. And that’s what we hold onto.

The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, and Leigh Gill, all of whom bring undeniable acting talent, doing their best with very little material.

The music is once again composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, with pieces that remind us of the first film, offering nostalgic and deep cuts that underscore the film’s crude and brazen scenes. On the other hand, there’s **Harlequin**, Lady Gaga’s album featuring 13 insufferable tracks that could easily have been left out without impacting the film.

In conclusion, **Joker: Folie à Deux** is a hollow, unnecessary, and mean-spirited sequel. It presents a trial without tension or emotion, with musical interludes that don’t work despite the talent involved. This is an opportunity that had no direction and was forced into being a complete failure in every sense. Let’s hope the studio’s other productions can somehow recoup the investment because, as an audience, we’ve only lost our excitement, time, and money.

**Joker: Folie à Deux** is now showing in cinemas nationwide, but we do not recommend it.