By: Cody Englander, Copy Editor

[Warner Brothers; 2024]

Rating: 3/10

Joker Folie à Deux is the newest comic book film coming from Todd Phillips, the director of the original Joker. Backpedaling on the ideas of the already middling original, Folie à Deux is uninspired and a difficult watch when Lady Gaga strays from the story. 

A movie’s inability to sell itself into the idea of being a musical makes for a musical that lacks any interest in itself. Yes, despite any ideas that watching the trailers gives, this is indeed a musical. It may come as a shock to the movie as well. Nearly every musical number takes place outside the reality of the story, something that almost never works. Every track should have an influence on the rest of the movie – if the songs were removed, the story would be exactly the same. It uses mid-1900’s showtunes in a jukebox style and yet the most exciting tune to come out of the movie is a Billy Joel needle drop. 

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Joaquin Phoenix does a good job with the script he is given. The bodily transformation is impressive and he has clearly invested a lot of time into this role, although the performance isn’t as interesting as the previous movie. Starring across from Phoenix is pop star Lady Gaga, who gives a standout vocal performance in the movie. To her credit, she gives a very stripped down performance that isn’t out of place with the world of the movie. But the world of Gotham is more flawed here than ever.

One of the more commendable aspects of the 2019 Joker movie is the nasty and dark streets of Gotham: violence is rampant and crime has taken over this dank city. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t stray much further than the locations of Arkham prison and a courtroom. Stories that are confined don’t mean that the story will be bad, this just means the story needs to be captivating. The camera should move in interesting ways, the script should be well thought out. Joker Folie à Deux does not accomplish these tasks. 

Courtroom Dramas are core setups for captivating stories; will the good guys win? Is the accused guilty? The setup here gives no mystery to the outcome and makes for the court scenes to be a chore to get through. Neither the judge nor the lawyers are written the way professionals of the law should be. For a movie that was originally obsessed with being placed in the real world, the dialogue here feels out of place in an otherwise serious movie. 

The message is clear. Phillips is fed up with the idolization of the Joker character and for good reason. Joker has been an idol for incels in online communities, according to Rolling Stone. This movie distances the idea of Joker from the person, Arthur Fleck. While the intent of the movie is humorous, watching from an outside perspective gives absolute nothing. Actions having consequences should not be the basis for a two movie character arc.