The Clown Prince of Crime has made his return to Gotham City in the highly anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ Joker.
The 2019 film featured Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a struggling stand-up comedian from Gotham whose fragile mental state worsened due to a heartless society.
By the film’s end, Fleck had fully transformed into the Joker, becoming a cult figure after murdering a man on live television, and ending up incarcerated in Arkham State Asylum.
In the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, Phillips picks up where the first film left off, with Fleck facing trial for his crimes. While imprisoned at Arkham, he meets Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga, who helps him come to terms with his fractured identity.
Despite the high expectations, the film has faced a lukewarm reception. After mixed reactions at this year’s Venice Film Festival and unfavorable reviews from critics, Joker: Folie à Deux has now been widely released – and it’s off to a rocky start.
The film has drawn sharp criticism, particularly for its divisive ending and surprising shift into a musical format, which fans found jarring.
Just days after its release on October 4, the film is struggling with a dismal 33% approval rating from both critics and audiences.
Critics have described the film as “thunderously dull” and “cobbled-together,” but fans of the first film have taken its failure even more personally, viewing the sequel as a betrayal of the original and of the Joker character.
One Rotten Tomatoes user, Nikolai B, wrote, “In a vacuum, this movie might be a 5/10. But compared to the first film, this ‘movie’ is an insult and a stain on the genre. We should take this as a warning not to force sequels for films that don’t need them.”
Another disappointed viewer, Dan M, stated, “Hands down, the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The first was one of my favorites, but this is the worst. This series has had a spectacular fall from grace.”
The film’s musical twist has sparked particular outrage. One user, Whatever, commented, “Couldn’t enjoy the constant singing.”
Another, GD L, noted, “I thought it would never end. My favorite part was when Phoenix puts his hand over Gaga’s mouth and says ‘stop singing.’”
User BMoviee echoed the sentiment, saying, “Don’t recommend it at all; it’s a musical-style movie.”
This musical element should not have been entirely unexpected for those following the film’s production. Lady Gaga had even released a tie-in album inspired by the movie, titled Harlequin, after her character. The album features tracks like The Joker and Folie à Deux.
However, Gaga has been cautious in describing the film as a full-blown musical. During the Venice Film Festival, she stated, “I wouldn’t necessarily call this a musical in many ways. It’s quite different.”
She explained, “The music is used to give the characters a way to express what they need to say because sometimes words aren’t enough.”
Director Todd Phillips also distanced himself from the “musical” label. He said, “Most of the music in the movie is really just dialogue.”
He further explained that Arthur Fleck sings when he lacks the words to express himself, but clarified, “I don’t want people to think it’s like In the Heights, where the lady at the bodega starts singing and they take it out into the streets, and the police are dancing.”
He added, “No disrespect, because I loved In the Heights.”
But judging by the audience reaction, many would disagree. To quote Arthur Fleck’s Joker: “You wouldn’t get it.”
