After five years, countless teasers, including clips of filming going around the Internet, Joker: Folie à Deux, finally landed itself into the theaters for the audience to enjoy, returning with Joaquin Phoenix to play the role of Arthur Fleck and the Joker, alongside co-star Lady Gaga, filling in the role of Harley Quinn for the duration of the movie. While the 2019 blockbuster led with good reviews and smashing one billion dollars worldwide, the oncoming sequel has found itself stumped in the lap of audiences.
The 2019 film came out swinging, debuting with a whopping 13.3 million dollars for opening night at the box office. On the contrary, the newest sequel only made out with around seven million dollars opening night. Terrifier 3 was another highly anticipated movie to come out this October. Yet to the surprise of none, Terrifier 3 made more than double than Joker: Folie à Deux, making 18 million dollars opening night. The reviews for the movie are tanking, as currently, scored 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the 2019 film has reached 68% on the Tomatometer and 89% on the Popcornmeter. However, the sequel has been out for more than a week, earning a 33% on the Tomatometer and a 32% on the Popcornmeter. Even the reviews on Google completely bash the movie, as its overall review sits at 1.8 out of 5 stars. A quick look at forums reveals that the reaction across platforms is synonymous.
Some have been chatting and debating whether the sequel had any worthy qualities to redeem it, with people raving how they could not last more than a fraction of the movie’s run time, leaving a foul taste in their mouth. Even on the other side of people who try to find the good in this continuation, most seem lost. Many enjoy the film for what they interpret and for what the movie represents, but most still share more negatives than positives for the film. One complaint and mention seen across the boards, however, seems to prevail: the movie is a musical.
A week before the film’s anticipated release, we got a taste of the movie through Lady Gaga’s newest album, Harlequin. The album’s release was obviously no coincidence with the movie’s theatrical release, but people had hoped it was new music from the idol herself, as the LP only holds itself to two original songs, and the rest are soundtracks from the movie. While the songs are not much of a complaint, the real problem people are experiencing is that the movie is musical.
The movie features Phoenix and Gaga sharing multiple moments where they sing together, or have visions of themselves singing to crowds. Combining these musical moments with the seriousness of the rest of the film between every act, it is easy to see why people are not thrilled with this movie, especially when looking at what made everyone like the first film: how dark it was. Coinciding with scenes of Phoenix’s character tap dancing, it is no surprise to see audiences dislike the movie.
People who enjoyed the darkness and disparity from the first film can find the same level of darkness among the whimsicality of the film. Even these moments contain disparity and helplessness. Gaga and Phoenix both put on good performances in their scenes, which ultimately help the film. People invested in psychology will find this movie to die for, but if you want a film to leave you satisfied and pleased after five years, Joker: Folie à Deux will fail you.
