Joker: Folie à Deux will divide the audience in two

Joker: Folie à Deux is a messy sequel to a tighter and cleaner original film. Photo: Warner Bros.

2024 was a mixed bag for comic book adaptations.

We started the year with the lows of Mrs Web, then rose to the highs of Deadpool and Wolverine. We’ve had TV shows like this, like Echo but an exciting mafia drama with Penguin.

Agatha all the time has been a surprise to many and even the animation has seen a revival in the second half Invincible season two and Batman: Hooded Crusader.

On top of all this content lies, in my opinion, not only the most divisive comic book movie of the year, but also the most hair-splitting movie in recent history – Joker: Folie à Deux.

Before I go any further, I have to let it be known that this movie left me very conflicted.

On the one hand, this film is a testament to the production and hard work of the many people behind the scenes. I appreciate the lack of CGI, the use of real locations, and the impeccable cinematography. The acting is also top-notch, which is to be expected with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role.

On the other hand, however, we have a frustrating mess of a story with a lot of writing that doesn’t really make sense.

This sequel picks up two years after the end of the original.

Arthur Fleck (aka Joker) is committed to Arkham Asylum as a result of the killing spree he went on at the end of the first film, which included killing a TV show host live on air.

Arthur’s Joker persona becomes a martyr to Gotham City’s underclass and is put on a pedestal by many, including fellow inmate Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga).

The pair use Arthur’s newfound self-confidence to show the world during his murder trial that he is Joker through and through and that Arthur is the real personality.

The first film already divided the audience in two. Some thought it was a brilliant character study of a man beaten by a corrupt system, while others saw it as an insulting and bleak portrayal of poor mental health.

Personally, I agreed more with the former, but I completely understand the latter. The sequel is more of the same, but with much less subtlety. The first film depicted Arthur as an unreliable narrator, and the things we saw didn’t necessarily happen.

In Folie à Deuxthe ambiguity is removed and replaced with musical numbers.

You read that correctly.

Joker 2 is a musical, and that’s just one of the many things people will have trouble with.

For the most part, these musical numbers are interesting enough. It was a unique way to contrast Arthur’s weakness and Joker’s arrogance. The problems come to the fore in the final third of the film when these moments become less of a behind-the-scenes look and more of a chore for the audience to sit through.

They become less insightful and more of a pretentious ‘creative choice’. This is entirely the responsibility of the director, Todd Phillips. Love the first film or hate it, there’s no denying its unique vision. Seeing the reaction to the first film, Phillips clearly said, “Hold my beer,” and delved deeper into his own “inspired creativity.” The result is alienating – especially in the last twenty minutes.

Without giving too much away, several story decisions make this entire film feel completely derivative and ultimately redundant.

It made me frustrated because this isn’t a short film.

We’ve followed Arthur’s descent into madness over 4.5 hours across two films and for a simple, quick decision to unravel the themes and questions both films pose about mental health, obsession and what it means to be a symbol in 20 minutes , was downright annoying.

Joker: Folie à Deux will divide audiences as they debate whether this film is a dumpster fire or a masterpiece.

I’m as completely in the middle as possible.

In terms of entertainment, I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I like it very much either. I know this doesn’t make much sense, but when you see this movie I’m sure you’ll understand.

Once the credits rolled, I asked myself, was this movie necessary?

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think so.

The first concluded that this sequel did not need to happen. If it wasn’t the first time it hit a billion dollars at the box office, it would be hard to see this getting the green light.

Joker: Folie à Deux is showing in cinemas across the country.