Todd Phillips's sequel to his 2019 hit,
Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck's time in Arkham and his eventual trial after the events of the first film. This time around Fleck meets his match with the arrival of Lee Quinzel, a fellow inmate whose infatuation with each other turns this entry into a musical at times. One can't deny the uniqueness to this movie, both as a sequel and a comic book adaptation, whether or not it helps or hurts it. Whereas the original was a psychological crime thriller, this followup acts more like a prison drama with bits of a courtroom drama alongside big musical numbers akin to Broadway shows. Instead of focusing on Fleck committing crimes and finding ways to get away with them, we're instead given a look into his infamy and psychological state, and whether or not he's truly the legendary lunatic he made the people of Gotham believe he was. The writing from Phillips and Scott Silver is both fascinating and often frustrating at times due to a combination of factors like not just going in and redoing what came before, their method of not always giving straight answers can often feel alienating, all the while their way of telling the fans of the first movie why they were wrong to connect with Fleck at all does often try too hard to get its message across, and how it handles the returning characters alongside new ones is definitely strong though with rough flaws. Returning as Arthur, Joaquin Phoenix still gives a strong performance and manages to add a touch of vulnerability even when Arthur tries to go back to his Joker persona to seem tough. Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn is really good, making her manipulations seem so believable while having pretty good chemistry with Phoenix. What helps this entry be memorable is its musical moments namely for the combination of popular songs that fit what's happening onscreen alongside Hildur Guõnadóttir's score, the choreography by the cast, the atmospheric cinematography from Lawrence Sher, and the patient editing by Jeff Groth. Yes,
Joker: Folie à Deux is a very unique movie, but often that uniqueness is often what hurts it in its favor. Over all: 89%
2024 top list so far:
1. Dune: Part 2
2. The Wild Robot
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. Deadpool & Wolverine
5. Transformers One
6. A Quiet Place: Day One
7. Inside Out 2
8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
9. The Fall Guy
10. MaXXXine
11. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
12. Abigail
13. Monkey Man
14. Late Night with the Devil
15. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
16. Alien: Romulus
17. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
18. The Book of Clarence
19. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
20. Drive-Away Dolls
21. Joker: Folie à Deux
22. Kung Fu Panda 4
23. Lisa Frankenstein
24. Argylle
25. Mean Girls 2024
