Joker: Folie à Deux review – "An unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes"

GamesRadar+ VerdictPart courtroom movie, part behind-bars romance, Folie à Deux is an unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes. GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Part courtroom movie, part behind-bars romance, Folie à Deux is an unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes. Part courtroom movie, part behind-bars romance, Folie à Deux is an unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Joker: Folie à Deux has premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Here’s our review… “Let’s give the people what they want,” says Lady Gaga’s Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) at a key juncture in Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s a perverse statement for a film that seems stubbornly committed to giving audiences quite the opposite. The much-anticipated sequel toTodd Phillips’ Oscar-winning box-office champis a bold departure from its lauded/loathed predecessor, but it’s also a far less effective vehicle for its tragi-comic subject and lead actor. Two years after his murder spree, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is now committed to Arkham State Hospital’s brutal E-Ward, awaiting trial and a potential death sentence if peacocking DA Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) has his day in court. In music-therapy class Arthur meets Lee and sparks soon fly – literally when his arsonist admirer tries to burn Arkham down as an act of love; later, she becomes Joker’s biggest cheerleader in court. Beyond the inclusion of Lee – here stripped of the character’s usual hallmarks and reduced to a spectator for much of the film – Folie à Deux’s biggest swing is that it’s a jukebox musical, featuring ’60s chart-toppers and Golden Age Hollywood hits. Arthur and Lee break into song with relentless regularity, and when there hasn’t been a spot of spontaneous warbling for five minutes, a fantasy dance sequence is typically moments away. (Image credit: Warner Bros.) Of the other musical crimes, reducing Hildur Guðnadóttir’s sublime doomstrings score to second chair deserves a spell in Blackgate Penitentiary, particularly when it so perfectly rendered Arthur’s mental state in the first film. Even worse, musical numbers are frequently deployed as the dramatic crescendo of a given scene. The upshot is that the pacing and momentum in otherwise dramatically compelling sequences – a tense interview with Steve Coogan’s needling TV host Paddy Meyers being an example – is derailed as Arthur changes gear to put his thoughts into song, with most tracks seemingly selected for their painfully on-the-nose lyrics. Rarely has a film been so senselessly devoted to sabotaging its rich set-ups with flat pay-offs. Unlike 2019’s Joker, a knotty film with big ideas and profound empathy for its central figure, Folie à Deux feels smaller and more insular. Gone is the sense of Arthur’s explosive transformation mirroring a Gotham City at a tipping point. The film hardly even ventures beyond the claustrophobic walls of Arkham or the courthouse. Instead, it’s focused on the Arthur/Joker dichotomy – who is really in control? And can Lee tip the balance? However, given how few true ‘Joker’ sequences feature, it’s clear where Phillips’ interests lie. Folie à Deux wants Arthur to reckon with the consequences of his (admittedly very criminal) actions and seems content for him to suffer without any of the first film’s devilishly transgressive catharsis. The result is resoundingly downbeat to the point of feeling mean-spirited. There’s no question Folie à Deux is a film made with integrity and an uncompromising vision, but evidently they can’t all be hits. Joker: Folie à Deux is released in US theaters and UK cinemas on October 4. PRODUCTSJoker: Folie à DeuxJoker 2 PRODUCTS More about joker folie a deuxJoker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made"Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviewsLatest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► More about joker folie a deuxJoker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made"Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviewsLatest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► More about joker folie a deuxJoker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made"Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviews More about joker folie a deux Joker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made"Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviews Joker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made” Joker: Folie a Deux actor says the musical-superhero movie is the “worst film ever made” Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviews Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Joker: Folie à Deux, and it’s much more positive than his Venom or Madame Web reviews Latest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest► Latest 26 years later, 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proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1 Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”