Did the new Joker film get it right, or was it just a bad joke?

Hey, remember how you used to be excited and curious when the first ‘Joker’ film got released back in 2019? It wasn’t your usual superhero flick; it was a dark film about this main character named Arthur Fleck losing his mind. It turned out to be a huge success that it got awarded with an Oscar! Well, the new one, Joker: Folie à Deux, came out last year and it’s a whole different story. This time, it has songs and dances, and Lady Gaga is in it as Harley Quinn. So, it was as good as the first one, or did it just miss the mark?  

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in the film Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). Photo: Pinterest 

From a dark film to a musical  

Let’s get straight to the point about Folie à Deux. If you were expecting another dark and serious film, this film has many surprises for you. The biggest change is that its musical! Arthur, now fully the Joker, meets Harley Quinn in a mental hospital. They bond over their shared craziness and escape into a colourful world filled with music and dance.  

The director of the film clearly wanted to experiment on a few things. The musical parts indicate what’s going on inside the heads of Harley and Arthur unlike other musical films. The movie tries to demonstrate about their shared mental state than about what’s happening all around them in the city. It’s a unique and bold move, trying to make an art film out of a comic book story. According to ‘The Daily Tar Heel’, if you didn’t like the first Joker film, you might think you’d like the sequel, Folie à Deux, because fans of the first one don’t seem to like it. But that’s not true. According to this view, the sequel is a terrible film in almost every way.  

What happens when you watch it?  

Undoubtedly, watching this film is a whole different experience. For some people, the musical parts in the film turned it into a strange film from a serious film. It’s difficult to take mental illness seriously when the main characters of the film are singing and dancing. You might find yourself wondering what the film is about and trying to communicate to the watchers. According to ‘Time’, to prepare for the role, Joaquin Phoenix lost about fifty pounds, just as he did for the first film. The film shows him without a shirt more than once, with his shoulder blades sticking out in an unnatural way. This extreme weight loss seems less like a commitment to the performance and more like he went too far.  

Very skinny Joaquin Phoenix spotted in the train. Photo: Pinterest  

What you get out of it really depends on your mindset. If you went in ready for twists in the film, you might find it interesting and unique, looking at two troubled people. But if you were hoping for a similar film like the first Joker film, you might find it frustrating and can feel a little annoyed with the story plot in the film. The way the film shows mental health and illness can be extremely unsettling. It’s not just for fun, it asks you to think about some difficult things.  

For instance, some film experts have pointed out that while the first film felt real, the sequel is more like a wild dream. This change might either make the movie’s point stronger or push away people who liked the original’s style.  

Joaquin Phoenix looking up at the film titile ‘Joker’. Photo: Pinterest  

How it’s different from other Batman films 

Compared to other Batman films, Folie à Deux is really on its own. Christopher Nolan’s Batman films were realistic. This new Joker series, though, doesn’t really focus on Batman. It’s all about the villains themselves, exploring their backgrounds and minds without a hero in sight. This lets the film talk about deeper ideas, but it also seems it might not feel like a typical superhero film.  

So, is it a good film to watch?  

Is Joker: Folie à Deux worth your time? It’s a tricky question. If you like films that are strange, artistic and musical, you will find it a very good watch. It’s certainly not boring, and Lady Gaga is fantastic as Harley Quinn.  

But if you’re a fan of dark and serious films and were expecting a dark sequel to the first one, you might have a hard time with this one. According to ‘Comics Beat’, the film tries to please everyone, but it doesn’t work like that. It tells a complete story about the main character, Arthur Fleck. And it’s probably better if you watch this film at home rather than watching this film in a theatre, as most people will likely feel it’s a waste of time, money and energy.  

It’s a film that asks a lot from its viewers. While it tries to do something new and creative, whether you like the new thing is totally up to you. It’s a film that will get people talking, but it’s not for everyone. If you watch it, just be ready to be astonished.