Joker: Folie à Deux is essentially Todd Phillips' way of expressing just how reluctant he was to make another “Joker” movie. LOL!
However, it’s not entirely bad if you view the film as a journey inside Arthur Fleck's mind—a space filled with depression, dissociation, and fantasy, almost devoid of reality. While it sometimes drags and can border on dull, I think it captures that concept quite well. I truly empathized with Arthur and all his trauma and tragedy.
The film literally puts Arthur and the audience on trial, dissecting every little detail from the first movie to showcase the nuances of the story and the characters involved, allowing you to be the judge of it all.
The cinematography remains impressive, and the score sets the right atmosphere—though I found it odd that they didn’t create original songs for the musical elements. The lack of original compositions feels like a missed opportunity given the nature of the story. Additionally, some of the selected tracks felt a bit out of context and could easily have been cut, which was disappointing.
On the downside, the transitions between reality and fantasy were poorly executed. Musicals should evoke emotions and help you connect with the characters—not leave you scratching your head, wondering what on earth is happening. Many scenes were far too long and confusing, detracting from immersion. And this is coming from someone who loves music and musicals! Watching those moments felt awkward; while that might have been intentional, it didn’t justify their excessive length.
The worst part is that I found most of the dialogues to be quite uninspiring. I was hoping for thought-provoking conversations that would dig into the characters' psyches, but many scenes fell flat and failed to encourage the audience to consider the nuances of the story. It’s such a bummer because with a little more effort in the writing, this could have been a truly impactful film. In the end, it felt more like another missed opportunity than a meaningful exploration of its themes.
Overall, I believe many reviews have been overly harsh because this movie wasn’t what people expected, especially following the major success of the first film. Still, despite its shortcomings, the film's exploration of mental health and the darker sides of fandom resonates, and there were standout scenes for me. I enjoyed how everything unfolded—even if the storytelling took a bit of a nosedive this time around.