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Joker Folie à Deux: Mark Kermode’s superhero movie review (video).

Mark Kermode is here to bring you the inside skinny on the new superhero flick, Joker Folie à Deux. Watch this video for Mark’s take. And here’s our thoughts, too.

Joker: Folie à Deux. Just when you thought Gotham had hit rock bottom, this movie comes along to drill straight through the bedrock and throw a musical number in the abyss. Yes, you read that right. Todd Phillips’ sequel to the surprisingly successful Joker (2019) is, in fact, a musical. And, as if that wasn’t enough to scramble your brain, Lady Gaga joins Joaquin Phoenix in a movie that’s less “Clown Prince of Crime” and more “Clown Prince of Confusion.”

Let’s break it down, shall we? The Joker saga returns with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck still stuck in Arkham, which, given the prison food and the décor, feels like the ideal place to contemplate one’s homicidal tendencies. Now, add a dash of romance—because nothing says ‘date night’ quite like a shared appreciation for violent rampages. Gaga enters as Harleen Quinzel (or “Lee,” because sure, why not), and together, they proceed to deepen their relationship through music therapy sessions, arson, and a trial that makes you question if this whole film is some sort of elaborate inside joke.

Gaga plays a reimagined Harley Quinn… minus, you know, everything that makes Harley Quinn recognizable. The cackling, acrobatic psychiatrist we know and love is nowhere to be found. Instead, we get Lee Quinzel, an amoral, manipulative liar with a backstory that changes more times than Gotham’s weather forecast. She claims to have grown up in Arthur’s neighbourhood with a tragic tale of abuse, but by the second act, we learn she’s from the Upper East Side (quelle surprise!) and voluntarily checked herself into Arkham to be close to the Joker. Sounds healthy, right?

And then there’s the romance, which really heats up when Lee—newly “released” from Arkham—visits Arthur, and, because apparently no one’s watching, the two of them get frisky in the least romantic place imaginable. The rest of us are left to question why on earth we’re watching a Joker movie where the central relationship feels like an episode of Maury but with more stabbing.

Somehow, Folie à Deux manages to layer in courtroom drama, musical interludes, and Joaquin Phoenix dancing (again), all while feeling like it’s desperately stalling for time. At one point, Arthur represents himself in court (because what could go wrong?) and just starts casually blaming all of his past murders on guards he doesn’t like. Meanwhile, the film occasionally remembers it’s supposed to be a musical, so Phoenix sings to Gaga through a television screen, which is the kind of scene that feels too surreal for even Gotham.

Critics have tried to make sense of this chaos, with mixed results. Most have agreed the production is undeniably gorgeous—cinematography and costumes are on point—but the narrative? That’s another story. Or maybe not, because it’s barely there. For a film that keeps flashing between psychological thriller and grunge cabaret, it doesn’t seem to care much about telling an actual story. Not that fans of the first Joker film were expecting a coherent plot, but we could have done without the film slamming the brakes every five minutes for an awkward song.

Now, we can all agree that Lady Gaga is a powerhouse. But this is not A Star is Born 2. Critics have been torn, with some praising her “wildcard energy” while others bemoan that her musical talents aren’t fully utilised—because apparently the film was too busy focusing on Joaquin Phoenix’s brooding. Speaking of Phoenix, if you enjoyed his one-note Joker from the first film, good news: it’s more of the same here, though with slightly less cackling and slightly more walking around Arkham looking disheveled.

The rest of the cast? Steve Coogan pops in for a quick cameo as a smarmy TV host, Brendan Gleeson channels his inner “abusive guard” (because sure, we needed another one of those), and Harry Lawtey’s Harvey Dent makes you wonder if they’ve run out of ideas for Gotham’s overworked prosecutors. The trial scenes feel like a legal drama crossed with a fever dream, complete with Arthur dismissing his own lawyer in what must be the least surprising twist in a movie full of people who should have their licenses revoked.

If you were hoping for a follow-up that dives deeper into the Joker’s psyche, Folie à Deux will… well, it’ll make you laugh, but probably not for the reasons intended. The film is less psychological thriller and more surrealist musical experiment, a sequel that dares to challenge its audience to sit through two hours of Arthur Fleck playing the victim, complete with courtroom standoffs, awkward sex scenes, and musical numbers that don’t quite land. It’s a film that wants to have it all: the gritty realism of Joker (2019) and the over-the-top spectacle of a musical, and in trying to marry the two, it ends up with neither.

If this sounds like your kind of madness, then Folie à Deux is ready to deliver. But if you prefer your Joker movies with fewer impromptu dance breaks and a little more plot, you might want to sit this one out—or at least wait for it to hit streaming services where you can skip the songs.

ColonelFrog

Colonel Frog is a long time science fiction and fantasy fan. He loves reading novels in the field, and he also enjoys watching movies (as well as reading lots of other genre books).

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