Joker 2 Has Critics Completely Divided
"Joker 2" seems to be twice as controversial as the original . . . at least as far as the reviews are concerned. Here's what the critics are saying about "Joker: Folie à Deux."
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00:00Joker 2 seems to be twice as controversial as the original, at least as far as the reviews
00:05are concerned.
00:06Here's what the critics are saying about Joker, fully adieu.
00:10Joker is one of the darker comic movies out there, not to mention one of the more polarizing
00:14ones.
00:15The Clown Prince of Crime's first solo outing forgoes the crowd-pleasing thrills of superhero
00:19flicks in favor of a serious character study about Arthur Fleck and his disturbing descent
00:23into madness.
00:24So, when it was confirmed that Joker 2 was going to be more controversial as a result
00:29of mixing mayhem with musical elements, fans were intrigued to see what director Todd Phillips
00:33came up with.
00:34Joker fully adieu has finally premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival, and, as most
00:39of us expected, it's divided critics.
00:41Let's give the people what they want.
00:44Joker fully adieu sees the titular villain and Harley Quinn fall in love through their
00:47mutual love of music and wickedness, giving us a twisted romance for the ages.
00:52Meanwhile in Gotham, the Clown Prince's followers hatch a plan to free him from Arkham State
00:56Hospital so that he can continue his reign of terror in the city.
01:00That's an intriguing premise, and some critics believe that the film lives up to the hype.
01:04As Matthew Turner of NME wrote,
01:06"[Phillips has delivered the last thing anyone expected — a socially responsible Joker movie
01:10that finds an intriguing way to explore the consequences, both on and off screen, of the
01:15first film."
01:16That said, Joker 2 was always going to attract a few naysayers, and some reviewers don't
01:20recommend it at all.
01:22Regardless of your views on the first movie, many fans think that Joaquin Phoenix ranks
01:26among the best on-screen Jokers.
01:28He doesn't disappoint in this outing, either, and David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter
01:31believes that he has great on-screen chemistry with his main co-star, writing,
01:35"[Lady Gaga is a compelling live-wire presence, splitting the difference between affinity
01:39and obsession while endearingly giving Arthur a shot of joy.
01:43Their musical numbers, both duets and solos, have a vitality that the more often dour film
01:48desperately needs."
01:49Empire writer John Nugent also praised the chemistry between Phoenix and Gaga, noting
01:53that they managed to add some sentimentality to their character's bad romance.
01:58As sweet and beguiling a musical romance as it's possible to have between two murderous
02:02psychopaths, its kooky approach won't suit all stripes of comic book fan, but it finds
02:06a strange, tragic hopefulness all of its own.
02:08That's what we should be talking about!"
02:11Jokerfolia 2 also explores some of the social issues that informed the first film, with
02:15some critics praising the sequel for doing so in a compelling way.
02:19Geoffrey McNabb of The Independent described it as a shocking and unsettling depiction
02:23of urban life in modern America, a world where cities are on the verge of chaos at all times.
02:28That description makes Joker 2 sound quite exciting, but don't jump to conclusions until
02:32you've read the opposing viewpoints.
02:34The decision to make Joker 2 a jukebox musical suggests that it's one of those left-field
02:38sequels that swings for the fences and takes risks.
02:41However, some critics argue that it's quite tame and doesn't go as far as it should.
02:45Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote,
02:47"[Jokerfolia 2 may be ambitious and superficially outrageous, but in a basic way it's an overly
02:52cautious sequel."
02:53Similarly, The Times critic Kevin Marr believes that Joker 2 is a slog that doesn't do much
02:57to break free from its predecessor, or other movies for that matter, writing,
03:01"[Phillips and company smashed back into the self-contained world, shook all the contents
03:05out onto the carpet and had another go.
03:08The result?
03:09Messy, lifeless, derivative, and exactly what you'd expect from a film that simply doesn't
03:13want or need to exist."
03:15Alison Wilmore of Vulture blamed the film's sluggish qualities on the writing, stating
03:19that Arthur Fleck is the least interesting part of the story.
03:22The reviewer also argues that Gaga's talents are wasted by making her play second fiddle
03:26to such an uninspired character.
03:28Despite this, Wilmore praised Joaquin Phoenix for putting his all into playing such a tormented
03:32villain, even though he didn't have great material to work with.