Rating: 1.5/5 stars

The musical thriller “Joker: Folie à Deux,” directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”), lacks the anticipation and buildup of the Joker’s persona from its original film. The sequel to “Joker” starring Joaquin Phoenix (“Napoleon”) and Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”) had the potential to be something great but fell short. 

The film saw a tremendous elevation of Phoenix’s performance by Gaga’s portrayal of the love interest Harleen “Lee” Quinzel. With Phoenix’s performance being elevated by his co-star. Overall, the two did a great job and brought the story to life. Viewers see a few cameos from the original, Arthur Fleck’s co-worker Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”). There are also a few new faces like Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey, “Industry”).

The entire plot revolves around Arthur Fleck’s “Joker trial” following the first film and Lee’s influence on him. As Arthur Fleck internally battles between himself and the Joker, the audience gets to see a new side to Fleck; a side that is more sensitive and caring. All the while Lee is pushing him to become the maniacal Joker. The musical numbers in this barely correlate to the piece and do not connect back to what the plot conveys. 

Many have called this a bad film with those who saw this in theaters regretting seeing it. Those who did see it have many questions surrounding the film’s creation. 

The major question surrounding this film is: “Who is this for?” Fans do not think that it is for them. So, why was it made? Currently in the box office it has been a torrential disaster losing between $125 and $200 million. What does this film do for society? Perhaps the director made it for himself to prove that he could continue what he started with the “Joker” story. 

Admittedly so, Phillips shows the duality of hopelessly mentally ill conditions and its psychotic counterparts. His portrayal of mental health comes at a time when mental health is more visible and vocalized than in previous decades. It is nice to see a director bring light to current issues facing many people today. There is a subtle notion that this is a story about a man against the world. 

With no one knowing who this is for and money. It seems as though this movie should not have been made. After all, the “Joker” could have ended the way it did. The performance by the cast was phenomenal but meant nothing if there is not a good story. The only thing it did was add substance to the story. This was an unfortunate sequel to a story arch that could have been so much more. It had major shoes to fill from its first film and could not fulfill them.

Image from Warner Bros. Uk & Ireland via Youtube