'Joker: Folie a Deux' Review - 10/06

 'Joker: Folie a Deux' Review

Last night I was able to catch the sequel to the Joker film by Todd Phillips in IMAX 70mm. It was my first time seeing a film in 70mm and the experience was super enjoyable. The film was a big part of that enjoyment as well.

My score is as follows:

Plot 6/10

Acting 8/10

Directing 7/10

Writing 4/10

Cinematography 8/10

Soundtrack 9/10

Costumes 7/10

Lighting 8/10

Color 7/10

Emotional Impact 4/10

Overall: 68/100

Plot wise, the film is fine. It picks up after the first film and becomes a court-room drama/musical which I personally loved. I almost feel like if you liked the first one, you'll hate this and if you hated the first one, you'll love this. Phillips is clearly grappling with the fact that he made Arthur Fleck into someone that people look up to and idolize, when he's not someone who deserves that. A problem I continue to have with the franchise is how it infantilizes mental illness. That's never been what the Joker character is. He didn't need to be mentally ill to still be a lovable character. Look at The Dark Knight, for example. Ledger's Joker is just an evil crime lord. He's Batman's arch nemesis and that's all he needs to be to be both loved and hated by the audience. 

I will say that Phoenix and Gaga really knock it out of the park. They commit fully to what this movie is and if anyone from the film should be nominated for an Academy Award it would be Gaga. The sad thing about that though is that she most likely won't win and that's not her fault, it's the scripts fault for completely under developing her character. You don't really know her motives, who she is, or why she's doing what she's doing. It tells you one thing but then shows another. Nothing lines up and this is a constant problem I had with the first film too. It's too much in Arthur's head, I don't know what's real or not. As an audience member I wish could make opinions by myself but these films rarely let me. The second film in particular sets a tone and then drops it to make Arthur... redeemable? I guess? That's not what I need from the Joker. And I understand (now) that Fleck is not THE Joker, but that doesn't mean him admitting to killing people makes him a good guy. I don't think anyone deserves the death penalty but I also don't think Arthur Fleck should be walking the streets. He should be rehabilitated, but let's not get into the issue of the American Justice/Prison system.

On the technical side of things, this movie crushes. The camera work is phenomenal, the soundtrack is stellar, the lighting is engaging, it's just really got it all. There's a scene in the courtroom when Phoenix sings 'The Joker' by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and it is by far the best scene in the entire film simply because of what is happening behind the camera. Just fantastic crew work all around. I do believe that Phillips knows what he's doing behind a camera and when it comes to coaching actors, I just think he needs to do it away from the Joker title.

I have seen the reviews from sites like Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, and Metacritic. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 33% and the audience score is a 31%.  I will say for certain, that I clearly liked this film more than most others who have seen it. That might be because I wasn't a huge fan of the first film. I found it to be predictable, obvious, and I felt that it didn't trust the audience at all. Personally, as a big fan of the Batman comics, it wasn't what I wanted from a Joker film. It didn't base itself off the comics which begs the question "Why does this franchise even exist?" Without the Joker name it's nothing, but it also doesn't really base itself on anything and disregards any original sources for the character, so... yeah. I won't get hyper fixated on that whole rabbit hole, but just wanted to bring it up.

Thanks for Sitting on the Sidelines!

Zeke H. Bennett