10 Biggest Positives From Joker: Folie a Deux"s Reviews (Including The Brutal Ones)

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Joker: Folie à Deux premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and the reviews for the new DC Universe film have not all been kind, although several features stand out as positives from the consensus. While it is still early, the Joker sequel has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a lower score than its predecessor. Following the first film's enormous success and pop culture permeation, there are hopes the sequel can follow in its footsteps. While the reviews have not been glowing, there have been some consistent features that reviewers have agreed upon for the film.
DC has not been doing well in theaters lately, with some of DC's biggest box-office bombs coming in the past few years. Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash both failed to make an impact, and the studio has since pivoted to a new DC Universe that will be formally launched with 2025's Superman movie, directed by James Gunn. Joker: Folie à Deux is less tied to the DCU as an Elseworlds story, but it is still very important to the overall brand's perception. Fortunately, reviewers have tended to agree that the film gets some things right.
10 Lady Gaga Is An Excellent Harley Quinn Harley Quinn Was Previously Played By Margot Robbie In The DCEU Close Harley Quinn has become one of the most popular characters in the DC Universe, and bringing a star like Lady Gaga in to take on the role is an inspired choice. With the musical elements, having Gaga fill out the cast is an excellent choice. Despite their negative review, ScreenDaily confirmed that "Not surprisingly, Gaga shines during these set pieces, whether sweetly crooning ‘(They Long To Be) Close To You’ or belting ‘Gonna Build A Mountain’ in amped-up R&B/gospel mode."
FirstShowing.net agreed with this take, saying that "Gaga is phenomenal as Harley Quinn, one of her finest performances yet." Considering the character's place in the pop culture canon, this is a promising element. Harley Quinn is an excellent character and Gaga is a great performer, so it is comforting to hear that the casting is effective.
9 Joker 2 Interacts Effectively With Its Predecessor's Fanbase Arthur Fleck Was Esteemed By Many Viewers Of The First Film Close Interestingly, it appears the new sequel interacts uniquely with its predecessor. FirstShowing.net noted that "the strongest lesson from Joker: Folie à Deux is that fans and followers can be the most dangerous," which is a turn some viewers may not be expecting after the idolatry of the lead figure in the first movie. While some came out of the original release looking up to the Joker more than ever before, it seems this new film does what it can to turn away from that.
SlashFilm also reflected on this, noting about villains like the Joker that "none of these characters should be revered, yet they are" before explaining how this is approached in the new film. It seems that Folie à Deux makes interesting and effective choices to reframe the legacy of the first film and to create something new. This is a comforting detail.
8 The Movie Takes Risks And Makes Big Swings Folie A Deux Features Musical And Animated Sequences Close The new Joker films promises to be an unusual experience. IONCINEMA gave the film a negative review, but still had to admit that there were "out-of-pocket risks occurring during the trial when, dressed as Joker, he attempts to question witnesses using varying degrees of Southern and British accents." While this is a strange choice for the film, it plays into the iconoclastic nature of the titular character.
Time Out's four-star review was more positive, stating that "The film itself has multiple personalities: it’s a musical, a courtroom drama, a prison movie and even a Loony Tunes style cartoon." They noted that the swings worked for them. While not every review agreed with this conclusion, they all certainly note that the film does original and unconventional things, even if it won’t work for all viewers.
7 Joker: Folie A Deux Is Proficiently Made With A Great Score The Cinematography And Music Are Strong Close Fortunately, reviews suggest that Folie à Deux is a well-made film with great components. SlashFilm commented on how special "the way composer Hildur Guðnadóttir weaves her original score in between and in conjunction with the handful of songbook standards performed in the film." With its unusual makeup and style, it is comforting to see that most reviewers agree on many of the technical aspects of the film.
Vulture too commented on some of the production, including "one lovely visual — an overhead shot of Arthur being escorted through the rain by four guards carrying brightly colored umbrellas, though when we cut to their backs, the umbrellas are revealed to all actually be black." Although the reviewer notes that this style does not continue throughout the whole film, there is clearly some beauty to be found in the production of the film.
6 The Tone Is Dark And Unique The 1980s Gotham Setting Feels Real And Unusual Close The feel of the new film matches the first one, with some unconventional growth. Screen Daily's negative review urges audiences to "Give Folie a Deux credit for being as bold as the 2019 film, with returning director and co-writer Todd Phillips plunging us back into the darkness of early-1980s Gotham City." This tone, which was so unique and effective in the first film, has been built on top of with new ideas and themes.
IGN notes beyond this that the film "begins with the promise of a novel approach to the Joker and Harley Quinn, placing them in a world where the opposite of cruelty is musical romance." While the reviewer doesn't believe that this is the most effective, it clearly takes steps to invigorate the established tone with new flair. This works for some, although not for all.
5 The Approach To The Joker And Harley Dynamic Is Fresh Joker And Harley's Relationship Has Been Reframed Multiple Times In DC History Close IGN stated in their review that "The careful line Gaga walks between adoration and mania is entirely worthwhile, and temporarily allows a commentary on fandom obsession to sneak its way into the picture." This unique outlook follows the recent path for the character, including in the newest Batman show. Harley Quinn was created as a girlfriend for the Joker, but her character has since evolved in interesting ways.
It is good to hear that the contrast between the two as performers in the film is effective and interesting, as well as the fact that their dynamic is reframed. Harley and Joker's relationship in Suicide Squad was criticized for what was perceived as glamorizing some of the toxic elements of their romance, underlining the need for future adaptations of the characters to take a different approach. Fortunately, that seems to be the case here, allowing the film to create a unique relationship between its stars.
4 The Supporting Cast Are Effective, If Underused Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, And Brendan Gleeson Conrtibute To The Cast Close IONCINEMA finds some value in the supporting cast of the new film. Their review notes that the film features "Catherine Keener as a sympathetic lawyer, and Zazie Beetz, reprising her kindly neighbor character from the first film for one scene, appear to be on hand to establish some sense of legitimacy." Including these excellent performers in an already stacked cast does help to elevate the film.
FirstShowing also seems to find some value in the supporting characters and how they are used. Their review talks about how "All of the supporting characters, from Lady Gaga as Harley to Brendan Gleeson as a prison guard to Catherine Keener as his lawyer to his fellow inmates that admire him, are all expressing their own deep, dark true selves by looking up to Arthur." It appears that the supporting cast of the film are effective in the small roles that they play.
3 Joker 2 Is Not A Retread Of The First Film The New Sequel Is Its Own Movie For Better And For Worse Close It is clear from the recent reviews that the new sequel does not simply retread ground that the first film covered. IGN comments that "Joker, though scattered in its politics and committed to aping other, better filmmakers, at least had unifying visual and thematic motifs. It felt complete, albeit cobbled together. Joker: Folie à Deux departs from this approach – initially for better, though eventually for worse." While this is not a wholly positive response to the changes, it is clear that the film takes some unique steps.
In another negative review, the BBC notes that the film "bravely subverts audience expectations, but it does result in a film that is a dreary, underwhelming, unnecessary slog." While this path doesn't work for all viewers, it is notable following the director's past sequels. Todd Phillips found great success with The Hangover, then practically made the same film again for the sequel. It is relieving to note that this is not the case here.
2 Joaquin Phoenix Gives Another Oscar-Worthy Performance Phoenix Previously Won An Academy Award For His Performance As Arthur Fleck Close Joaquin Phoenix won an Academy Award from his performance in the first film, and it appears that Oscar buzz may follow his second turn as the character. Vulture noted in a negative review that "Joker: Folie à Deux is Arthur’s movie, and Arthur just isn’t that interesting, despite how much effort Phoenix puts into rendering the character in exquisitely anguished mental and sunken-chested physical detail." While they don't love the final product, they clearly show appreciation for the work put in by Phoenix.
In a more positive review, Time Out said that Phoenix's "brokenness fits the character and his solitary rendition of Jacques Brel’s ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ is truly a thing of beauty." Seeing Joaquin Phoenix perform in this role, and rise to the new, interesting challenges that the film requires, has clearly made the release an interesting contribution to the actor's career. Phoenix will likely be discussed in Academy Awards conversations in the coming months, along with Gaga.
1 Joker: Folie A Deux Reframes The Joker's Legacy Once Again The DC Film Does Original Things With The Character Of Arthur Fleck Close While the first film created a cult hero, Joker's legacy changes in the new movie, providing an evolution from the original plot. In a negative review, Flicks noted that the film seems to think that "the most meaningful thing to do is dig deeper in the hopes that it’ll discover something poignant that wasn’t there in the first place." While the reviewer does not believe the movie does so in an appealing or successful way, they do see the notable changes and evolution addressed in the film.
Joker: Folie à Deux is clearly a challenging and original film that takes an unexpected look at the development of Arthur Fleck's character. While this does not work for many critics, it does seem that even those who dislike the movie are aware of the swings and changes that it makes to the mythos established in Joker. It remains to be seen how general audiences will respond to Joker: Folie à Deux - however, it has already proven itself to be divisive and, if nothing else, an interesting follow-up to the original release.

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