I would say “Spoiler alert!” if there were anything of substance to spoil here. Joker: Folie à Deux disrespects everyone who watches it in the cinema by wasting their money and time. The movie tries to ride upon the success of the original Joker but, much like every other sequel, it is the worse version of the original one. Numbers don't lie — while its predecessor grossed over a billion dollars worldwide on a budget of 70 million dollars, Joker 2 is on pace to lose 150 million dollars in box office sales.
Folie à Deux was the longest two hours of my life.
For the non-existent original plot, Arthur Fleck, this franchise's Joker, is in court for the crimes he committed in the first movie. The entirety of this movie is about the previous one and lacks any original plot save for the last 30 minutes of the film. Its pace is poorly executed, and scenes run longer than necessary, killing all of the tension. The protagonist's evolution is reduced to a series of shallow scenes rather than a complete story. The film hints at the struggle between his two split personalities as he oscillates between remaining as Arthur and embracing the Joker.
The movie interrupts itself and breaks its own momentum whenever anything interesting is about to happen. Even if it tries to follow the first movie, it ruins everything the predecessor did by making Arthur choose his ‘Arthur’ persona over ‘Joker’ without a good reason (other than ‘protecting’ society that he disavowed in the previous film), foregoing the entire point of turning into the Joker as a result of societal mistreatment that made the previous film so beloved.
The only ‘noteworthy event’ in the film is the death of the main character at the end of the movie, uneventfully murdered by a random inmate.
The supporting cast, especially Lady Gaga’s character of Harley Quinn (or Lee Quinzel for this movie), is poorly fleshed out, and is treated more like a prop than a genuine part of the story. Her motivations are unclear, and she is only used as a cheap, stereotypical ‘blond bombshell’ that is in love with the protagonist. Arthur's relationship with Lee Quinzel and other supporting casts lacks any emotional resonance, making the film feel hollow rather than immersing the viewers. With Lady Gaga, at least it could’ve been a good musical, only it’s too ashamed to fully embrace the only thing that could've salvaged the film. Instead, musical numbers are awkwardly integrated, and they feel forced into a film where it doesn't belong. Lady Gaga is wasted in this film.
I wish I could say that the movie’s worst crime is merely being criminally boring. There is a scene where it is heavily implied multiple guards sexually abused Arthur because of his defiant attitude towards authority figures. It is natural to be greatly affected after such a terrible event, however, none of the long lasting consequences are depicted, and this scene is used just to provide ‘shock value’ to the audience.
Instead of offering meaningful commentary on trauma or the impact of abuse, the film uses the real-life issues of sexual assault in prison systems for their ‘dark and edgy’ vibes. By not providing a meaningful context or resolution to the scene, this lack of thought alienates real-life victims, and trivializes the weight of sexual assault by never properly addressing the traumatic consequences. This unsympathetic disregard of the weight of the problem not only breaks the immersiveness of the film, but also makes it feel exploitative when it uses sexual abuse as a ‘cheap’ device for sensationalism, detracting from any possibility of a genuine story.
In conclusion: don't watch it, watch any other film and avoid wasting your money.
Claire Choi is a freshman in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. She can be reached at cc2872@cornell.edu.
