The first reactions for Joker: Folie a Deux are here – and they are delightfully mixed.
The long-awaited sequel to Todd Phillips' award-winning Joker sees Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) fall in love and break out of Arkham Asylum – all while singing and dancing. The cast includes Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, Harry Lawty as Harvey Dent, Steve Coogan as a popular TV personality, and Catherine Keener as Arthur's defense lawyer.
Deadline called it a "brilliant musical return to a world of madness" adding, "With song, dance, comedy, darkness, animation, drama, violence and more, this is a musical, if it even is a musical, like no other."
"It's a great sequel with surprising twists! With added song and dance, Joker's story struts down a more meditative path that is more restrained. Lady Gaga shines in Joker: Folie a Deux's musical sequences!" a DiscussingFilm journalist wrote.
"Joker: Folie à Deux is a bold, daring and mesmerizing masterpiece. Joaquin Phoenix continues to amaze as Arthur Fleck while Lady Gaga delivers the best performance of her career thus far as Harley Quinn. Todd Phillips has truly upped the ante in almost every way with this sequel including the musical elements, which are brilliantly executed. Joker: Folie à Deux is the film of the year and will spark a lot of conversation and debate going into award season," someone tweeted.
"I can confirm: Joker Folie a Deux is a musical, no matter what the filmmakers (or WB) say. It's also a challenging sequel that adds depth to Arthur Fleck, making him (and his fans) more pathetic, and more interesting, than ever," TheWrap said.
"Joker: Folie à Deux feels like it’s bad on purpose. A fascinatingly lifeless troll of a movie designed to anger fans and bore everyone else. Its complete waste of Lady Gaga is worse than any of Joker’s crimes," wrote David Ehrlich of IndieWire.
Variety was also unimpressed, calling the sequel, Todd Phillips’ desperate-to-be-darkly-irreverent but actually rather clunky and earthbound musical sequel to “Joker."
Similarly, IGN wrote, "Despite the best efforts of Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and an opening hour set in Arkham Asylum, Joker: Folie à Deux wastes its potential as a movie musical, a courtroom drama, and a sequel that has anything meaningful to say about or add to the first Joker."
Our own review calls the sequel, "art courtroom movie, part behind-bars romance, Folie à Deux is an unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes."
Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 4. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.
