Joker: Folie à Deux, Deux

(image courtesy of Warner Bros)

WGHS Robert Arizmendi and Lochlan Chastain give their review of Joker: Folie à Deux released October 4, 2024, in theaters.
by Robert Arizmendi and Lochlan Chastain

Robert:
The new Joker movie, but it wasn’t good for many reasons. The main thing I believe was the worst was that I didn’t understand what was happening and why there was so much singing. It felt like I was in a musical, and it was pretty confusing. The first Joker movie was excellent, so I was excited to hear about a second one coming out, but it wasn’t even close to the quality of the first. It would’ve been cool to see someone like Batman make an appearance or have the Joker fight someone instead of the challenge of trying to memorize a song script. I also thought it was funny how they put Lady Gaga to play Lee Quinzel which may have been the sign that it would have a lot of singing. A lot of newer movies, especially the sequels, have been declining in quality and seem to try to make movies more friendly to various audiences. Instead of Joker being a deranged villain, they wanted him to be more calm and sing instead of having the personality of the actual Joker as shown in the first movie. The only thing I liked about the movie was how Joaquin Phoenix played his role, but not even his amazing performance could save this movie.

Lochlan: 
The first film is one of my all-time favorite depictions of Joker. Joaquin Phoenix played the Joker in a new way that provided a glimpse into a whole new DC Universe. I wanted to see Robert Pattinson's Batman go against this Joker but unfortunately, it was completely derailed. 

This movie was a crushing blow to me. I was so excited about this movie when the first movie hinted at a sequel. I remember telling my dad, whom I saw it with, that I wanted to see this movie but now that it is out, I wish it never happened. The first movie was gritty and psychological, but this film is more of a musical. It made no sense and they ruined the best part, the Joker. Joker is tamed in this movie because he is heavily medicated, and the whole movie revolves around whether or not he can be released. They also completely changed the lore between Joker and Harley Quinn. Instead of Joker manipulating Harley, his psychiatrist, into joining him just so he has a constant way out of Arkham, they make Harley try and convince Arthur, Joker’s true identity, into becoming the Joker again. The movie is a complete flop and let me down immeasurably. It completely ruined everything DC had going for them. As more and more movies get made, I realize that Superhero films are a dead genre and villains are no longer sought after to be villains. Every time a movie is made about a villain, they try to make them a hero and it ends up being the worst thing for the character. They made one of DC’s most dangerous villains more crazy rather than a human driven to insanity. 

Joker has always served as an in-depth look into the human psyche and showed Batman’s flaws. Joaquin’s Joker had a decent shot at achieving this until this movie came out. This movie made the Joker feel more like a joke than a broken guy with a serious problem. It is an insult to the great work of the first and was disappointing. Lady Gaga isn’t a bad actress and didn’t contribute to my bad rating. She is very talented and I would love to see her reprise her role but with better plot and writing. I hope that DC figures out their movies because Marvel is on a comeback due to Deadpool & Wolverine.