In 2019, the Joker received his own self-titled feature film starring Joaquin Phoenix, focusing more on the psychological side than being the Clown Prince of Crime and arch nemesis to Batman. This unique take on the iconic DC villain won various awards and eleven nominations, breaking the record previously held by 2008’s The Dark Knight and having a big cultural impact. The sequel aims to dive even deeper into the Joker’s twisted mind while adding Harley Quinn to the mix. Todd Phillips returns to the director’s chair with Joaquin Phoenix reprising the lead role and introducing Lady Gaga in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, now laughing its way into cinemas worldwide.

Arthur Fleck, now institutionalised at Arkham, is struggling with his dual identity and awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker. While at Arkham he meets another patient, Lee and they become infatuated with each other, sharing a lot in common. Even behind bars, it’s clear to see the influence he’s had on the people of Gotham, who are anticipating his release. Even though being the Joker has brought him a loyal following and now romance, he still questions whether people love him for the face he wears or for who he might really be.

Joaquin Phoenix once again creates a unique portrayal of the Joker, setting itself apart from other iconic portrayals by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. He is more deranged and unpredictable than ever, leaving audiences guessing what he’ll do next. Every single action he makes, whether it be big and expressive or small and subtle is done so meticulously, you’ll feel every emotion he’s going through. He clearly looks defeated and has lost his smile, occasionally telling a joke just to get a cigarette from the guards. When he sees the impact he’s had on the people of Gotham, he starts to become optimistic and slowly finds his smile again, which could work against him in court. His relationship with Lee may seem odd from an outside perspective, but the film does a fantastic job of illustrating how they become head over heels for each other.

Pop sensation, Lady Gaga joins the cast as Lee, the film’s version of Harley Quinn, with the name likely taken from the character’s real name, Harleen Quinzel. This take on the Joker’s main squeeze changes quite a lot of what made her famous, making her a more serious and tragic character instead of comedic relief. In every other version such as Batman: The Animated Series where she made her debut, plus comics and more, she started off as a psychiatrist examining the Joker, who soon found herself falling for him, replicating his twisted humour and joining him on his criminal escapades.

In this film, she’s depicted as another patient at Arkham with a history of Arson. Lady Gaga is best known for her outlandish performances in music videos and on stage, so her being cast as the unhinged jester would’ve been the perfect match. Unfortunately for fans of the character, she’s much more Lady Gaga than Harley Quinn, especially when she’s performing songs. The Joker is different from how he is in other media but still feels like the Joker, but the same can’t be said for Harley or in this case, Lee. There are some subtle references like wearing an outfit with diamond patterns or the familiar red and black, but for the most part, it’s easy to forget that she’s meant to be Harley Quinn at all. Even having her hair in pigtails would’ve been a nice nod to the source material.

On the flip side, however, she creates a convincing performance as a disturbed individual who finds solace in being with Arthur, who like many, was heavily influenced by his Joker persona. The film features more musical performances than you’d expect, which is where Lady Gaga shines brightest by doing what she does best. Even though this drives Lee/Harley further away from how Batman fans know her, the musical numbers are no doubt entertaining to watch, especially when she performs with the Joker adding to their onscreen chemistry, doing covers of classic songs such as “For Once in My Life” and “Close to You”. Lady Gaga herself also created an entire new album titled Harlequin with some original songs, just for the film.

The musical performances and the live talk show are all in Arthur’s head, which he uses as a coping mechanism to get him through the day and when he feels overwhelmed. Despite all of that being made up in his mind, it’s also an accurate reflection of how he is on the outside, adding to the mystique of the character. As good as Arthur and Lee are on screen despite the drastic changes, it’s everything else about the film’s plot that falls short.

A large portion of the film takes place in the courtroom, which of course is for Arthur to try to plead his case and although there are some fun moments, it feels overdone with the amount of time spent in that room. Seeing the development of Arthur’s dual personality is what makes it worth it though, as he goes from actually trying to prove his innocence to treating everything like a joke and back again, but even then it still drags on. Overall ,the courtroom scenes are necessary, but not as exciting to watch compared to the variety the 2019 movie had.

Like the original film, Joker: Folie à Deux also takes place during the 80s and the set pieces and cinematography do a fantastic job of bringing the audience into that time period. The fashion, cars, buildings, old TVs and more all create that atmosphere of a dark and gloomy Gotham City, even if there’s no caped crusader lurking in the night. Seeing another familiar Batman character appear and some returning cast from the original movie is also a nice touch.

The potential for an epic sequel was there, but it failed to capitalise on it. There are a lot of good moments from Arthur’s mental struggles, his relationship with Lee and of course the musical numbers, but the bad greatly outweighs the good. The pacing is all over the place, probably more than Arthur’s twisted mind and it just doesn’t have the same impact as its predecessor, especially a certain scene misses the point of what the Joker is all about. Lady Gaga is just Lady Gaga in a movie, which is great for the musical scenes but fans expecting to see a live action Harley Quinn will have to watch the Suicide Squad movies to get their fix. 2019’s Joker was an amazingly well-crafted film deserving of its awards and one that didn’t necessarily need a sequel and Joker: Folie à Deux is proof of that.

Written by: Sammy Hanson