by ECI Released : 2024-10-05
Joker: Folie à Deux is a sequel to 2019's Joker and follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) aka the Joker as he stands trial for the five murders (the 6th killing of his mother is unknown to the public) he committed in the first film. These include his former co-worker, three employees of Wayne International who accosted him on the subway, his mother, and of course Murray Franklin live on national television.
After spending two years in prison Arthur is set to stand trial for his crimes and is often tormented by a cruel Arkham prison guard played by Brendan Gleeson. During this time he begins taking music classes and meets Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga) a self-admitted inmate in the prison's psychiatric wing. A romance forms and upon her release she begins attending Arthur's trial.
The film was disappointing after the success of the first film. Throughout the film, we see unnecessary musical sequences that don't advance the plot. There is a lack of action compared to the first film. Most of the plot involves characters in the trial or prison reminiscing about those events, which leads to nothing of note occurring in the second film. It still has its moments and Phoenix's performance is excellent but it came down to wasted potential for what could have been an amazing sequel instead of a forgettable film.
