JOKER 2 Folie a Deux Review | EMBARRASSINGLY AWFUL!
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Snarky J reviews the film 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' which she finds to be a disappointing sequel to the original 'Joker.' She had low expectations going in, disliking the idea of a musical and the casting of Lady Gaga. Despite praising Joaquin Phoenix's performance and Todd Phillips' cinematography, she criticizes the plot, musical interruptions, and Gaga's portrayal of Harley Quinn. The review ends with a strong disapproval of the film's direction, particularly its forced connection to the Batman universe. Snarky J gives the film a 3/10 rating.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The reviewer loved the first *Joker* movie but found the sequel extremely disappointing.
- 🗓️ The video was recorded on Tuesday, October 1st, after an early screening of *Joker: Folie à Deux*.
- 🎭 The reviewer had low expectations for the sequel due to concerns about Lady Gaga’s casting and the film being a musical.
- 😞 The reviewer gave the movie a 3 out of 10, calling it a waste of time and criticizing its lack of purpose.
- 🎶 The musical aspects of the film were viewed as jarring and disruptive to the plot, and Lady Gaga’s performance as Harley Quinn was found underwhelming.
- 🎥 Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck was praised for its depth and complexity, and Todd Phillips’ cinematography was also highlighted as a strength.
- 🤦♂️ The reviewer criticized the casting and portrayal of Harvey Dent, calling it miscast and out of character.
- 🃏 The ending, which hints at Arthur Fleck dying while a new Joker is born, was seen as predictable and unsatisfying.
- 🖼️ Despite the film’s artistic elements, such as strong set design and lighting, the reviewer believed the movie should never have been made.
- 💬 Overall, the sequel was deemed unnecessary, failing to add value to the first movie and trying too hard to connect to the Batman universe.
Q & A
What are the reviewer's overall thoughts on *Joker: Folie à Deux*?
-The reviewer found *Joker: Folie à Deux* to be a disappointing sequel, giving it a rating of 3 out of 10. They felt the movie was unnecessary, poorly executed, and detracted from the original film’s legacy.
Why did the reviewer think the sequel was unnecessary?
-The reviewer believed that the first *Joker* film was a standalone artistic study of mental illness and didn’t require a sequel. They felt the sequel was made purely because the first film was financially successful, earning over a billion dollars.
How does the reviewer feel about the musical elements in the film?
-The reviewer strongly disliked the musical elements of the film, finding them to be out of place and interruptive to the plot. They felt the musical numbers distracted from the story and were not seamlessly integrated into the film.
What was the reviewer’s opinion on Lady Gaga’s casting and performance as Harley Quinn?
-The reviewer criticized Lady Gaga’s performance as Harley Quinn, saying it was one-note and lacking in depth. While they acknowledged Gaga's impressive vocal talents, they felt her acting was not up to par and that she was miscast.
What aspects of the film did the reviewer praise?
-The reviewer praised Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Arthur Fleck, calling him a consistently incredible actor. They also highlighted the film’s cinematography and set design, particularly the lighting and artistic visuals.
Why did the reviewer feel Lady Gaga’s singing detracted from the film?
-Although the reviewer acknowledged Lady Gaga’s vocal talent, they felt her musical performances were interruptions to the film’s plot. These moments felt forced and detracted from the overall storytelling.
How did the reviewer feel about Harvey Dent’s portrayal in the film?
-The reviewer disliked Harvey Dent’s portrayal, feeling the casting choice was poor and that the character came across as sleazy and smarmy. They expected a more traditional version of Harvey Dent as Gotham's Golden Boy rather than the one depicted.
What does the reviewer think about the ending of *Joker: Folie à Deux*?
-The reviewer thought the ending was disappointing and predictable. They felt the film's final moments, where Arthur Fleck is killed by another inmate who assumes the Joker identity, was a cheap plot device.
Did the reviewer feel *Joker: Folie à Deux* should be connected to the Batman universe?
-No, the reviewer felt the film struggled with whether it wanted to be connected to the Batman universe or not. They criticized its attempts to separate itself from Gotham while also including elements like Harvey Dent and Joker’s transformation.
Why did the reviewer think the sequel hurt the legacy of the first *Joker* film?
-The reviewer believed that the sequel undermined the original *Joker* film by turning what was an artistic exploration of mental illness into a chaotic mix of plotlines and musical numbers. They felt this shift in tone and purpose hurt the overall impact of the *Joker* character.
Outlines
🎬 Disappointment in the Joker Sequel
The narrator begins by expressing their deep disappointment in the Joker sequel, which they feel tarnishes the legacy of the original film. Despite enjoying the first movie as an artistic exploration of mental illness, they had low expectations for the sequel due to three main concerns: making an unnecessary follow-up, casting Lady Gaga, and turning it into a musical. These concerns were confirmed as they found the sequel to be poorly made, rating it a 3/10. The film's focus on profits rather than storytelling and its awkward blending of genres contribute to its downfall, with constant musical interludes disrupting an already weak plot.
🎭 Plot Weaknesses and Musical Intrusions
The reviewer delves into the structural flaws of the movie, feeling that it fails to commit fully to either its plot or musical elements. The plot, revolving around Arthur Fleck’s aftermath, is underdeveloped and often interrupted by jarring musical sequences featuring Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Despite liking some set pieces, the reviewer finds the musical elements to be intrusive and distracting. While praising Gaga's singing abilities, they criticize her acting as Harley Quinn, describing her performance as flat and one-note, especially when compared to Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck.
📽️ The Redeeming Qualities: Joaquin Phoenix and Cinematography
Despite their strong dislike of the movie, the reviewer acknowledges two standout aspects: Joaquin Phoenix's continued brilliant performance as Arthur Fleck and Todd Phillips' stunning cinematography. Phoenix’s acting evokes both frustration and sympathy for his character, while the cinematography elevates the film visually. The lighting and set designs effectively contrast between Gotham's dark atmosphere and the bright, surreal musical moments. However, the reviewer argues these strengths are not enough to redeem the movie, emphasizing that it should never have been made.
💥 Spoiler Alert: The Odd Dynamic and Harvey Dent
In the spoiler section, the reviewer discusses the film's odd portrayal of Harley Quinn and Arthur Fleck’s relationship, as well as the baffling inclusion of Harvey Dent. They criticize the film’s decision to depict Harley as more of a high-school-level obsession rather than a manipulative and psychotic character. The inclusion of Harvey Dent, Gotham’s DA, feels out of place, with his portrayal coming off as sleazy rather than the complex ‘Golden Boy’ figure of Gotham. The reviewer expresses frustration with the film's attempts to distance itself from the larger Batman universe while still trying to reference it.
🔪 A Cheap Twist Ending
The review continues with a breakdown of the film’s ending, which they find predictable and underwhelming. Arthur Fleck is killed by a fellow inmate at Arkham, who then begins to transform into the 'real' Joker by cutting his mouth open in the style of Heath Ledger's Joker. The reviewer criticizes this as a lazy and forced way to connect the film to the broader Joker lore, feeling it undermines the psychological depth of the first movie. This ending solidifies their belief that the film was a cheap attempt at nostalgia without meaningful storytelling.
🙄 Overall Disappointment and Final Thoughts
The final paragraph encapsulates the reviewer’s overall dissatisfaction with the film, stating that very few elements worked. Even their mother, who isn’t a big fan of comic films, felt confused by the ending. The constant eye-rolling and frustration throughout the film made it a chore to sit through. In their view, the movie should have been left as a standalone, and attempts to tie it into the Batman universe fell flat. The only redeeming qualities—Phoenix’s performance and the artistic choices in cinematography—were not enough to save the sequel from being an unnecessary and poorly executed follow-up.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Joker: Folie à Deux
💡Arthur Fleck
💡Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)
💡Musical
💡Lady Gaga
💡Cinematography
💡Mental Illness
💡Todd Phillips
💡Box Office Success
💡Harvey Dent
Highlights
The reviewer loved the first 'Joker' but found the sequel disappointing, rating it 3 out of 10.
The main criticism is that the sequel felt unnecessary and was only made due to the financial success of the first film.
The reviewer disapproved of the decision to make 'Joker: Folie à Deux' a musical, finding the musical numbers distracting and out of place.
Lady Gaga's casting as Harley Quinn was a major point of contention; while her vocals were praised, her acting was described as 'one note' and lacking the depth needed for the character.
The plot felt thin and lacked development, with much of the film feeling like interruptions rather than a cohesive narrative.
Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Arthur Fleck was highly praised, with the reviewer noting his dedication to the character.
The cinematography was a standout element of the film, with the reviewer highlighting the set pieces, lighting, and mood as positive aspects.
The dynamic between Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn felt forced and unconvincing, described as 'high school teen drama.'
The reviewer found the portrayal of Harvey Dent as a smarmy, unlikable District Attorney disappointing and poorly cast.
The film's attempt to connect back to the Batman universe was poorly executed, leaving the reviewer confused and frustrated.
The ending, where Arthur Fleck is killed and another inmate becomes the Joker, was seen as cheap and predictable, undermining the film's value.
The reviewer expressed disappointment that the sequel did not leave the original 'Joker' as a standalone film, which they felt would have been more impactful.
Lady Gaga’s vocals were praised, despite the musical aspect being considered out of place in the film’s context.
The film tries too hard to blend musical elements with the dark tone of Gotham, which ultimately detracted from the experience.
Despite a few redeeming qualities like Phoenix’s performance and the cinematography, the reviewer felt the movie should have never been made.
Transcripts
you know for as much as I loved the
first Joker the sequel is so bad that it
might completely ruin the legacy of
everything that happened in the first
one hi y'all snarky J cosplay here at
the time of this video's recording it is
Tuesday October 1st and last night I had
the pleasure of attending an early
screening of Joker fol Adu now if you've
seen me talk about this movie on this
channel before you already know that my
expectations for this film were pretty
low why well despite really enjoying the
first Joker film as a movie and not
particularly as a joker origin story I
was of the opinion that one making a
sequel to a movie that is basically an
artistic study on mental illness was
completely unnecessary two bringing Lady
Gaga into said sequel was a terrible
mistake because I am not a huge fan of
her acting skills and three and perhaps
worst of all was the fact that they
stressed that this would be a musical I
don't like musical and I didn't think
making the sequel to Joker a musical was
going to be very good and for as low as
those expectations were for as gently
optimistic as I wanted to be this movie
was absolutely atrocious before I get
into the spoiler-free review segment of
this video I'll let you guys know my
rating which is a three out of 10
unfortunately for Joker it feels like a
movie that is a complete waste of time
first and foremost from the very
beginning it feels like a movie that
should have never happened and it's
incredibly clear from the beginning that
the only reason this sequel even
happened is because the first one made
over a billion dollars I don't always
think box office earnings should justify
a sequel but that's where we're at now
this film almost feels like two films in
one the synopsis would tell you that
this is the aftermath of the prior movie
including Arthur Fleck contending with
what he's done other characters now
coming in like Lady Gaga's Lee otherwise
known as Harley Harley quinzel this
movie unfortunately does two things and
it does neither particularly well on the
one hand we follow the actual plot which
often feels lacking it doesn't feel like
it's giving you enough and when it does
feel like it's giving you enough they
immediately cut away into the other
thing that this movie wants to be which
is a big band really odd artsy musical I
am not a fan of musicals the only
Musical that I have ever liked is La La
Land and unfortunately even we really do
get some great set pieces in this film
the musical aspects feel incredibly out
of place and more often than not they
actually serve as interruptions to the
plot it never feels like it's perfectly
woven in like anytime somebody starts
singing it literally just feels like
they're interrupting and detracting from
a plot that you're desperately trying to
get into for 2 hours but they just won't
let you cuz Lady Gaga has to sing and on
the subject of Lady Gaga I know she has
a tremendous fan base and I am of the
opinion that she is a tremendously
talented individual however it's
incredibly evident from every single
part of this movie that the only reason
she got cast is because of her
admittedly incredible singing voice she
gives phenomenal vocals despite the fact
that I didn't like the music in this
film and I felt it was a constant
Interruption and source of Torment for
me Lady Gaga's vocals are phenomenal her
performan is Harley however not great I
don't like what they did with the script
for this char director and I think Lady
Gaga's performance as her is incredibly
one note I honestly felt more like I was
watching an Oscar winning actor versus
somebody who had just been plucked from
a High School production of dear Evan
Hansen or something I just felt like
Lady Gaga did not have the acting chops
to work alongside haing Phoenix I will
say the two reasons why this movie
doesn't get a one out of 10 for me are
the fact that haing Phoenix is a
consistently incredible actor I love his
performance as Arthur Fleck Arthur Fleck
is an odd choice for Joker to begin with
but haing Phoenix delivers on it
incredibly his performance and
dedication to the Character Are obvious
and he really delivers the kind of
performance that you almost feel
yourself having to tango with throughout
the entire movie because at some points
you want to smack him over the head for
being a prick and at another point you
genuinely feel terrible for him and that
to me goes to show you the kind of actor
that Hing Phoenix is on another note the
other thing that I really loved about
this movie I mentioned there were great
set pieces earlier and there really are
phenomenal set pieces and once again
following up on what he did in Joker 1
Todd Phillips really brings the
cinematography in this film to a whole
new level I feel like we're living in an
era where a lot of films look washed out
I don't know if that's because we've
moved obviously from film to digital but
it also just feels like cinematography
is a lost art and that is not the case
with this movie The Lighting is great
the set pieces are phenomenal they
really set the mood and the tone
especially when you can consider that
we're going from these big band musical
pieces at some point to these dark and
dreary Gotham type things at other
points it really just paints a picture
whether the picture is worth seeing or
not is up to you but I will say that
Todd Phillips puts in a lot of work in
the cinematography in this again the
only two things that I will hype up with
this movie haing Phoenix's performance
and the cinematography everything else
about this movie screams this should not
have been made you should not waste your
money on this I won't tell you to watch
it or not to watch it I always feel that
everybody should make their own opinion
but my rating stands at a three out of
10 I cannot give it any more than that I
was often annoyed and at times just not
entertained and I was dying for the
movie to end for pretty much most of it
and that's not what anybody wants to
feel when they're watching a film now
that being said I do want to get into
some spoilers now so if you have not
seen the movie This is the point at
which you turn this video off and come
back after you've seen it there are some
other things with Joker that I thought
were incredibly weird I find the dynamic
created between Arthur Fleck and Lee
quinzel Harley a little odd we already
have a Harley that is crazy all on her
own she really already does have a
degree in Psychology but becomes oddly
obsessed with the fantasy of Joker which
I think is interesting but I don't think
that Lady Gaga delivers that kind of
performance to me it felt very high
school teen drama I didn't feel that I
was watching a woman who could be a
potentially psychotic master manipulator
the one character that was bugging me
the entire time we get Harvey Dent in
this film Harvey Dent is the current da
and he is working on Prosecuting Arthur
Fleck in this movie now being a huge fan
of Batman I've always loved Harvey Den I
think two face is a great villain and I
really love the story of The Golden Boy
hope of Gotham absolutely going to
becoming too fac of course we're not
going to see Harvey Dent become two-c in
this film because this film essentially
pretends that Joker and Harley Quinn now
live in their own world because of
course this takes place before Batman is
a thing anyway the whole point though
the Harvey Dent that we get here is
really smarmy I thought the casting
Choice was atrocious to begin with I
felt this actor did not have the look to
play Harvey Dent but I additionally
really didn't like the attitude now this
could be chocked up to the fact that we
were supposed to be seeing all these
people Through The Eyes of Arthur Fleck
who probably wouldn't like the da
Prosecuting his case however I felt that
we were seeing more of a sleazy smarmy
crime show attorney that we were not
supposed to like I didn't think we were
getting Harvey Dent I don't like that
this movie continues to try and separate
things away from the universe of Gotham
as it has been established was not a fan
of that I don't really have a whole lot
of spoilers to get into because again
the plot in this is basic basically just
that trial right it doesn't really go
anywhere there's not much to be seen
from this film however the one thing
that I really want to talk about is the
ending the film ends with Arthur Fleck
back in Arkham he is told he has a
visitor we might assume that this is
Harley and as he's walking down the
hallway an inmate that we've seen them
focus in on a few times calls him and
tells him a joke and the minute we see
him start to tell this joke we can
already tell he's Disturbed now I want
to point out out that this inmate they
had kind of focused on at several points
throughout the film and they made it
really obvious where they were going
with this I already knew exactly who
this was going to be so he tells some
sort of joke about a psychopath and an
old clown or whatever and Arthur Fleck
is giving this sort of innocent out of
it smile we're not seeing Joker we're
seeing Arthur he's in this white sweater
so they're really doing a good job of
making him look vulnerable and as this
Disturbed inmate tells the joke the
punchline is he gets what he deserves he
pulls out like a shiv or a shank
whatever you want to call it and stabs
Arthur Fleck to death and we see Arthur
Fleck fall to the floor he's bleeding
he's obviously going to die and the
inmate is cackling what is very clearly
his own Joker Laugh and Arthur is what's
in Focus here and we're seeing his eyes
start to sort of glaze over as he's
laying on the floor and behind him we
see this other inmate bring the knife to
his mouth and he's out of focus and in
the background but we can see that he's
slitting his mouth open in the style of
Heath Ledger Joker so it's clear that
we've just seen Arthur Fleck who denied
the existence of Joker dying while The
Joker Is Born behind him and I thought
that that was the cheapest sh on the
planet again I hadn't had this spoiled
for me but I already knew where it was
going to me look this just do you want
to be connected to the Batman Universe
or do you not why is this honest you
know what I really don't even have the
words to me it was so pointless I looked
at my mom who doesn't really get these
things and even she was kind of like
what the it really hurt how hard I
rolled my eyes they rolled into the back
of my head they got stuck for a minute I
had to kind of like shake my head out
and reset there are so few redeeming
qualities to this film and none of them
are related to the film in itself
they're just related to the artistic
choices by Todd Phillips and Hing
Phoenix who is a guaranteed amazing
actor in my opinion Joker fed should
just not have happened at all the first
movie stands alone as a sort of expose
on mental illness you can pretty much
disconnect it entirely from the Batman
Gotham universe and just look at it as
this guy is mentally ill and
occasionally paints himself up like a
clown unfortunately the sequel tries to
reconnect it to the Batman Universe in
ways that are increasingly poorly
executed the musical numbers are
distracting and kind of terrible and not
even Lady Gaga tremendous vocals could
distract from her lackluster performance
again three out of 10 is the best I can
give this movie we should have just left
it at one should have quit while you
were ahead and that's all for me I've
been snarky J thank you so much for
watching please don't forget to like And
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5.0 / 5 (0 votes)