Joker 2 Review - It Didn't Have To Be This Way

Summary

The review discusses the sequel to 2019's 'Joker,' expressing disappointment with its lack of a fresh storyline and its decision to incorporate musical elements. While praising Joaquin Phoenix's performance and the film's cinematography, the reviewer argues that 'Joker: Folie à Deux' feels like an unnecessary, stretched-out epilogue to the original. The story rehashes familiar themes and offers little new insight into Arthur Fleck's character. Despite technical brilliance, the film's weak plot and awkward musical numbers detract from its overall impact, making it a mediocre follow-up to its predecessor.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The 2019 'Joker' film was seen as a self-contained story, and many fans believed a sequel wasn't necessary.
• 💸 Despite fan wishes, a sequel became inevitable due to the original film's massive financial success, breaking the $1 billion mark.
• 😐 The sequel, 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' is criticized for feeling like an unnecessary epilogue to the original, adding little to the character of Arthur Fleck.
• 🎶 The decision to make the sequel a musical is seen as a mistake, with the musical numbers feeling out of place and disrupting the film's flow.
• 🌟 Joaquin Phoenix's performance is once again praised, with him fully transforming his body and bringing emotional depth to Arthur Fleck's character.
• 🎭 Lady Gaga delivers a decent performance as Harley Quinn, though her role doesn't ask much from her and remains understated throughout the film.
• 🎥 The cinematography is one of the film's highlights, with beautifully crafted shots, vibrant colors, and excellent technical execution.
• 📉 The story lacks fresh ideas, primarily rehashing themes and character elements already explored in the first film.
• 🎤 The film tries to use music to enhance Arthur's character but falls short compared to how music was used in the original.
• 🔪 The film's ending is divisive, with Arthur Fleck being murdered by another character who is implied to be the 'real' Joker, leaving Arthur's arc unresolved and unsatisfying.

Q & A

What made the original 'Joker' film so impactful that fans were hesitant about a sequel?

The original 2019 'Joker' film was a self-contained story that explored Arthur Fleck's transformation into the Joker, focusing on themes of mental illness, societal neglect, and individual suffering. It resonated deeply with audiences and critics, partly due to its darker tone, powerful performance by Joaquin Phoenix, and cultural relevance. Many felt it didn’t need a follow-up because the story was complete and impactful on its own.

Why did Warner Brothers decide to proceed with a 'Joker' sequel despite the initial reluctance from fans?

Warner Brothers pursued the sequel because of the first film's massive box-office success, where a $70 million budget resulted in over a billion dollars in earnings. Despite fan reluctance, the financial success made a sequel inevitable as it would still generate significant revenue even with an increased budget.

How does the sequel, 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' compare to the original in terms of story and depth?

The sequel 'Joker: Folie à Deux' feels more like an extended epilogue to the original rather than a fresh story. It rehashes themes already explored in the first film and doesn’t offer much new insight or development. The story is stretched over a longer runtime without introducing anything significantly different from what was presented in the original film.

What are some of the positive aspects of 'Joker: Folie à Deux' mentioned in the review?

The sequel is praised for Joaquin Phoenix's performance, which is once again powerful and compelling. The cinematography is also highlighted as stunning, with visuals that surpass the original in some ways. Lady Gaga delivers a solid, albeit understated, performance as Harley Quinn, and the film excels technically in terms of editing, sound mixing, and overall presentation.

Why is the musical element of 'Joker: Folie à Deux' considered a mistake?

The decision to make 'Joker: Folie à Deux' a musical feels out of place. While the musical numbers are well-executed, they often feel shoehorned and disrupt the film’s tone. For viewers not fond of musicals, these segments can be disengaging, making it difficult to stay immersed in the story. It was felt that the first film's use of music, as part of the atmosphere rather than a full-blown musical, was far more effective.

How does Lady Gaga's portrayal of Harley Quinn differ from previous versions of the character?

Lady Gaga's portrayal of Harley Quinn in 'Joker: Folie à Deux' is more subdued and quiet compared to other versions. Her performance is fine but doesn’t add much new to the character, with less of the hyperactive energy typically associated with Harley. Instead, she uses facial expressions to convey emotion, which works well within the film’s more serious tone.

What criticisms are made about the sequel’s story?

The primary criticism is that the sequel lacks a compelling story. It doesn’t offer anything new beyond what was already shown in the original 'Joker.' Much of the film feels like a repetition of themes and ideas, with the plot being stretched out over a longer runtime without substantial development. The attempt to delve deeper into Arthur's past also weakens the mystery surrounding his character, which was part of what made him intriguing.

How does the review view the performances of the supporting cast, including Lady Gaga and Brendan Gleeson?

Lady Gaga delivers a competent, understated performance as Harley Quinn, but her role doesn’t demand much, which limits the impact she makes. Brendan Gleeson, as one of the abusive guards, plays his role well and effectively creates tension with Arthur Fleck, reminiscent of similar characters from classic films like 'Shawshank Redemption.' Overall, the supporting cast is solid but doesn’t overshadow Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.

How does 'Joker: Folie à Deux' handle the theme of Arthur Fleck's mental illness and past trauma compared to the first film?

'Joker: Folie à Deux' brings more of Arthur Fleck's traumatic past to the surface, exposing elements that were previously implied in the first film. However, this diminishes some of the mystery surrounding his character, which was part of his intrigue in the original movie. Instead of adding new layers, it merely confirms what audiences had already suspected, leaving little to discover.

What is the overall conclusion about 'Joker: Folie à Deux' according to the review?

The overall conclusion is that 'Joker: Folie à Deux' is a technically well-made film with strong performances, particularly from Joaquin Phoenix, but it doesn’t justify its existence in terms of story. The film feels unnecessary and overly long, failing to introduce new insights or developments. The musical aspect detracts from the narrative, and while the performances and visuals are impressive, the story lacks the freshness and impact of the original.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 The Inevitability of Sequels

The paragraph discusses the cultural impact of the 2019 Joker film and the audience's reluctance towards a sequel. Despite the film's success at the box office and critical acclaim, including a Best Actor win for Joaquin Phoenix, fans did not desire a follow-up. However, the financial success of the original film, which grossed over a billion dollars on a $70 million budget, made a sequel almost inevitable from a studio perspective. The paragraph also touches on the idea that sometimes, a film's story is best left untouched, and that the 2019 Joker was a self-contained narrative that did not necessitate further exploration.

05:01

🎵 A Musical Misstep

This section of the script reviews the decision to turn the sequel into a musical, which is seen as a mistake. The musical numbers, while well-executed, feel forced and unnecessary, detracting from the film's impact. The review suggests that the film would have been better served without the musical elements, as they do not add to the narrative but instead lengthen the runtime. The performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are praised, but the story itself is criticized for being thin and uninteresting, offering nothing new to the character of Arthur Fleck.

10:02

🖼️ Technical Triumphs, Narrative Failings

The paragraph highlights the film's technical achievements, such as the cinematography, editing, and sound mixing, which are described as brilliant. However, it contrasts these positive aspects with the lack of a compelling narrative. The story is criticized for being unoriginal and failing to provide any new insights into the character of Joker. The film is described as feeling like an extended epilogue rather than a sequel, with the narrative simply rehashing what has already been presented in the original film.

15:02

🔪 A Violent and Unsatisfying Conclusion

The final paragraph discusses the film's ending, which is revealed to be divisive and predictable. The actual Joker kills Arthur Fleck, the protagonist of the original film, leaving the character without any real development or arc. The ending is criticized for being unsatisfying and for undermining the unique performance of Joaquin Phoenix in the original film. The paragraph concludes by lamenting the film's lack of originality and the studio's prioritization of profit over artistic integrity.

Keywords

💡Cultural Impact

Cultural impact refers to the influence that a particular work, such as a film, has on society and culture. In the context of the video, the 2019 Joker film had such a significant cultural impact that it resonated deeply with audiences, leading to a demand for its legacy to be preserved without a sequel. The video discusses how despite the audience's wishes, the film's financial success and critical acclaim made a sequel almost inevitable.

💡Sequel

A sequel is a film that continues the narrative of a previous film. The video script mentions that a sequel to Joker was not desired by the audience, but the financial success of the original film led to its production. The term is used to critique the Hollywood practice of creating sequels primarily for monetary gain, rather than artistic merit.

💡Oscar

The Oscars are prestigious awards for artistic and technical achievements in the film industry. The video mentions that Joker was nominated for Best Picture and Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor, indicating the film's critical acclaim. These accolades contributed to the decision to make a sequel, highlighting the influence of awards on film production.

💡Self-contained Tale

A self-contained tale is a story that is complete in itself and does not require continuation. The video argues that the 2019 Joker was a self-contained tale that did not necessitate a sequel. The term is used to express the idea that the original film had a clear beginning, middle, and end, and that a sequel was unnecessary.

💡Musical

A musical is a film or stage production that integrates songs and dance routines into the narrative. The video discusses the decision to make the Joker sequel a musical as a mistake. It critiques the integration of musical numbers into the film, suggesting they felt forced and did not contribute to the story.

💡Cinematography

Cinematography is the art of capturing and creating moving images during film production. The video praises the cinematography in the sequel, stating it is 'brilliant' and surpasses the original film. The term is used to highlight the technical achievements of the film, despite the perceived shortcomings in storytelling.

💡Iconic Moments

Iconic moments are scenes or sequences in a film that become widely recognized and memorable. The video notes the lack of iconic moments in the sequel compared to the original Joker film. These moments are important as they contribute to a film's cultural impact and lasting legacy.

💡Monetary Gain

Monetary gain refers to the profit made from a business venture. In the video, the term is used to criticize Hollywood's focus on financial success over artistic integrity. The decision to make a sequel to Joker is framed as a move driven by the potential for monetary gain, rather than a desire to continue the story.

💡Spoiler

A spoiler is a piece of information about a narrative that reveals key plot points. The video script promises to save 'spoiler talk' for the end of the review, indicating a respect for the audience's potential desire to avoid learning about the film's ending before watching it.

💡Performance

In the context of film, a performance refers to an actor's portrayal of a character. The video praises the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, suggesting that despite the film's flaws, the actors' work is noteworthy. The term is used to highlight the distinction between the quality of acting and other aspects of the film.

💡Greedy

Greedy implies an excessive desire to acquire or consume more than what is needed or deserved. The video uses this term to criticize Warner Brothers for their decision to make a sequel, suggesting that the motivation was financial greed rather than a commitment to storytelling or artistic expression.

Highlights

Joker (2019) had such a significant cultural impact that fans felt a sequel was not required or desired.

The 2019 film Joker, despite being seen as a self-contained story, is getting a sequel due to its massive financial success, breaking the $1 billion mark at the box office.

Joker: Folie à Deux is described as a movie with little new or interesting to add, feeling more like an extended epilogue to the original than a true sequel.

The sequel stretches a thin story to an excruciating runtime of 2 hours and 20 minutes, longer than the original, with the decision to make it a musical being questioned.

The musical numbers are criticized for feeling shoehorned in, with the film functioning better without them. It distracts from the narrative, unlike the way music was integrated in the first film.

Despite the film's flaws, Joaquin Phoenix delivers another standout performance, transforming his body once again and providing unsettling visuals as Arthur Fleck.

Lady Gaga plays Harley Quinn (referred to as 'Lee' in the film) but doesn't do much to make the character her own. However, she delivers an adequate performance.

Cinematography is highlighted as one of the film's strengths, with brilliant visuals and a more polished aesthetic than the original, attributed to a bigger budget.

The film's sound mixing and editing are described as top-tier, with a recommendation to watch it in IMAX for the best experience.

The story lacks depth or new insights, merely continuing from the first film's ending without exploring any fresh narrative direction.

Arthur Fleck's background, which was subtly implied in the original, is fully exposed in the sequel, removing much of the mystery surrounding his character.

The choice to turn Joker: Folie à Deux into a musical is viewed as a mistake, with many songs stemming from Joker’s delusions but failing to integrate naturally into the story.

Despite the performances, the lack of a strong, fresh narrative leaves the film feeling stale and unnecessary, with the original movie better standing on its own.

The ending of Joker: Folie à Deux is divisive, revealing Arthur Fleck is not the real Joker, but rather an inspiration for the true Joker, leaving Arthur with no real arc.

The film’s ending also mirrors elements from other films, including a brutal murder sequence, but lacks significant resolution for Arthur’s character development.

Though the film takes some technical risks and visually impresses, its story struggles to justify its existence, ultimately feeling like a money-driven decision by Warner Bros.

Transcripts

who knew penguin would be kicking

Joker's ass this time of year directly

in the Butt Talks sometimes a film

clicks with an audience so intensely

it's cultural impact so significant that

fans demand its Legacy be left alone a

sequel is not required nor is it desired

so is the case with 2019 Joker there was

a wish from audiences regarding a sequel

please don't but when your $70 million

budgeted R-rated film breaks the billion

dooll Plateau at the box office the film

is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar

and your St wins the Academy Award for

best actor a sequel in today's world is

unfortunately inevitable it's simple

economics by Warner Brothers view even

if the film had an increased budget from

the original and made half as much it'

still make the studio money and man does

money talk just ask Robert Downey

junor monetary gain is the primary focus

in Hollywood it's a business after all

but it's the business of Art and

sometimes real art breaks through no

matter how you feel about the 2019

original it's a story that could have

and should have remained standing on its

own it's not a film like 1999's the

Matrix where it had a lot of gas left in

the tank story-wise but considering what

we received for sequels we kind of all

wish it stayed at one movie The Joker

was a self-contained tale about a Broken

Man and the society that beat him down

while simultaneously ignoring him by the

end of the movie there wasn't anything

left that needed to be said and so with

Joker ful you do you're getting

precisely what you'd expect a movie with

simply nothing interesting to add to

what's already been in said it feels

like an extended epilogue to the

original it rehashes what we already

knew about Arthur Fleck trying a smidge

to add to his background and his present

but feels like a stalled car for its

near 2 and 1 half hour runtime it has

some things to say but you've already

heard it like asking a question you

already know the answer to and man

that'll test patience if you if you

already know the answers to your

questions then why ask Pig [ __ ] it's not

the worst movie of the Year by any

stretch but it wasn't wanted nor is it

exactly entertaining they stretch out a

paper thin story to an excruciating 2

hours and 20 minutes even longer than

the original movie the decision to make

it into a musical also seems to be a

mistake the musical numbers are fine but

moments often feel shoehorned in or

simply do not belong it's difficult not

to just tune it out during these long

stretches if you're not into musicals

because the film Works without them in

fact it would be marginally better

without them music played an integral

role in the first movie but having the

characters actually stop the film for

stretches to sing themselves turns it

into a dream that you tune out it was

far more effective the way the first

film handled music but I have to applaud

Todd Phillips and Company for at least

trying something different even though

it doesn't work out what the film does

have going for it is another great

performance by walking Phoenix and The

Supporting Cast Lady Gaga or Lady Gaga

is completely fine in her role as Harley

but she also isn't asked to do too much

so it seems like a difficult role to

[ __ ] up the cinematography is brilliant

as well and while it might not have the

same now iconic moments and imagery from

the first cinematographer laurren sure

has topped himself maybe it's the bigger

budget that let him do even more but

this looks even better than the original

movie I'll go into the details about the

praise and especially the negatives but

let's see where we're at story-wise

before all that fear not I'm saving all

the spoiler talk for the end of this

review and I'll make sure to give plenty

of mention for you to leave the video

before I go in the story starts sometime

after the events of the first film where

we find Arthur Fleck committed to Arkham

state hospital as he was afflicted with

a bout of The Killing Spree that

includes murdering morray Franklin on a

live television broadcast and perhaps

the original film's best scene while in

Arkham hospital he meets in quickly fall

in loves with Harley or Lee as she's

referred to here this is against the

protests of his lawyer who hopes to get

him moved out of Arkham and into a safer

Hospital you see she thinks Lee will

negatively impact his ability to defend

himself in court and the public eye as a

man with mental illness hi Jinx do ens

Su of course as you'd expect when Harley

Quinn and Joker finally meet up but it's

framed in the context of the world Todd

is built a much more serious Dow tone

than anything that's come before in the

Batman film universe and that's it for

the premise not just because of

potential spoilers but because that's

really all there is for a story like I

said it doesn't feel like a part two so

much as an epilogue to the original

stretched out to an even longer runtime

it's probably best to dive into the

details starting with what's positive

about the movie first I know I'm

actually saying something positive for

once but for every film or show I review

there's something good in there even

even if it's very very brief thankfully

Joker fly Ado is anchored by the

incredible walking Phoenix who's back

and acting his absolute ass off he

brings another brilliant performance to

the screen and has transformed his body

again as well for the role dropping

weight and turning Arthur into an

unsettling visual in and of himself he

gave a great answer to an interview

question regarding his transformation he

doesn't want to talk about it I'm not

going to I'm not going to do that this

time he went full Christian Bail and The

Machinist for a second time no less but

then again if you paid most people the

amount of money he probably earned for

this anyone would be willing to starve

themselves for a few months there

certainly is no problem with his

performance but he can only work with

what he's given and this film simply

isn't at the level of the original he

has only a couple highlight worthy

moments whereas there were probably a

dozen in the even shorter first film

participating in the movie despite a

great performance does kind of Sully the

impact and greatness of his initial role

as Joker I have a section of the review

dedicated to discussing that

specifically but it Bears prefacing it

here and considering it's a musical

thankfully he can sing with the help of

a lot of sound engineers and producers

I'm certain but we knew since Walk the

Line the guy can carry a tune Lady Gaga

as we all know can also sing which is

one of the primary reasons she's here in

the film she does an admirable job in

her role and while she doesn't do

anything in particular to make the

character of Harley Quinn her own it's

not offensive in any way either she's

neither the best actress in the world

nor is she even close to the worst and

this version of Harley is pretty quiet

and understated All Things Considered so

like I mentioned earlier she's really

not asked to do too much this suits her

well because she gets to use her facial

expressions to emote instead of just

dialogue which often only asks her to do

a smirk or blank goth girl style stare

the other members of the cast are great

we have Madi ey Moody himself as one of

the abusive guards of Arkham State

Hospital Brendan Gleason who you learn

to hate pretty quickly his character and

his interactions with Arthur Fleck

remind me of Clancy Browns Byron Hadley

and Andy dufrain in sha Shank Redemption

sometimes times he does a good deed

toward Arthur followed swiftly by a dose

of reality that he's only out for

himself interesting enough Byron Hadley

is in the much better Batman spin-off

Penguin on HBO right now the last thing

on the positive list is the film on a

technical level it's beautifully shot

beautiful to look at the editing and

sound mixing are absolutely fantastic

and I did see it in IMAX so I managed to

see it in the best format possible for

all these things to really pop if you're

seeing the film I'd absolutely recommend

experiencing it the same way

cinematographer sure has worked with

Todd Phillips a couple times before and

provided some of the best visuals I've

ever seen for a comedy of all genres

with the original hangover film while

not nearly as iconic some of his shots

in folad do rival the movie's

predecessor in sheer Beauty especially

the musical numbers folad do lacks those

images that sear into your mind like the

original though it's probably why in the

film they constantly bring those moments

back and flashbacks as a visual reminder

of what's come before from Arthur

dancing after he murders the three Wall

Street men on the subway to his dancing

as he's walking out onto the Murray

Franklin show and the close-up shot of

his face covered in Murray's blood the

images are rotated throughout this movie

for a reason they're now Cinema level

iconic and you probably won't get that

from this movie the colors in the movie

really pop too and it's easy to forget

that films aren't just told through a

script it's a visual medium too as my

editor likes to remind me so regarding

those you can't argue against how

Splendid the movie looks Lauren sure

makes Grime and grit look stunning this

is also attributed to Todd Phillips as a

director with a vision where whether you

agree with that Vision or not which I

don't is another story but I can't argue

against how well he's executed it now

with the praise out of the way it's time

to get to the non-spoiler what sucks

part of this review because a good chunk

of what's asked about this film is

spoiler rfic and I'm saving that for the

end and what sucks about this movie is

the story or a complete lack of one I

should say yes it follows the immediate

aftermath of Arthur's Mayhem and Joker

with nothing new or insightful to say

about it the original film follows

Arthur a man who's been pushed around

and beaten down by Society a forgotten

loner in as he calls himself an explicit

fashion a mentally ill loner whose

Society has abandoned him and treated

him like trash very very subtle

storytelling in that movie and that's

exactly what you keep getting here the

original film was very on the nose with

little implied but a whole lot

explicitly stated and so is this movie

but what little was actually implied

like how dark of a past Arthur had is

now exposed for the viewer to see and

hear the Joker character has always had

a mysterious past and even even though

the first film Was An Origin story they

stuck to his past being a confusing mess

for him so we wouldn't know the truth

here they half-heartedly expose a lot of

the abuse he suffered and it's exactly

what you would have expected all along

anyway like I said a lot was implied but

now it's just there the script just

tells you what you already know or

validates your suspicions rather

exposing what makes an intriguing

mysterious character tick is a problem

Hollywood creates for itself all the

time and it happened again here Hannibal

Lecter was way more interesting when you

didn't know why he ate people the scree

movies brought that to everyone's

attention and I don't need to know

Arthur's deeper motivations Beyond

what's already been shown the worst part

of it all is it's half-hearted as it's

briefly glossed over in courtroom

hearings other than that the movie

besides the ending essentially plays out

like you'd expect after seeing the

conclusion of part one he's captured by

the police he's locked up and he's going

to trial oh and he's a really depressed

and mentally ill person there isn't

anything more to say and so they really

don't say anything new at all and I

think that's why it's AIC musical to

make up for the lack of story it's

really difficult to discuss what's wrong

with it when I can't spoil anything so

speaking of Music let's move on to that

portion because well that also sucks

turning this movie into a musical was a

mistake well making the movie was a

mistake but the decision to take his

love of Tunes in the first film and

inject Arthur and Harley singing them

instead was a bad decision Todd Phillips

isn't a musical director and that's made

evident by when and how songs start and

stop Lady Gaga said that this isn't your

typical musical it's it's different very

explanatory Miss Gaga but after viewing

the movie I have to disagree it's a

[ __ ] musical through and through do

the songs push the narrative forward yes

they do meaning it's a musical Once

audiences get to watch it they'll

finally get to see it's just a shitty

musical a lot of the songs stem from

Joker's fantasies and delusions but many

don't too and they feel off-kilter and

shoehorned into the movie making up a

massive portion of its runtime I see

what they're trying to do when the song

isn't a delusion the filmmakers clearly

want it to come off as natural yet it

does anything but at no point is it

really natural for all the cellmates to

start singing when the saints come

marching in during a riot sorry as

mentioned earlier it's hard not to

unplug and detach from the film Once

musical numbers start which is the exact

opposite effect the first movie had

music was a huge part of that movie's

mood and atmosphere and that is when the

use of classic songs felt natural and

their inclusion made sense but hey

that's life with praise for the

performances and Technical aspects of

the movie that is how important story is

the film completely falls apart because

it doesn't feel even remotely fresh it

feels like it should have been about 30

minutes long a true epilogue to the

original and nothing more that movie

simply did not need a sequel and now

that one is out I feel validated in

saying that maybe this one will be

beloved for its performances like the

first but I'd still say the original had

way more going for it story-wise than

this one could possibly hope for it was

a fresh take on an iconic villain An

Origin story that still kept a sense of

mystery and Intrigue around him because

he himself didn't know much about his

past and this is well it's going through

the motions with a musical number

slapped on it Warner Brothers has

definitely gotten greedy with this one

even though monetarily it made sense to

Shell out the big bucks to get Phillips

and Phoenix back it's not as egregious

as the mentioned Matrix sequels or has

the impact of 500 sequels to Pirates of

the Caribbean had in watering down the

specialness of the original and hey it's

certainly better than most of the DC

movies that have come out over the last

decade it's no Suicide Squad or Batman

versus Superman thank God for that but

it does sully the unique and special

performance walking Phoenix gave in the

original film and it makes me thankful

in a way we didn't have to see Joker

return in the Nolan Trilogy that was an

indelible iconic performance that will

forever stand on its own and phoenixes

could have as well but alas here we are

art be damned a studio has to make money

and now this is your warning from here

on out I'm talking spoilers so if you

haven't seen the film and don't want to

know what happens leave now I'll even

give you a few seconds here's a meme

okay so the ending of this movie is an

absolute ass sandwich it's going to be

divisive and to be honest we should have

all seen it coming a mile away the

ending as Arthur Fleet getting murdered

by the real Joker or the mysterious man

who will become the real Joker the

eventual actual foil to Batman he's

telegraphed from the beginning when we

first find Arthur and Arkham they focus

on a tall lean man standing in the

background watching with a look of

disdain and admiration and we should

have seen this coming after the release

of the first movie Todd Phillips said

end quote there's many ways to look at

the movie Arthur might not be Joker this

is just a version of a joker origin it's

just the version this guy is telling in

this room at a mental institution I

don't know that he's the most reliable

narrator in the world you know what I'm

saying his tease has been more than

confirmed as the real Joker walks up to

Arthur and stabs him to death after

telling Fleck his own joke that ends

with you get what you [ __ ] deserve we

don't even get a chance to really

appreciate Arthur dying if you even do

because the shot is more focused on the

real Joker carving his own glassgow

smile with the knife he just used to

carve Arthur you [ __ ] ho dunk po dunk

well then there [ __ ] people

will probably be plenty upset that he

wasn't the real deal in the first place

but I honestly wasn't I expected this

from the moment they kept panning over

to him at the beginning of the movie and

I remembered Todd Phillips basically

telegraphing what was going to happen

years ago because that's what he does

he's pretty blatant and explicit what's

wrong here in my opinion is the ending

leaves Arthur with no real Arc he

started off as a lonely depressed

downtrodden and beaten man and dies the

exact same way it comes after he admits

explicitly of course that he doesn't see

himself as Joker he's simply Arthur

meaning his self-discovery really LED

absolutely nowhere the only takeaway is

he was the inspiration from the real

Joker to come into being this in a lot

of ways makes sense Arthur isn't just

mentally ill he's also not very bright

so how could this guy ever be the arch

nemesis to the world's greatest

detective how could he become the clown

Prince of Crime it still leaves a sour

taste in your mouth though knowing you

didn't really watch a resolution happen

or be along for a ride he finishes

exactly where he starts what an arc

there's also an unfortunate scene that

reminded me of Zack sny's attempt at

being edgy when he said Batman could be

for YouTube sensors will say in a movie

and by God was this an unnecessary

addition to the film where it's pretty

apparent Arthur's by the guards near the

end of the movie and That's all folks he

tells the world he isn't Joker but

Arthur gets then is butchered to death

pretty great stuff huh in a small way

this movie tried something new in

technical terms but not story for the

new things I applaud it and some of the

risks you wouldn't typically see in

modern Hollywood in every other way

that's important though the movie is

nothing but the last page of a novel

already read just stretched out to a

full novel length what's the point here

all right to make money Hollywood is a

business after all if only it wasn't so

explicit right Todd GG's Arthur has

music in him that was a logical leaping

off point for the sequel