The second movie, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (madness for 2), entered theaters on Oct. 4 and has left many fans disappointed. After an extremely successful Joker movie, made in 2019, in which actor Joaquin Phoenix earned an Oscar award for Best Actor, the producers tried something different for the sequel: a dark thriller combined with a musical. I wanted to see it for myself. The result? A flop. 

The beginning started off strong. It picked up two years after the original Joker movie left off. Arthur Fleck (Joker), played again by Phoenix, is awaiting trial for his murders. The story shows his relationships with the prison guards, his fellow inmates, and his female attorney, who is trying to get him off based on a personality disorder, which causes him to, at times, become the Joker.

What quickly becomes distracting is the musical element. At first, it catches you off guard. Fleck/Joker is incredible, but then it abruptly turns into a mystical dream sequence with an over the top song and dance number. After a short while, the movie’s structure became predictable. Unfortunately, I could basically tell when each song was going to drop, which was right as I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what would happen next. 

Even a standout performance by pop icon Lady Gaga, who played Lee Quinnzel, could not save this movie from itself. The incredible scene where Joker and Quinzel fall in love in the prison ends with Gaga setting fire to the room where they are watching a movie with a group of inmates. But as they are attempting to escape, a rather annoying duet breaks out and ruins the moment.  

Aside from the musical element, the movie itself: the plot, the actors, and the settings were phenomenal. Each actor was brilliantly casted and played an important role in telling the story. The dark, depressing setting of Gotham City was very well portrayed, as was the comic-book famous Arkham State Hospital. It was also made clear that many residents of the city actually were rooting for Joker to be found not guilty of his heinous crimes. I enjoyed watching the story arc of the intriguing relationship between Joker and his main prison guard, Jackie Sullivan, played by Brendan Gleeson. Lastly, the movie introduces the famous DC Comic character of Harvey Dent, who is the assistant district attorney but who all fans know eventually becomes Two Face, one of Batman’s famous villains.

Unfortunately, the music distracted me and it even made the movie too long. However, the unexpected twist in the ending scene is worth the long wait. If there was a version of this movie that had none of the songs in it, I would highly recommend it. 

⅗ paws