When we last saw Arthur Fleck he was running in the hallways of Arkham State Hospital being chased by orderlies trying to put him back in his room. This version of the Joker was polarizing since Joaquin Phoenix did not fit the mold that people had for the Joker. The same thing was said about Heath Ledger and look how that turned out. In Joker: Folie À Deux a couple of years have passed from the first movie. Arthur is in Arkham State Hospital waiting to see if he is fit to go on trial for the murders he committed.
Let me state that this Joker movie is nothing like the first. Whereas the first one was a look into the character’s psyche this one deals more with the aftermath of their actions. Arthur looks completely depleted when we first see him in the movie. He is basically skin on bones and does not talk. A vicious guard named Jackie Sullivan, played by the wonderful Brendan Gleeson, teases Arthur and verbally abuses him but he does have a soft side for him.
Since the first movie, Arthur has become a bit of a celebrity and there was a movie made about his life. Arthur does not get treated differently from the guards because of his fame but some guards try to capitalize on his fame. We see this in a scene where a guard asks Arthur to sign a book for him. Arthur’s case has got everyone’s attention on Arkham and his lawyer is trying to get him out of there and into a better treatment facility.
One day when being walked to see his lawyer, Arthur and the guards pass a music therapy class. This is where Arthur first sees Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, played by the underused Lady Gaga. They form a connection that leads to song and dance numbers that are intricately woven into the narrative of the movie. These song and dance numbers might pull people away from the movie but it is an interesting way to tell the story of Arthur and Lee.
Other than the dance number the last third of the movie turns into a courtroom drama. We meet the new district attorney, Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey, who is on a mission to make sure Arthur pays for his crimes. During the trial, we see familiar characters from the first movie testifying about Arthur. The courtroom scenes look incredible because of the amazing cinematography of Lawrence Sher. The scenes look like classic courtroom dramas of the 70s and you feel crowded in the room by the closeness of it all.
SPOILER WARNING:
The ending of the movie is going to be very divisive. I honestly feel people will think they spent 4 hours of their lives following around a character who is not the person that they think they are. Arthur Fleck is not a criminal mastermind and only wanted to be loved by someone. He did not get that from his mother or his neighbor, Zazie Beetz, from the first movie. Todd Phillips mentioned this in one interview that Arthur’s character is not this person.
So what makes this movie smart is that there is always someone watching that wants what you have. We see this during the Arkham scenes where the camera pans to or focuses on a specific person. The foreshadowing builds as you start to wonder who this guy is and it pays off at the end of the movie. Is this a smart way to introduce the Joker? I say yes! The Joker was always a psychopath and will do anything. What better way to get your name out there than to remove the one person that is getting all the attention at the moment. I don’t think anything will come out of this ending but it would be interesting to see where this goes and how Lee plays into this.
Final Thought: Joker: Folie À Deux is a smart look into the creation of a villain. The movie looks amazing due to the cinematography of Lawrence Sher and we see that in not only the dance numbers but in the courtroom scenes.
Kid Friendly: This film is a little more tame than the first one. The film gets really violent during the final moments. The movie does play like a drama and is slow paced even with the musical numbers thrown in. This would work for older kids 17 and up.
Violence: Joker: Folie À Deux does have some violent moments but not as much as the first movie. During one musical number/courtroom scene, we see the Joker character attack some people in a violent manner. We do see the guards of Arkham beat some of the prisoners and call them foul names. There is a graphic stabbing and images of dead bodies after an explosion occurs.
Struggling with his dual identity, failed comedian Arthur Fleck meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.