Mid-week viewing!
At IMAX in PVR Saket, New Delhi
Review:
So, I finally went into Joker: Folie à Deux after reading some lovely reviews online 😂 and as expected, I came out pretty underwhelmed. If you loved the first Joker, this one might throw you off. It tries to mix a lot of different things - musical numbers, courtroom drama, even some odd romance; but it all feels a bit too scattered. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are great but even they couldn’t quite save this from feeling like a confusing follow-up to Arthur Fleck’s story.
The decision to make this film partly a musical was… strange, to say the least. Every time a song came up, it just felt awkward and out of place. I was hoping Lady Gaga’s musical talent would shine through, but her character, Lee Quinzel, felt really underdeveloped & wasted. It’s like they had all this potential with her and didn’t use it properly, which was disappointing. Brandon Gleeson was good in his limited screen time though. The musical moments didn’t add much to the story, and I found myself wishing they’d just stick to what worked in the first film.
Image Source: TMDB
Atrocious, messy and zero flow in the storytelling. It just keeps going and goes nowhere.
Visually, the film does have some striking contrasts. The lighting looked incredible! The colourful, fantasy-filled parts of Arthur’s mind were interesting to look at, but they also made me realize how little I cared about the actual plot. There wasn’t enough tension to keep me engaged, and even the big courtroom scenes didn’t feel all that important. Instead of diving deeper into Arthur’s psyche, the movie seemed to drift without much purpose, which made it feel way too long for its runtime.
I think the main issue is that Joker: Folie à Deux tries way too hard to be different. It feels like it’s desperate to shake off the success of the first film and do something unexpected, but in the end, it just feels exhausting. The musical numbers didn’t fit, the characters didn’t really grow, and by the time it ended, I was left wondering why this sequel even needed to exist in the first place.
Image Source: TMDB
Overall, despite a few moments that caught my attention, this film was a bit of a slog to get through. It lacks the dark, gritty edge that made the first Joker so captivating. I wanted to like it, but it just didn’t come together for me.
TSHC Score: 3/10
Image Source: TMDB
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