Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

The sequel is just as bleak and formally daring as the original, with a powerful performance from Phoenix that makes viewers care for Arthur despite his derangement.

Phillips charts a subversive course for the sequel, keeping the realistic tone with Arthur mostly in prison or court, where musical fantasy numbers provide relief; Phoenix is transfixingly unsettling and the film maintains tinderbox tension despite not matching the predecessor's impact.

A bold, often brilliant jukebox musical sequel with zero merriment; Phoenix and Gaga deliver strong performances in a bleak, multi-genre mix that takes risks and avoids obvious routes from the original.

The film is a beguiling musical romance between murderous psychopaths, with an oddly hopeful tone and genuine originality in its approach to the character.

The film is a bold but indulgent musical sequel that replaces the original's gritty narrative with a romance/courtroom mashup lifted by Lady Gaga's charisma, though it offers little new overall and suffers from thin characterisation for her role.

The film is a sour, contemptuous slog that aims to dissatisfy fans with its affectionless approach and undermining of expectations. It features some mesmerizing minimalist musical duets but overall feels like a perverse joke that prioritizes alienation over engagement.

The film is dismissed as a grim, amateurish musical with flat songs and thin characterisation; Gaga is underused and Phoenix's singing is grating, making it embarrassing overall despite minor improvements over the first Joker.

The result is a messy, lifeless, derivative musical set mostly in Arkham asylum with uninspired songs and a disappointing follow-up to Phoenix's Oscar-winning performance, though it looks nice and retains the mournful score.

The film is staggeringly stupid and self-indulgent, with tacked-on musical numbers and a simple-minded take on mental health, though Lady Gaga shines as a star.

The film is a curious musical romance between Phoenix's Arthur and Gaga's Harleen in Arkham that can be deeply boring yet offers clever moments and is less dislikeable than the first, with the point perhaps being that we live in fantasy or there is no point.

Phoenix and Gaga are committed and the film offers some interesting ideas about identity, but momentum issues, lengthy musical detours, and a lack of suspense or thriller elements make it falter as a character study or sequel.

The sequel lacks the original's intensity but surprises with its musical elements and downbeat tone; Phoenix and Gaga shine in versatile, engaging performances that reinvent the comic-book movie in a brooding way.

An ambitious but mostly unsuccessful sequel mixing musical and courtroom elements; big swings largely miss, with lukewarm chemistry, familiar performances, and a failure to match the original's insight or grandeur.

The critic finds the sequel less morally provocative and more enjoyable than the original, thanks to strong musical numbers and Joaquin Phoenix's committed performance, though it may disappoint diehard fans of the first film.

The sequel is uneven and narratively thin, confining the story mostly to prison and courtroom settings while adding fantasy musical numbers. The musical sequences and the performances of Phoenix and Gaga stand out as the film's most vital and electric elements.

The film is a dour, unpleasant slog that is hard to know why it was made or for whom. It is a half-baked, halfhearted musical with one star who can sing and another who cannot or will not.

The critic finds the film a compelling character study and musical deconstruction that extends the first Joker's themes, praising its psychological realism and Lady Gaga's revelatory performance as Lee. They note it feels honest to itself despite attempting to tackle too much.

The critic praises it as a surprisingly moving, psychologically complex tale that is part prison movie, part courtroom drama and all musical, confronting elements of the first film in a bold way. They single out the performances of Phoenix and Gaga, and the film's gorgeous visuals and unexpected social responsibility.

The critic finds the film a messy, dull, and overly long courtroom drama and prison story with little point or chemistry, despite strong performances from Phoenix and Gaga. They single out the musical numbers for adding some color but criticize them as not advancing the story sufficiently.

The review highlights the film's numerous contradictions in character portrayal, messaging, and reality framing that leave its themes muddled. It criticizes the indulgent approach that fails to deliver a clear or satisfying statement.

The critic deems the sequel an underwhelming mishandling of its jukebox musical idea, with clashing scores and arbitrary song choices. Phoenix and Gaga's performances are also found lacking in depth and impact.

The critic calls the film a brilliant and audacious musical return to the world of madness, praising its head-spinning mix of song, dance, comedy, darkness and drama as unlike any other musical. He singles out Lady Gaga's smartly low-key performance as Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel for showing believable affection and connection.

The critic finds the film the most interesting one about Arthur Fleck, describing it as genuinely daring, challenging and genuine in its approach. He singles out the way it undercuts expectations of the first film's blockbuster success by questioning audience fascination with the character.