How’s it going, Hoot readers??? I don’t even know where to begin with this one. You’re reading this because I’m a massive fan of the movie “Joker” (2019) and pitched two Joker-related articles to The Hoot this semester. One would be an analysis of the characters and the other would be a review of its long awaited sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The first article was a joy to write, but this second one is giving me a headache. My hype for this movie was high, but my expectations were low given the poor reviews. Yet, I still believed in my heart that it would be something special. I was wrong. Arthur Fleck (Joker) did not receive the sequel he fucking deserved and another stellar performance by Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t enough to save this disappointing mess.

First, let’s talk about the most eye-catching parts of this film: the fact that it’s a musical and the casting of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Surprisingly, neither added much to the film. The musical numbers carry only surface-level meaning and lose impact as the movie progresses. In addition, Lady Gaga’s talent is severely underutilized. Anyone could have played Harley Quinn and she felt like the iconic character in name only. 

In both a literal and figurative sense, it hardly ventures into new territory. Most scenes take place in either Arkham Asylum or the courtroom. This is because the entire plot revolves around the climactic events of the first film. In fact, much of this sequel is a reality check on the masculine murder revenge fantasy that was the original. In trying to tear down what came before, it loses itself rehashing its much better predecessor. 

Though let’s for one moment entertain this film as a total repudiation of the original “Joker.” That’s a cool idea! More franchises should take risks and dare to challenge their fans. Why do you think I love “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” so much? Unfortunately, this film’s messaging lacked the cohesion of “The Last Jedi.” Everything was so terribly muddled. I arrived at the theater expecting to be genuinely challenged as a fan of the original. Instead, it was challenging and thought provoking in all the wrong ways. As opposed to processing the film’s messages, I was left wondering why so few of them seemed to connect or evolve. I spent the following day in near-obsessive reflection, trying to extract something, anything, deep or profound from this movie. Haven’t really found it yet. Maybe one day! Who knows?? I could be dumb and/or in need of a rewatch. We’ll see.

In my view, the most profound part of this movie is its failure to communicate anything profound. They desperately want you to know that committing murder and sparking violent unrest is bad, actually (who knew???). OK, it’s a bit deeper than that, but not by much. It’s so focused on morally lecturing those who misunderstood the original (aka loner incels) that it forgets what made it so entertaining. Personally, I feel a guilty rush of excitement as Arthur transforms into Joker and exacts his vengeance upon Gotham. I know it’s bad, but it’s captivating to watch!!! This excitement can be felt while also absorbing the film’s social commentary. Great films like “Joker” can provoke that type of nuanced thought. However, we must remember that the meaning of art is subjective. Loner incels will keep projecting their problematic beliefs onto any art they consume. By only challenging this portion of the fanbase, “Joker: Folie à Deux” serves little purpose. It undermines its award-winning predecessor for the sake of futile antagonism and nothing more. Overall, it demonstrates why some things are better left unsaid and some movies are better left unmade.

Thanks for reading my first “normal” article! Apologies if you were expecting crazy shit like usual. I’ll be back with that soon, don’t you worry. 😉