These Joker: Folie À Deux reviews make us more desperate to see it

Despite our issues with the first Joker film, it wasn’t hard to get excited about the sequel as well.

The idea of ​​Lady Gaga bringing her best method acting skills to the role of Harley Quinn, performing a slew of musical numbers in Todd Phillips’ dark, Scorsese-inspired reimagining of Gotham, immediately sounded like something we couldn’t miss. And our excitement has only grown over the past year.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night. Critics wasted no time in sharing their opinions after seeing the film for the first time.

And folks, they’ve only raised our anticipation even further. Are the reviews positive? Not really. Do they make the film sound like a bit of a mess? Yes, actually. In fact, the early reviews – like the film itself – are quite mixed, but that only makes us more curious.

Below, check out a selection of what critics have to say about Joker: Folie À Deux:

“As somber and formally daring as its predecessor (…) certain plot elements remain shocking. The boundary between fantasy and reality, for example, is not always made clear. But overall Foil for two is as sharp and disturbing as its predecessor, reproducing the idea of ​​modern American cities as terrifying powder kegs constantly on the verge of explosion.”

“Phillips and his co-writer, Scott Silver, have decided instead to delve deeper into Fleck’s backstory. It’s a fascinating decision that bravely subverts audience expectations, but it results in a film that’s a dull, disappointing, needless drag.”

“While it ends up just as strident, plodding and often downright boring as the first film, there is an improvement. It’s a kind of musical (which) gives it a structure and flavor that the first film lacked. And that sensational acting and musical talent Lady Gaga is now in the mix – although with nothing like the humanity and depth she had in Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born.”

“Despite everything, Phillips and co. struck back into the self-contained world, tossed all the content onto the carpet, and, against their own advice, tried again. The result? Messy, lifeless, derivative, and exactly what you’d expect from a film that simply doesn’t want to—or need to—exist.”

“Rather than signaling events or emotions to the audience, the conveyor belt of songs only slows down progress (…) When Harley crashes That’s Entertainment for the umpteenth time, our hero says, ‘Please stop…Please stop singing.’ If only he had asked earlier, around the hour mark, then maybe this film would have had time to do something and go somewhere.”

“To be fair, (Gaga) doesn’t get much to do outside of the songs — but within them, she’s eerily magnetic (…) As a repetition — even a slyly subversive one — Folie À Deux doesn’t quite match its predecessor in terms of dizzying impact. But it matches it in terms of terrifying powder-keg tension: It’s a film that feels like it could burst into flames at any moment.”

“For a two-and-a-half-hour film, Folie à Deux feels narratively thin and at times dull. Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver had the solid foundation of not one but two Martin Scorsese films, Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, on which to hang their story and set their tone in the first Joker. This one is built more on a conceit than a solid narrative foundation.”

“Phoenix is ​​​​again fantastic as Arthur, delivering a compelling and remarkably physical performance that teeters on the edge of insanity throughout – it’s at once chilling and unexpectedly moving. Lady Gaga is equally good as Harleen, creating a palpably insane chemistry with Phoenix.”

“With song, dance, comedy, darkness, animation, drama, violence and more, this is a musical – if it is a musical at all. is a musical – like no other.”

“Lady Gaga’s casting certainly sounded promising, as she’s a great actress and was put on this earth (among other things) to make musicals. But Gaga, who has a wonderfully easy presence in Folie à Deux, is drastically underutilized. Her Lee never really takes flight (…) Gaga never gets the chance to do what she did in A Star Is Born: delight the audience.”

“It’s a waste of (Gaga’s) presence (…) Her Lee is not an equal partner to Arthur, but another accomplice in his great tragedy — a supercharged, terrifying take on a serial killer groupie. Joker: Foil for Two is Arthur’s film, and Arthur just isn’t that interesting, despite the effort Phoenix puts into rendering the character in beautifully tortured mental and sunken physical detail.”

“Phoenix is ​​seamless, picking up this sentimental character like it was yesterday. It’s a really versatile, malleable performance. Meanwhile, Gaga is a good sparring partner, her Harley much more subdued than the recent version played by Margot Robbie.”

Joker: Folie À Deux will be in cinemas from Friday 4 October.