By Aydan Cantu
Five years after its predecessor took the world by storm, does Joker: Folie à Deux live up to its expectations? Many will tell you no, but I say yes! When the first film was released, I was blown away by it. It was unlike any movie I’d seen before and the same goes for Folie à Deux. Director Todd Phillips takes everything people loved about the first one and spins it around.
Along with films such as Horizon: An American Saga and Megalopolis, Folie à Deux joins the list of the most ambitious films of the year. Not only is it because I love it, but I respect the film for how ambitious it is, and because of its ambition, there will be no in-between. Either you love the film or you hate it. As I mentioned, I love it.
Phillips does a remarkable job directing the musical numbers and I wonder how well he would pull off a serious musical. Joaquin Phoenix brings his A-game every time and his performance here is nothing short of it. His singing voice surprised me and I thought he did a wonderful job during the numbers.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Lady Gaga, but I can’t deny the brilliance she brings to the role of Lee Quinzel. Many claimed she was underused, but don’t believe any of that. She was perfectly used. She and Phoenix’s chemistry is fantastic and they made one heck of a splash together. Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is dazzling and looks beautiful during the musical numbers. It looks even better if you see it on an IMAX screen since part of the film was shot using IMAX cameras, making a taller picture. Trust me and see it in IMAX.
Don’t go into Folie à Deux expecting a masterpiece like the first one. Go into it expecting a different type of masterpiece. When I say these films are the exact opposite of each other, they are the exact opposite! If someone were to ask me if I liked the first one or the second one more, I wouldn’t be able to. Comparing Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux is like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, they’re both fruits, but they’re too different from each other and that’s what I love about this film. It’s everything the first film’s not. Joker is a dark character study inspired by the works of Martin Scorsese, while Folie à Deux is a courtroom drama romance musical inspired by the MGM musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood. These vast differences have caused critics and audiences to treat the film unkindly, but I believe time will be kind towards it. Thirty years from now, critics and audiences alike will hail Joker: Folie à Deux as a misunderstood masterpiece. So yes, I unapologetically give this film 5/5 stars or a 10/10. Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in Theaters everywhere.