Joker fans were left disappointed and wanting their money back after going to watch Folie à Deux in the cinemas.
There's that old adage which goes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and it's one that those behind Joker 2, aka Joker: Folie a Deux, should've taken into consideration when agreeing to make the film.
2019's Joker was met with huge critical and commercial acclaim, with Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix taking peeling back the comic-book villain and exploring the tortured loner that is Arthur Fleck. It was a bold direction to take the character in and one which paid off massively, with Phoenix winning an Oscar for his work.
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But unfortunately the film couldn't be left as a standalone masterpiece with and five years later, Joker: Folie a Deux was born.
Granted it's still early days for the film, having premiered in cinemas yesterday (4 October), however the first reactions are damning.
At the time of writing, Folie a Deux currently sits at a mere 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics branding the film a 'pathologically unnecessary movie' and 'a sequel we didn't need'.
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Fans have also been equally damning about the movie, with their being no shortage of complaints across social media.
"Why is joker 2 so bad , I’ve never wanted my money back from a film," one person wrote on X, while a second added: "What makes Joker 2 so bad is that it refuses to commit to ANYTHING. There’s no theme at all, the court scenes are boring and the shock value ending is worse than I expected. Even the musical elements feel tacked on and interrupt the pacing. A total waste of time, never cook again."
Viewers were also put out by the decision to take the movie in a musical direction, which saw the Joker and Lady Gaga's Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel randomly burst out into song every now and again.
"Joker 2 was awful. 0/10 imo. The storyline could’ve been better and the music was just irritating," a third person wrote.
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Gaga and Pheonix's give tremendous performances as the Joker and Lee, but strong acting unfortunately doesn't save a screenplay which feels like 2 hours and 18 minutes of skits created from a brief titled 'What do we all think would happen in a Joker sequel movie'.
However not everyone has been completely scathing about the movie, with some people wondering if Folie a Deux being unlikeable is actually the entire point of the film.
"I thought Joker 2 was bad… but the fact that so many chuds who thought Arthur was their people’s champion in the first movie have to face that Joker 2 frames him as actually just a nobody loser with main character syndrome is a pretty funny silver lining tbh lol," one user summarised on X.
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If you're looking to see how the clown prince of crime went on to become Batman's arch villain don't waste your time, as Folie a Deux is instead a character study into Arthur Fleck's mental state and his relationship with the Joker persona.
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Ah well, that's life.
Topics: Joker, Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Film, Social Media