Director Todd Phillips doubles down on Arthur Fleck’s madness in Joker: Folie à Deux. This sequel, an inevitability after the billion dollar box office success of the audacious 2019 original, is bleaker still.
Joaquin Phoenix is mesmeric as Fleck, with a screen presence that’s wretched and twisted. Lady Gaga, playing pyromaniac Harleen Quinzel, provides gritty support, but has surprisingly little screen time.
As before, Phillips makes bold choices. He turns to Fleischer and Tex Avery for an opening recap, before picking up directly after the first outing. If the first film channelled Scorsese’s King of Comedy, then Joker 2 homages One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shawshank Redemption.
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. You’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song…
Fleck is incarcerated in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial on multiple counts of murder. District attorney Harvey Dent is angling for the death penalty, but is Arthur fit enough to stand trial?
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. This isn’t a musical in any traditional sense (no more so than Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water); you’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song. The sequences play to Fleck’s delusions. He’s no Sinatra.
The second half of the movie shifts to the courtroom, and it’s only here that Fleck once again adopts his Joker persona. It’s a fleeting, but riveting appearance.
Tech credits are top notch. The cinematography of Lawrence Sher is remarkable. Sher shot the movie with IMAX theatres in mind, taking full advantage of the aspect ratio this premium screen format allows. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is fittingly haunting, and the accompanying sound design completely immersive.
Definitely not a bag of laughs, Joker: Folie à Deux is dark, divisive and disturbing – but you’d be mad to miss it.
Joker: Folie à Deux is directed by Todd Phillips, and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. 15, 138 minutes.
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
London’s most famous music street is once again throwing open its doors, as Denmark Street Sessions returns for a full day of bands, banter, pop-ups and parties. Returning for a second year on Saturday September 5, the shindig brings live music, conversations and creative happenings back to one of London’s best known rock ‘n’ roll…
The Luxe Review 
Director Todd Phillips doubles down on Arthur Fleck’s madness in Joker: Folie à Deux. This sequel, an inevitability after the billion dollar box office success of the audacious 2019 original, is bleaker still.
Joaquin Phoenix is mesmeric as Fleck, with a screen presence that’s wretched and twisted. Lady Gaga, playing pyromaniac Harleen Quinzel, provides gritty support, but has surprisingly little screen time.
As before, Phillips makes bold choices. He turns to Fleischer and Tex Avery for an opening recap, before picking up directly after the first outing. If the first film channelled Scorsese’s King of Comedy, then Joker 2 homages One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shawshank Redemption.
Fleck is incarcerated in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial on multiple counts of murder. District attorney Harvey Dent is angling for the death penalty, but is Arthur fit enough to stand trial?
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. This isn’t a musical in any traditional sense (no more so than Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water); you’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song. The sequences play to Fleck’s delusions. He’s no Sinatra.
The second half of the movie shifts to the courtroom, and it’s only here that Fleck once again adopts his Joker persona. It’s a fleeting, but riveting appearance.
Tech credits are top notch. The cinematography of Lawrence Sher is remarkable. Sher shot the movie with IMAX theatres in mind, taking full advantage of the aspect ratio this premium screen format allows. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is fittingly haunting, and the accompanying sound design completely immersive.
Definitely not a bag of laughs, Joker: Folie à Deux is dark, divisive and disturbing – but you’d be mad to miss it.
Joker: Folie à Deux is directed by Todd Phillips, and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. 15, 138 minutes.
Samsung turns flagship King’s Cross store into Star Trek central as franchise celebrates 60 Years
Samsung is teaming up with Star Trek for a 60th anniversary celebration that will turn parts of London into a holodeck for fans. Six decades after Star Trek: The Original Series first transported audiences into the final frontier, Samsung is joining the anniversary celebrations with a UK partnership spanning London, Paramount+, and retail. Samsung’s flagship…
How A Charlie Brown Christmas became the best-selling jazz album of all time
Six decades after Vince Guaraldi Trio’s gentle piano and brushed percussion first accompanied Charlie Brown’s Christmas troubles, A Charlie Brown Christmas has become the best-selling jazz album of all time, certified 6X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The achievement marks six million album sales and streaming equivalents in the US. The milestone…
Free gigs, secret guests and late-night parties: Everything you need to know about this year’s Denmark Street Sessions
London’s most famous music street is once again throwing open its doors, as Denmark Street Sessions returns for a full day of bands, banter, pop-ups and parties. Returning for a second year on Saturday September 5, the shindig brings live music, conversations and creative happenings back to one of London’s best known rock ‘n’ roll…
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