One misconception people may have about me is that I love comic book movies as a genre, but the truth is, it really has to be the right comic book movie for me to be fully engaged.
Like, when it comes to movies like the Captain America trilogy, then yeah, sign me up. In fact, I like most of the movies in the MCU, and I’m looking forward to all the upcoming Marvel movies. However, one thing that irks me about the MCU is that it usually plays it safe, which is why I think most people like it. That’s why when it takes real risks like Eternals (which is my favorite MCU film, by the way), people often call it “the worst” Marvel movie.
Well, I’ve seen something similar when it comes to the response to Joker: Folie à Deux, which is the sequel to the breakout DC movie, Joker. But, whereas I didn’t find anything special about the first film (other than the fact that it was nominated for Best Picture), I really enjoyed its sequel, which has been getting bashed all year. Does that make me crazy? Maybe. Probably, even. But let me explain why I liked it all the same.
Unlike The First Movie, Joker: Folie A Deux Took Some Real Risks
I just mentioned how I wasn’t impressed by Joker, because it wasn’t very impressive. You know how a lot of people like to compare the first Avatar with Ferngully, and Dances With Wolves? Well, similar accusations have been leveled against the first Joker movie of it just being a mix of two of Scorsese’s best movies, those being Taxi Driver, and The King of Comedy. And yes, the comparisons are certainly apt.
In that way, I was bored when I watched Joker since it had a very been-there-watched-that quality to it, but it was also vastly inferior to those aforementioned films. However, I’ve never seen a comic book movie like Joker: Folie à Deux before. It took some real risks, for better or for worse.
When I initially heard that it was going to be a musical, I honestly thought it was going to be a “disaster”, just like most people. But, unlike most people (and I’m just going off of the loud complaints I’ve heard about the film all year), I actually really enjoyed it.
All of the major emotional moments are shown via musical numbers, and I was really impressed by how they went about doing this. For example, in one scene, Arthur Fleck is watching a movie beside Lady Gaga’s character, Lee Quinzel, and she ends up setting fire to the whole building. That in itself is an arresting scene, but when paired with music, it really makes it unforgettable for me.
The whole movie is built upon moments like these. So, while I won’t say that I enjoyed the movie in its entirety, I will say that I enjoyed my time with it a lot more than I did with the first movie, which I didn’t really enjoy at all.
I Like Musicals A Lot More Than I Like Comic Book Movies, And Joker: Folie A Deux Feels More Like The Former Rather Than The Latter
Another reason why I prefer Folie à Deux to the first movie is because I like musicals a lot more than I like comic book films. Now, I’m sure anybody who knows me personally would scoff at that notion, given how many comic book movies I’ve watched (and forced other people to watch) in my lifetime, but it’s true.
I’d genuinely rather watch any of the musicals that have won Best Picture over pretty much any comic book movie ever made (besides maybe Dredd, which is my favorite comic book movie ever).
But, I just love musicals. If it’s a good one (and there are a lot of bad ones, I’ll admit), then I fall head over heels for it. For example, I’ve seen a lot of movies this year, but I don’t think anything is going to top Wicked, which I liked even better as a movie than I did as a Broadway show.
It just has everything I could ever want in a movie musical – the big moments, the wonderful costumes, the songs, just everything! So much so, that if a massive comic book movie like Avengers: Endgame had come out this year, I’d still 100% choose Wicked over it. I’m dead serious.
So, when offered the option to watch a musical comic book movie over one that just plays it safe like the original Joker, then I am likely picking the musical. But, the most interesting thing about Folie à Deux for me isn’t even the fact that it’s a musical at all. It’s actually my next point.
In Fact, I Like That Joker: Folie A Deux Doesn’t Seem Concerned With Being Based On A Comic Book Character At All
Like a lot of people, I really loved the recent HBO show, The Penguin (even though I HATE Oz Cobb as a character), and the reason I loved it so much is because it seemed like it was more interested in telling a good character story rather than telling a good comic book story.
I think the same could be said about Folie à Deux. Because while yes, this movie needs the first movie’s story to even exist, I honestly don’t think it’s all that concerned about what happened in the first film, nor is it concerned about being a comic book movie in general.
In this way, I understand why most people despised this movie. People went into it thinking they were going to get a sequel that was at least somewhat similar in tone to the first film, but what they got instead was Joaquin Phoenix singing, “For Once in My Life.”
That said, I truly think we’re getting a better look into Joker’s psyche with him singing his heart out than I think we got with him shooting Robert De Niro’s character in the first movie. Being a musical, this is a movie that is more interested in the emotions of the characters rather than showcasing anything “cool” or “edgy.” Arthur Fleck is a conflicted character in that he’s both enamored by his newfound celebrity, but also confused by it, and a lot of the songs mirror those feelings.
This is a film that honestly feels more like an indie comic book movie rather than the monstrously budgeted tentpole film (which flopped!) that we got, but I honestly admire it for that reason. It was good.
I Also Think Lady Gaga Adds A Spark That Wasn’t Present In The First Movie
Another aspect of the first movie that left me underwhelmed was the performances. Yes, I know Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his role as the Joker, and yes, I know a lot of people consider him to be one of the best Jokers of all time (though, for my money, I’d consider Jack Nicholson to be the cream of the crop), but I’ve just never been impressed.
And, I’m still not all that impressed with Phoenix as the Joker, either. I do like him as a singer, but he proved he could sing long ago in Walk the Line.
That said, Lady Gaga offers a dynamite performance, and is the true spark of this film.
Every second she’s on the screen is the best moment in the movie, and I really just wanted to see more of her than anybody else. In the film, she plays an obsessed woman who is madly in love with the idea of the Joker. She doesn’t really care about Arthur Fleck as a person, and even brings make-up for him to put on before they can actually get it on in her conjugal visit to see him.
She is also a conflicted character, but for a different reason. In a lot of ways, she’s a stand-in for all of the mentally disturbed people who fall in love with murderers. She has a constant closeness with death (an infatuation, even), and we see this (and more importantly hear this) in her various musical numbers where her voice tells so much of her story. Honestly, I’d rather just have this film focused on Lady Gaga rather than Phoenix’s Joker-persona. She was the best part of the whole movie.
Are you also brave enough to admit that you enjoyed Joker: Folie à Deux?