Joker Folie à Deux Divides Critics Once More in First Reviews

Critics were divided once again in the Joker Folie à Deux first reactions which ranged from calling the film "a frustrating disappointment" to a "mesmerizing masterpiece" .

Anyone paying attention in 2019 when Joker broke the internet would've seen this coming a mile off, so it'll be no surprise that the first official reviews reflect the same thing.

Joker Folie à Deux debuted on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes with a rotten 59%, a score that has now bumped to a fresh 60% from 43 reviews. This is a 9% drop off from Todd Phillips' Academy Award-winning 2019 film which saw Joaquin Phoenix take home his first Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck.

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson's harsh critique of the film says "It's startlingly dull, a pointless procedural that seems to disdain its audience."

Tara Brady at the Irish Times and Jo-Ann Titmarsh at London Evening Standard both use the word "plodding" in their reviews, with Brady saying Joker: Folie à Deux "flounders between genres", and Titmarsh saying, "the film is ultimately dull".

Despite the harsh critiques, there are many shining reviews among them.

Ema Sasic at Next Best Picture praises Phoenix and co-star Lady Gaga for their "dynamic performances", saying this film features "remarkable cinematography and production design, not to mention Hildur Guðnadóttir's profound score".

Sasic also says the film will likely "surprise many people for its ingenuity, even if it does become a bit overindulgent."

The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney says "Gaga is a compelling live-wire presence" and teases the muiscal elements, saying, "Their musical numbers, both duets and solos, have a vitality that the more often dour film desperately needs."

Joker: Folie à Deux dances into theaters on October 4.

Joker: Folie à Deux Review Roundup

• indieWire: Folie à Deux simply tap dances in place for the majority of its listless runtime, stringing together a series of underwhelming musical numbers that are either too on the nose... or too vaguely related to its characters to express anything at all.
• Empire Magazine: As sweet and beguiling a musical romance as it's possible to have between two murderous psychopaths. Its kooky approach won’t suit all stripes of comic-book fan, but it finds a strange, tragic hopefulness all of its own.
• metro.co.uk: Folie à Deux achieves two remarkable things. It updates the movie musical, using the genre in an inspired way that shouldn’t frighten fans who don’t like them. It's also that rare sequel that meets – if not surpasses – the quality of its predecessor.
• Screen International: Where the original Joker remains a stunning exception — that rare blockbuster with emotional shading, grownup themes and a genuine sense of grandeur — this sequel fails to stay on the beat.
• Vulture: Joker: Folie à Deux is Arthur’s movie, and Arthur just isn't that interesting, despite how much effort Phoenix puts into rendering the character in exquisitely anguished mental and sunken-chested physical detail.