The First Reviews for 'Joker' Sequel Have Arrived and the Responses Are Mixed

Joker: Folie à Deux, the highly anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips' surprise 2019 hit, is receiving mixed reviews following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the Joker sequel received its world premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 8 ahead of its release in theaters on Oct. 4. The first film received polarizing reviews from critics despite going on to gross over $1 billion worldwide, although Phoenix's lead performance received praise and earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. The sequel, like its provocative predecessor, appears to be garnering a similar reaction so far.

In a review for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney wrote that Lady Gaga delivers a "compelling live-wire presence" in her role as Harley Quinn, the love interest of Phoenix's deranged Arthur Fleck. Rooney praised the production design from Mark Friedberg, as well as the embrace of musical numbers that mostly see Gaga reigning in her powerful vocals for a more "raw, scratchy sound." However, Rooney also described it as "narratively a little thin and at times dull."

Critic David Ehrlich, in a C- review for IndieWire, described Folie à Deux as "an excruciatingly—perhaps even deliberately—boring sequel that does everything in its power not to amuse you." Ehrlich noted that the original was heavily inspired by Martin Scorsese's classics Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, giving it a strong template for the Joker character. The sequel, however, sees Phillips struggling "to find a shape for his story."

Little White Lies editor Hannah Strong called Folie à Deux a "shockingly amateur musical effort" and questioned why Todd Phillips has been adamant that the sequel isn't a musical, despite featuring multiple musical numbers. "This is a film of half-measures, lacking ambition in a way that is at least mildly more entertaining than its predecessor, but that’s down to the pleasures of songs written half a century ago rather than any talent Phillips has to offer as a filmmaker," wrote Strong.

ScreenRant critic Alex Harrison, meanwhile, wrote that it's an "improved sequel" seemingly intent on antagonizing fans of the original who maybe took the wrong message from Arthur Fleck's story. "Philips might as well be putting Joker on trial in Folie à Deux, hammering home that a lot of people got his first movie wrong," wrote Harrison.

In a review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw opined that the sequel features a strong supporting cast and opening act but increasingly spins its wheels as it progresses. "Lady Gaga brings a sly and manipulative malice to her role: Harley is secretive, smart and genuinely disturbed in a way that Arthur/Joker perhaps isn’t," he wrote. For Variety, Owen Glieberman wrote that the movie is "audacious" but it's ultimately an "overly cautious sequel."

Nicholas Barber, in a two-star review for the BBC, called it "a disappointing film" that devotes too much of its running time to concerns some raised over the original film. "Phillips seems to be saying that if you fell for Fleck's Messianic self-image the last time around, then the joke's on you," wrote Barber.

For IGN, Siddhant Adlakha said that the Joker sequel failed to reach its potential. "The DC sequel gets bogged down by a lengthy courtroom saga, which not only keeps the dazzling Lady Gaga away from the spotlight, but centers the movie entirely around its own predecessor, without doing or saying anything new," wrote Adlakha.

So, perhaps unsurprisingly, responses are mixed or straight-up middling, just like the first movie but perhaps even more on the negative side.

The anticipated sequel hits theaters on Oct. 4.