Lots of Spoilers for "Joker: Folie a Deux" movie

I invested in Todd Phillip's films on the Joker character from the DC comics. I do not regret my investments, whether it was time or money. I read some reviews after Joker 2 was at the theaters, and then I watched some reviews on Youtube, but I did not let any review stop me from purchasing the movie today and watching it very carefully. I'm a committed comic book fan, reiterating my loyalty to DC and Marvel. DC is definitely on the come up, with Joker and Penguin success, while Marvel is struggling big time since their biggest hit with "Avengers, EndGame". If Joker 2 got slammed by fans, I suspect it has more to do with the hope that Marvel can make a comeback or that other villains can get some more attention and Joker can get some rest.

After watching the sequel movie "Joker: Folie a deux" again starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, I must tell any fans who haven't seen it yet, that if you haven't seen the first Phillip's Joker movie, this movie will not make any sense to you whatsoever. Some sequels can stand alone, like Jaws or Jason, but this sequel is completely dependent on the first movie. It begins exactly where the first movie left off, and it simply will have no impact or effect on a viewer who hasn't seen the first film. Knowing this is understanding that while the first film made a lot of money for the box office, producers, and artistic team, the second film was a labor of love and loyalty to the fans. Was it a necessary sequel? To a fan like me, yes, but overall in the movie industry, maybe not. Then again, we could say that about any sequel.

I know I'm not alone in my love for the first Joker film which I give a perfect score (5 out of 5 stars) as a reviewer. I may be in the minority when I give "Joker: Folie a deu" the same rating (5 out of 5 stars) so I will defend my position. There isn't enough negative critique from me to warrant less than a perfect score, even if I prefer the Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie. Gaga's Harley doesn't come near the star power that Robbie gave Harley, but the film didn't suffer for that so I stand by the perfect score rating.

What's great about this sequel? First of all, it lets a fan like me see what happened to Arthur after he got caught. I like that. Arthur was in jail, still sickly and skinny looking, but he had a pretty nice room all to himself. The guards were mean to him, but at least he didn't have to take care of some mean old sick mama. Seems that Arkham (the insane asylum) is somehow connected to prison, and Arthur gets to go there to entertain which is how he meets Harley (Lady Gaga). They "fall in love" (I guess, though I never bought it) and they are a very good entertainment team especially when Harley's jamming on the piano and Joker is dancing.

This Harley makes Joker look much less formidable, whereas the Joker with Margot Robbie's Harley was definitely the scarier of "crazy". Gaga's Harley is some kind of pyromaniac revolutionary who wants to use Arthur's famous Joker as some kind of MockingJay to overthrow the system. Robbie's Harley was a romantic like Phoenix's Joker, but Gaga's Harley is just a psychotic anarchist and Arthur ends up suicidal after his brief love affair with her. He had a strong defense in court with a caring psychiatrist and lawyer, but he got suicidal again and simply blew the defense to smithereens with a bold confession, leaving the jury no option but a unanimous "guilty". He is sentenced to the electric chair death penalty.

There is some of the humor that was found in the first film and Todd Phillips was consistent with keeping the cinematography style the same; However, the fact that this sequel is a musical does change the mood. I like it as a musical, but it's less funny. It's not like "Urinetown" or "Alladin". It's more like "Rent". (If you're into musicals, you'll understand my references.) The music is performed in "perfect imperfection" which is a very avant garde style and I applaud the courage of the film team for doing that. But the Joker's final joke, suicidal reaction to love failing him after the system failed, is not funny at all. He goes from Hero to Zero and not because he wants to be a reformed Arthur Fleck, but because he doesn't even want to be freed. Sinatra's song "That's Life" doesn't apply anymore. It's more like The Doors "The End" and that's not a funny song. Ironically, Joker or Arthur doesn't get the last laugh. He is slain (stabbed by a Two-Face type) as he was awaiting his death penalty and the killer laughs as the movie ends. I must admit I found that joke funnier than suicide. Besides, he deserved it for killing Murray the host and his mother Penny.