The sequel to the musical psychological thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga has premiered at the Venice Film Festival, giving the first critics a chance to see the film ahead of its October release.
It is one of the most anticipated films of this 2024 back-to-school season. In a few weeks, the French public will be able to discover Joker: Madness for Twosequel to the film directed by Todd Phillips, with Joaquin Phoenix (joined by Lady Gaga in this sequel). While it will be released in our cinemas on October 2, the Venice Film Festival audience was already able to discover it in preview this Wednesday. So, is it as good as the first one, and can this mix between the world of comics and that of musical comedy hope to win a Golden Lion, four years after the one won by the first episode?
Not surprisingly, Joker: Madness for Two divides the critics, who seem to have generally remained unsatisfied. On Metacritic, which lists 22 reviews recorded for the moment, Joker: Madness for Two wins the average score of 53/100. On Rottentomatoes, with 43 reviews, the score rises to 60% positive reviews. If the performance of Lady Gaga or the visual qualities of the film are praised, the rest more widely divides the American and French press.
While Le Parisien calls it a “breathtaking” film in which Lady Gaga “steals the show”, Le Monde criticizes the film for not showing “great inventiveness” and offers an “uneven show”. The Independent calls it an “ingenious and deeply disturbing film”, while IGN deplores “its unexploited potential” in a sequel that “tells nothing new”. This second episode “is a boring and uninteresting film” for Vanity Fair, “a little light and sometimes bland” for The Hollywood Reporter. Variety believes that the concept of mixing opposing genres, as “audacious” as it is, “is not well executed in this film”. But as is often the case with cinema, it is the public who will have the last word to determine whether the success will surpass that of the first part. In any case, director Todd Phillips has been clear, there will be no sequel.
Synopsis – Continuation of the film Joker (2019). Arthur Fleck/The Joker is in Arkham Asylum and is tried for five murders. He decides to defend himself while forming a relationship with psychiatrist Harley Quinn.