Anticipating 'Joker: Folie à Deux'

The highly-anticipated “Joker” sequel, scheduled for release in October 2024, has recently unveiled its second trailer, adding to the excitement. 

The trailer for “Joker: Folie à Deux” (because putting French in your movie title makes it art) gives us more of the original “Joker.” More slow dancing to songs from the ‘40s, more skinny Joaquin Phoenix, more over-saturated color shots and a lot of mob violence. The trailer is packed with so much overt symbolism. One shot they keep cutting back to has a cross in the background. Hopefully, they downplay that for the actual film since a Christ metaphor is perhaps the most obvious one you could go with.

The original “Joker,” released in 2019, made a significant impact on the film industry. A serious interpretation of the Batman canon, it garnered an impressive 11 Oscar nominations. 

Critics largely spit on the original “Joker,” with some calling it an artful take on a superhero film while others calling it a dangerous glamorization of an incel worldview that has led to a lot of actual world violence. Personally, I was a fan of the film. In the way that some people can’t look away from a trainwreck, I could not look away from the buck wild story that was “Joker.” 

With the announcement of Lady Gaga stepping into the shoes of Harley Quinn, a character deeply intertwined with the Joker, the anticipation for her performance was palpable. The film seems to focus on the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn, a narrative that has been explored in various forms. Yet, the unique perspective of director Todd Phillips, especially considering the sympathetic portrayal of Joker in the previous film, promises an intriguing take, though I can’t imagine it will be one of the better ones.

The portrayal of Joker’s relationship with one of his victims, Harley Quinn, is a point of interest. The character of Harley Quinn, since her inception, has been a victim of the Joker so portraying her as a Cher to Joker’s Sonny should at least be interesting. 

In any case, the movie looks really good. I can’t wait to see Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn all over my Pinterest board. I will be sitting in the theater on opening night with a novelty popcorn bucket in hand. 

I think Lady Gaga has yet to prove her acting chops. “House of Gucci” was a trainwreck I am yet to forgive. I still have PTSD from listening to her horrid Italian accent. She got a lot of buzz for ‘A Star is Born,’ but I’ve never really understood the hype around her as an actress. 

As a morbid fan of the Joker franchise, I am eager to see how this film will address certain questions. Hopefully, this movie will answer, once and for all, the lingering queries about whether or not we live in a society. And whether or not women also live in a society.