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Early reviews of Joker: Folie à Deux were sharply divided after its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2024. Some critics found ambition in its musical form and its challenge to the first film’s expectations; others found the prison-and-courtroom story frustratingly inert. “Brilliant” and “punishment” describe that polarity, not a formal rating scale or a settled critical consensus.
Why critics disagreed about Joker: Folie à Deux
The 2024 sequel does not simply repeat the first Joker as a conventional crime or superhero story. Its musical numbers sit alongside prison drama and a courtroom narrative, a combination that divided reviewers over whether the songs deepen the film’s psychology or interrupt its dramatic momentum. Rotten Tomatoes’ first-review roundup describes sharply different reactions to the sequel’s course correction and musical flourishes.
The split also reflects different expectations of a sequel. Critics who welcomed the film’s departures could see them as a way to complicate the original’s approach. Others, including viewers hoping for a more direct continuation, found the choices alienating. The disagreement is better understood through those contrasts than compressed into a single score.
The musical, prison drama and courtroom story
Reviewers repeatedly noted the film’s unusual mix of forms. TheWrap’s review roundup describes reactions to a film combining a prison movie and courtroom drama with a musical. The central question was not simply whether the songs worked, but whether they belonged to the same dramatic world as Arthur Fleck’s confinement and legal proceedings.
#1 Best Overall
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For some critics, the musical structure gave the sequel a distinctive, psychologically suggestive way to explore its characters. For others, it slowed or diffused the story. The Associated Press captured the latter response: AP critic Jake Coyle wrote, “It combines prison drama, courthouse thriller and musical, and yet turns out remarkably inert given how combustible the original was.”
Phoenix returns; Gaga’s contribution divides opinion
Joaquin Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, while Lady Gaga appears as Lee, also known as Harley Quinn. Rotten Tomatoes’ first-review roundup notes Phoenix’s performance and Gaga’s addition as central parts of the conversation. But Gaga’s presence did not produce a single verdict: TheWrap reports that some critics felt she “shines,” while others thought the film wasted her presence.
Rank #2
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That disagreement tracks the broader divide over the film’s design. A performance can register as an intriguing source of energy for one reviewer and feel underused within the story for another. The available early coverage therefore supports describing responses to Gaga as mixed, rather than claiming critics broadly agreed on her impact.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the first reviews do—and do not—tell you
These reactions followed the Venice premiere on September 4, 2024. The film’s wider theatrical opening was October 4, 2024, so the premiere-period reviews should not be mistaken for a permanent or current consensus. The Associated Press reported mixed reviews after Venice; its October 6, 2024, report also covered the film’s box-office performance and audience and critic response.
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Rank #3
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Rotten Tomatoes’ film page and Metacritic’s critic reviews page are live listings; their scores and review counts can change as coverage is added. Neither should be presented as a fixed measure of the first Venice reactions without a publication-time check and a dated review count. Rotten Tomatoes’ published critics consensus summarizes its own aggregation this way: “Joaquin Phoenix’s eponymous Joker takes the stand in a sequel that dances around while the story remains still, although Lady Gaga’s wildcard energy gives Folie á Deux some verve.” That is the site’s consensus statement, not a quote from an individual critic.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
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