By: Jadyn Iby ‘27 – Published in Fall 2024 Issue 2
Movie theaters were packed with people for the new sequel of the Joker this past weekend, with many leaving with a not-so-great review of the film.
There is much controversy around this new movie, seeing how the film is actually a musical. Producers of the movie stated to have portrayed the film as a musical all along, but many of its viewers, including myself, felt as though they didn’t get the memo. So, if you are not a fan of musicals I wouldn’t suggest going to watch this movie. Even if you are a musical fan, many believe the context and the Joker’s background don’t fit within the typical stereotype of a musical.
Additionally, I felt that the movie solely focused on Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) rather than the Joker himself (J0aquin Phoenix). Sure, we see a lot of the Joker, but there are many instances in which we see Harley Quinn. The relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn in this film is also quite a different portrayal compared to similar movies (with the same characters), such as Suicide Squad. It seems that in this film, we don’t see so much of a love between the two, but rather a codependent relationship. She ends up only wanting to be with the Joker because of the fantasy, it’s all about the fantasies of ruling the world in a chaotic way.
I feel as though this film was poorly put together, as many of the audience members were confused about the Joker’s personality in this second movie. The director portrayed him as weak and vulnerable, not the strong, psychotic, and somewhat charming Joker. They also allude to him bending to Harley Quinn’s will, whatever she wants needs to be done.
Lastly, I feel that the musical numbers they included in this film just didn’t make any sense. The Joker isn’t supposed to be this singing and prancing character. He is supposed to be fun and crazy but also calm, cool, and collected. I feel that this film was not Todd Phillips’ best work and that the storyline could have used some extra time and effort.