Every fear or reservation you may have had about Todd Phillips making Joker: Folie à Deux came true despite Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

We are just five years removed from Phoenix's Oscar-winning portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Joker, but it feels like an eternity ago. Never mind how good or bad Phillips' 2019 movie is, a sequel was never necessary.

Over two hours, he told a satisfying story about a man pushed past his breaking point by society. While it was rooted in comic book lore, it ripped off Martin Scorsese more than any Batman comic book.

Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga.
A still from Joker: Folie à Deux courtesy of Warner Bros.

It looks like a masterpiece when compared to its sequel. Folie à Deux has nothing new to say, only doubling down on its predecessor's depressing tone.

Not only does Folie à Deux fail to justify its existence as a sequel, it isn't good on its own merits.. There is nothing new aside from Lady Gaga's presence, and its musical numbers become tedious by the third time.

More than anything, what Folie à Deux does is risk tainting the legacy of the first. If not for Hildur Guðnadóttir's score, this would be a complete wash.

Ultimately, the best quality of Joker becomes its biggest weakness. The first was lauded for being an original take on the DC villain. Again, it felt like a Scorsese joint more than a Batman spin-off. But the sequel doubles down so hard on not being a comic book movie — and yet confusingly conforms to some comic book references — that it becomes scared of its own shadow.

Unfortunately, it is not as bold as Phillips, Phoenix, or Lady Gaga would have you believe. Frankly, it is the complete opposite.

Joker: Folie à Deux review

For those who missed the first Joker movie, Folie à Deux has you covered. It opens with a Looney Tunes-inspired animated sequence that somewhat summarizes the first. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is backstage at his late night show before a shadow attacks him. The shadow takes his costume and performs horrific acts that Arthur gets convicted for.

In real life, Arthur is now in Arkham Asylum a couple of years after the first movie. The likes of district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) are calling for the death penalty for Arthur.

Meanwhile, his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), is trying to argue that Joker and Arthur are two separate entities and that the former committed the actions seen at the end of the first movie.

Joker: Folie a Deux.
A still from Joker: Folie à Deux courtesy of Warner Bros.

It is an interesting conflict that Folie à Deux attempts to tackle. Arthur is clearly sick, but does that excuse the behavior previously exhibited?

Phillips and Scott Silver, who co-wrote the script, seemingly want credit for good intentions without doing the work. Sure, they raise the question of Arthur's split personalities, but what do they do on the back of it? Frankly, not much.

Inside the prison, Arthur is still mistreated by the various guards, namely Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). His luck turns around when he meets Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), better known as Harley Quinn. They meet in a music therapy class on the other side of Arkham Asylum.

From there, the two fall in love and spark a romance inside Arkham Asylum. Their romance is one of the big selling points of Folie à Deux. And yet, it disappoints. As does another one of the selling points: the musical numbers.

Off-key numbers

If Joker was going to get a sequel, Folie à Deux needed to be different. If nothing else, making it a musical (at least somewhat) was intriguing.

Plus, bringing in Lady Gaga's talents to enhance the musical numbers seemed like a match made in heaven. Somehow, they ended up as boring as hell.

Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux.
A still from Joker: Folie à Deux courtesy of Warner Bros.

That is largely because all of the musical numbers take place inside Arthur's head. It is one thing for this to happen once or twice, but anything even remotely interesting that occurs is in his head. After one or two instances, it becomes a tired trope.

Even then, the singsongy numbers offer very little variety. As they say in Singin' in the Rain, “If you've seen one, you've seen them all.”

And that is the biggest bummer of them all. I could forgive a boring Joker sequel. But failing to deliver on the one thing that piqued interest leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Afraid of the DC Comics origins?

One has to wonder how scared Phillips is of Joker's DC Comics roots. Joker: Folie à Deux may be part psychological thriller and part courtroom drama, but it is full-time dull.

Neither vibe works for Folie à Deux. The Arkham Asylum stuff feels too homogeneous to the previous movie, with Arthur being berated and beaten at every turn. And then the courtroom procedural is lifeless.

It almost feels like Phillips and Co. are actively pushing against anything that could be mistaken for a comic book movie. Joker succeeded because it effortlessly accomplished that. The sequel goes out of its way to escape the genre, trying to be different.

But you cannot fake different, just like you cannot fake cool in music. The result is usually a cringe-inducing scene.

They go over the top in this effort with some gratuitous scenes towards the end. There is one in particular that will make viewers sick to their stomachs. Why this is the route the movie took is beyond my comprehension.

Still, Folie à Deux plays like the second installment in a trilogy. As much as Phillips does not want the Joker movies to feel like franchise movies, they still have cinematic universe roots. The hilariously bleak ending sets up things that no one wants to see.

Should you watch Joker: Folie à Deux?

There is nothing redeemable about Joker: Folie à Deux aside from its animated opening. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga's pairing sinks thanks to lackluster writing.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux.
A still from Joker: Folie à Deux courtesy of Warner Bros.

Perhaps the sequel was DOA. It is so unimaginative that you will wonder why Phillips made a Joker sequel in the first place. Trying as hard as they do to differentiate it from the comic book movie genre is its ultimate downfall. So, instead of making Folie à Deux about the iconic Batman villain, it is all about Arthur Fleck — but how interesting is that?

At one point, Arthur's lawyer reminds him, “You are not Joker, you are Arthur Fleck.” After watching Joker: Folie à Deux, you wonder if Phillips was reminding himself the same thing when making it.

Grade: F

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released on October 4.