Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) institutionalised at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.

Todd Phillips’ Joker was a monumental cinematic achievement, a modern-day masterpiece of narrative, performance, atmosphere, and score, which earned rave reviews and a dominant box office gross of over $1 billion dollars. It was a film that took the greatest supervillain of all time, The Joker, and reinterpreted his character and psyche in a radically different way, leaving audiences stunned. Now, five years later, Phillips returns to continue the story of Arthur Fleck/Joker (Joaquin Phoenix), a mentally unstable and severely damaged individual whose actions unleashed chaos on the streets of Gotham City, manifesting the presence of sheer anarchy in Joker. Where 2019’s Joker was a dark and nihilistic thriller of the birth of a villain, Joker: Folie à Deux is a spinning, whirling, and bright piece of musical theatre character study. Audiences are pulled deeper into Arthur’s twisted and scarred psyche as Gotham City braces for the trial of the century, and many layers and subtexts are explored in a film that channels ‘Singing in the Rain’ by way of ‘The OJ Simpson Trial’, with the narrative leading to plenty of unexpected moments.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a character study presented as a musical, allowing audiences to delve into the fractured mind of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix). Arthur, now confined to the hell of Arkham Asylum, has become a macabre celebrity as his trial date approaches. Through the use of music, singing, and dance, the chaotic presence of Joker emerges, providing an examination of these two unique characters. Phillips finds a mix of psychological complexity and off-kilter comedy in the narrative, not to mention its lavish musical numbers, which all add to the texture and feel of the story. He also continues to build on his radically different version of Gotham City, 1984, with the environment of Arkham Asylum serving as its own character and bringing out Joker’s twisted personality. Additionally, characters like the ambitious and showboating Harvey Dent, Gotham’s District Attorney, add to the complexity of the movie, shedding light on the deeper layers of Arthur Fleck’s character.

For his performance in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix was granted an Academy Award, and most deservedly so. As the frayed, tormented, mentally disturbed and psychologically violent character, he presented an incredible take on one of pop culture’s most fascinating and unique villains. It was a performance of sympathy and malice, derangement and terror, and we witnessed the actions of a fractured soul that led to the rise of pure chaotic anarchy in a single moment of violence. Now, through the medium of song and dance, audiences are taken deeper into Fleck’s mind in Joker: Folie à Deux, and Phoenix is given room to play as only he can. Within this film, Phoenix taps his inner Fred Astaire, and his all-singing, all-dancing fantasy illusions bring out the presence of the snappy and malicious Joker, his shadow self, and this is contrasted with his waking form of the beaten down and mentally unstable Arthur. Phoenix dwells deeper into these two distinctive personalities, and we get a real character study of each personality, leading us to who the real Arthur Fleck truly is.

Injecting a dose of crazy into Joker: Folie à Deux is the presence of another seminal DC character, Harley Quinzell, portrayed here as Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow patient of Arkham Asylum who becomes infatuated with Arthur and who leads him down a path of madness of her own construction. Gaga inhabits Lee with her peroxide blonde hair, crazy cat-eyed stare, and bombastic personality and exudes a sense of compulsive, antisocial and narcissistic traits that gift her with a penchant for arson and a desire to cause as much trouble as possible. She has a penchant for toying with people and has an almost Charles Manson-like grip over Arthur’s emotions as she coaxes further chaos out of Arthur in the form of Joker. Her presence not only amplifies the actions of Joker but also keeps the audience off guard when it comes to the film’s narrative, leading to plenty of surprises.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a significantly different cinematic experience compared to the first Joker film, as it is set up as a musical. Drawing inspiration from the classic musicals of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Todd Phillips and his team utilise elaborate set dressing and big band settings to delve deeper into the chaotic fantasy world in which Joker exists within Arthur Fleck’s mind. Both Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga deliver compelling singing and dancing performances that evoke a mix of Sonny and Cher meets Bonnie and Clyde, reflecting their co-dependent mania. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher skillfully captures the oppressive world of Arthur with its sickly palettes of greens and yellows, as well as Joker’s vibrant world of red, orange, purple, and teal, creating an immersive cinematic experience for audiences. Additionally, Academy Award winner Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score expands the ambience of the film, infusing it with tension through sinister chords.

Thematically Joker: Folie à Deux delves deeper into the themes introduced in the original Joker, while also explores new ideas surrounding identity and fantasy. It takes the audience further into Arthur Fleck’s troubled mind, highlighting the extent of his fractured psyche. Audiences get to peer into the confrontation of the ego and ID of Arthur and Joker, as this film seeks to answer the the question of: Who is the real Arthur Fleck? Through its exploration of identity and reality, and the inclusion of elaborate fantasy scenes that reveal Arthur’s true self, Joker: Folie à Deux offers a textured and complex character experience that will captivate audiences seeking a deeper understanding of the character.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a film that swings for the fences with its narrative, and it’s a film that genuinely takes audiences by surprise. What we get is a loud and colourful musical experience that reveals the true character of a villain, and it offers an interesting point of view that makes for an unexpected yet intriguing picture.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Now Phillips and Phoenix are back for the much-anticipated sequel, Joker: Folie À Deux. This time, they’re bringing along multi-talented singer-songwriter and fellow Academy Award winner Lady Gaga for the ride. The result appears to be a highly taught and incredibly creative musical-crime opus that will completely shake up audiences.

Watch the all-new trailer for Joker: Folie À Deux below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) institutionalised at Arkham Asylum, and awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love (Lady Gaga), but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.

This new trailer for Joker: Folie À Deux is utterly sensational in its production and follows on from the pulse-pounding teaser trailer, and it sets the stage for something completely unexpected. Having caused a large-scale riot and being implicated in multiple murders, Arthur Fleck, better known as Joker, awaits the ‘trial of the century’, and unexpectedly falls in love with a musical therapist of Arkham Asylum, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is carrying her own sense of derangement, and their crazy love is sure to spell disaster for Gotham City.

The new trailer does not provide any sense of narrative direction or specific plot points. Instead, it focuses on mood and tone and captures the anarchy that swells up around Arthur and Lee as their insane love for each other boils over. Phillips himself brings an incredible level of grandeur to the project, and the prevailing narrative has an almost ‘OJ Simpson trial meets Singing in the Rain‘ quality.

What is clear is that Phoenix, the Academy Award winner, has completely folded back into the skin of Arthur Fleck. With his gaunt frame and the gleam of madness behind the eyes, he’s ready to make a complete show out of his trial and ignite a new fire through Gotham. Audiences will also be given a special treat as Phoenix will engage in both song and dance as his already fragile psyche cracks even further, and this new narrative device will lead to a real surprise for audiences.

Sharing in Arthur Fleck’s madness this time around in Joker: Folie À Deux is Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a music therapist who is drawn to Arthur while he is incarcerated at Arkham Asylum and who stokes his madness and anarchy… and the fire that spreads. Gaga truly revels in the glee and insanity that follows Arthur, and her dark intentions are slowly revealed as the trailer progresses. While Phillips has been coy on the characterisation of Gaga’s Lee, and her purpose in the narrative, he has described her as being an almost ‘Charles Manson-esque figure’ to Arthur… and this can certainly only more chaos awaits in Joker: Folie À Deux.

Joker: Folie À Deux appears to be an utter spectacle. With its bold vision, unique handling of a classic villain’s mythology, and sensational song and dance numbers, it will be incredibly memorable to watch when it arrives in cinemas on October 3.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) disregarded by the society turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.

Let it be known that Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Joker is utterly transformative. When you first lay your eyes upon Arthur Fleck it is apparent that this guy is beyond a doubt a loser. Arthur exists at the very bottom rung of the ladder in this broken system, and every day is a bad day. Beaten down by the society that he exists in, Arthur is continually flayed out by his needy mother, a loathsome work environment, his unfulfilled dreams of comedic success, and a society that is so uncaring that it doesn’t even recognise him. As we watch this man’s suffering unfold on screen, we soon start to see a brutal streak begin to develop within him, and when this callousness eventually explodes, with shocking fury I might add, it completely takes your breath away. Through all of the chaos that presents itself up upon the screen you only witness the character of Arthur and not a hint of Phoenix’s actorly self, and this is what makes his performance such an utter triumph.

Phoenix’s performance in Joker transcends every part of his being as an entertainer. As soon as he steps into the dishevelled shell of Arthur Fleck you see a completely different side to the actor. His physical appearance, facial expression, posture, voice, all of it changes as he steps into the character of Arthur. Everything about the construction of Arthur Fleck is designed to bring him down. Seeing this man walk through the trash laden streets of Gotham City, you meet a man who is being crushed by the weight of the world around him, and it pains you as an audience member to watch it. Phoenix’s key trait as Arthur is his maniacal laugh, which is rooted in the neurological condition of pathological laughter, and its shrill, high pitch certainly leads to plenty of uneasy moments. As the film moves forward and Arthur begins to accept the madness building up around him, we see his shadow self emerge in the Joker and the idea of a happy ending evaporates quickly!

Guiding the insanity that is on display here in Joker is Todd Phillips, and his direction here is nothing short of astounding. With Joker, Phillips has taken the comic book genre and completely cut it apart as he dives into the analysis of the villainous archetype, and what drives a man to manifest himself as insanity incarnate. Framing his story around the classic notion of the Joker’s ‘one bad day’ narrative, Phillips takes audiences into the dark recesses of the human psyche as Arthur slowly becomes a terrifying force to contend with. Phillips builds a viewing experience that is completely seamless here, and thanks to the power of the delivery of his narrative you get caught up in the events that are unfolding before you.

Joker is marked out by a cinematic style that harkens back to the films of the 1970s and early 1980s and it helps to set the mood for the grimy, grungy world of Gotham City. Alongside its lead protagonist, the dirty, failing environment of Gotham City plays a major part in the film’s story, and longtime Batman fans will get a thrill at seeing Phillips take on it. Inspired by classic films of the 1970s and early 1980s, including the works of Martin Scorsese such as Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and The King of Comedy, Phillips paints the picture of a crumbling, broken urban landscape which is plagued by massive income inequality, squalid living conditions and corruption at every level. This Gotham City is ready to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and all of its adds into the conditions that bolster Arthur’s evil shadow.

Two of the most important contributions to the success of Joker are its cinematography and score and Phillips lucks out here. Phillips regular cinematographer Lawrence Sher is on board for the ride and he crafts a film that is possessed by a haunting beauty. Making terrific use of light and shadow and the contrast that exists between them, along with an incredible colour palette that ranges from sickly greens and depressing greys to bright yellows and crimson reds, Sher’s eye for detail helps to visualize a unique cinematic experience for modern filmgoers. Then there’s the ghoulish score of composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, and her use of this gloomy, evocative music grounds you in the faltering world that surrounds Arthur and the nightmares that plague his subconscious. The union of these two filmmaking art forms contribute heavily to the success of Joker and Phillips makes incredible use of them in bringing his vision of Joker to life.

On the thematic level, a lot is going on inside of Joker and one of the most notable themes that Phillips explores here is the relationship between comedy and tragedy. Often regarded as the two most defining theatrical styles, every audience member is accustomed to the workings of these genres, but here Phillips pulls between each of them to show how each affects the other in his film. Added to this is the growing madness that slowly builds throughout the film, and audiences will be shocked as to how Phillips uses the idea of madness to shape this cinematic work. From narrative to character, the juxtaposition of tragedy and comedy impacts every part of Joker and Phillips thematic uses of genre helps him to get a reaction from his audience.

Added to this is Phillips deep exploration of the Shadow, a construct of Jungian archetypal psychology which has long held considerable sway over the source material related to the Joker. And here we see all of it on display. Joker is the exploration of a how a villain is formed and in the case of Arthur Fleck its the result of considerable trauma, a seething level of resentment, deep psychological scares, a failing approach to mental health and the uncaring world that this broken man lives in.

In Joker we see both nature and nurture lead to the manifestation of an extreme evil, and there’s plenty of shocking moments on display. It’s rare to see this level of analysis from a filmmaker, especially concerning a portrait of a villain, who as characters are so often regarded as one dimensional bad guys all for the sake of dramatic tension. But with Joker Phillips takes us inside the inner workings of a mind that is slowly falling to those darker human impulses, and I bet that you’ve never seen anything like it before.

Be forewarned that Joker is a piece of cinema that is not for the faint of heart. This is a film that is confronting, horrific and completely savage in its creation, but it is also something truly incredible to behold. In a world that is so accustomed to the workings of comic book narratives, it can sometimes feel like there’s no new direction to take the genre in. Joker is the answer to this. It’s a piece of cinema that looks to both its source material and the medium of film for inspiration, and then having sampled it, does it’s own things instead. For a director like Todd Phillips Joker is a very brave piece of film to make, and it brings something incredibly different to cinemas. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a piece of cinema that is so original in its construction, both in relation to the comic book genre and the medium of film in general, and that’s why Joker’s existence is such a triumphant success.

Joker is that piece of cinema where everything about it comes together. Direction, narrative, casting, production and score. All of it is present and accounted for here and it makes for an incredibly memorable viewing experience. It’s a film that will both shock and entrance you and I’m certain that you won’t be able to look away. And when its final frame fades to black and the credits begin to roll, you’ll come upon the realisation that you’ve witnessed something truly unique.

Image: Roadshow Films

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Watch the first trailer for Joker below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) disregarded by the society turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.

While audiences are no strangers to superhero cinema, they’ve never seen anything like this before. Dark, brooding and filled with psychological malice, Joker appear to be a hard-edged psychological thriller that will take audiences into the black edges of the mind with it’s tale of a man who slowly begins to lose his mind with terrifying results.

Joker is a completely new step forward for Phillips, and you can forget about any type of Hangover style comedy here. With it’s grimy palette and edgy style, Joker is bearing influences from the likes of the work of Martin Scorsese and Darren Aronofsky, and this trailer will absolutely have you on edge. This is clearly filmmaking that goes right for your throat, and it’s going to be a completely wild ride.

While Phillips may be at the command of this madness train, it’s Joaquin Phoenix who takes audiences on this journey of insanity as Arthur Fleck and his transformation into the savage and unhinged Fleck is brilliant! Gaunt, pale, unkemp and completely out of control, Phoenix is definitely going to unnerve audiences here…and his laugh is tinged with creepiness which will send a shiver down your spine.

Juxtaposing themes of joy and comedy with horror and mania, Joker is going to be one seriously intense watch, and is set to re-interpret both The Joker and the Batman mythos in a whole new light. And I’ve also got to praise the trailer’s use of Nat King Cole’s ‘Smile’ which only adds to the mounting psychological tension and makes for a perfect fit here with Joker.

Get ready for something completely bold, original and new when the world’s greatest supervillain arrives in cinemas on October 3.

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5. John Wick: Chapter Three

It doesn’t get more adrenaline charged, action-packed and badass than the John Wick franchise and starting off our 2019 list is the must watch final chapter to this all-out action vengeance saga John Wick: Chapter Three. Picking up minutes after the conclusion of the intense John Wick: Chapter Two, with Keanu Reeves’ legendary hitman branded excommunacado and on the run with only one goal: SURVIVE. Now Wick will have to kill his way out of New York City, while eluding the $14 million bounty on his head while also dealing with new allies including Halle Berry’s mysterious Sophia, taking on new adversaries such as Mark Dacascos’ ruthless assassin Zero and making sure to settle the score with the infamous High Table. A film of this magnitude demands your attention and Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have promised to go all out here. Brace yourselves for the biggest body count yet and get ready for your adrenal glands to go into overtime.

Release Date: May 16, 2019

4. The Lion King

Regarded as the greatest ever Disney animated film of all time, The Lion King also holds a very special place in my heart as it was the first film I ever saw in the cinema. Now twenty-five years later director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) is ready to take us back to the magnificent vistas of the Pride Lands and is prepared to tell the story of the lion cub who is destined to be King. Following on from the stunning first trailer, it’s absolutely apparent that The Lion King will be a marvelous visual treat for both young and old alike thanks to its stunning CGI storytelling, not to mention including the likes of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Kani as Rafiki and the great James Earl Jones who returns as Mufasa. The Lion King is a simply unmissable 2019 cinematic event and I can’t wait to see its grand narrative brought to the big screen in amazing blockbuster form.

Release Date: July 18, 2019

3. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Every time Quentin Tarantino returns to the director’s chair magic occurs, and now with his 9th feature film he is applying his unique style with the quintessential cool of the 1960s for his new operatic tale Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Chronicling the fortunes of faltering TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman partner and best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as the two of them take an odyssey through late 1960s Hollywood and find themselves intertwined with the fate of starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and the Manson Family. Packed out with an intriguing plot, a cast at the top of its game, and Tarantino’s wild genius, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood will be one wickedly fun time at the movies and we can’t wait to see where this maverick filmmaker takes us with this new tale.

Release: July 25, 2018

2. Joker

It only takes one bad day to make a villain out of any man, and we’re about to see that day in action as we chart the rise of the DC Universe’s greatest ever villain in Joker. Exploring the origin of the Clown Prince Of Crime’s origin in a thoroughly unique project, director Todd Phillip’s and star Joaquin Phoenix will take audiences to a very dark place in their character-study portrait of the world’s greatest ever villain. Set in the early 1980s, Joker will follow the doomed career of wannabe stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) who is driven insane and begins a reign of terror upon Gotham city as a psychotic madman known as The Joker. With a style more akin to Mean Streets than Batman, Joker is going to be a very interesting watch both narratively and stylistically, and given the lengths that Phoenix can go with a performance we’re very keen to see just how far he’s going to go here. It’s going to be manic.

Release Date: October 3, 2019.

1. Avengers: Endgame

But when it comes down to our most anticipated film of 2019 it’s very simple: Avengers: Endgame. Following on from the fallout of Avengers: Infinity War, the stakes could not be higher for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the ultimate fight against Thanos is just beginning. So far the Russo Brothers are keeping their cards very close to the chest, but the first trailer has filled us with excitement and we can’t wait to see what comes next. Will Tony Stark make it back to Earth? Will Thanos’ ultimate ends be filled, or was he just warming up? Does Captain Marvel hold the key to our future? What happened to Hawkeye? And just how the hell did Ant-Man find the Avengers base? All will be revealed in time, and we’ll be sure to savor every single epic moment of it when Avengers: Endgame arrives in cinemas this year.

Release Date: April 25, 2019

Images: Walt Disney Pictures, Roadshow Films, Sony Pictures, Studio Canal

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Camera test (w/ sound). Joker.

A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips1) on Sep 21, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

Phillips again took to his Instagram to highlight these early costume tests which show Phoenix transforming from Arthur into this freakish clown character. The footage is chilling and I can already sense the serial killer vibe that Phillips is going for here with this character.

While these are only early camera tests and are not indicative of the characters final transformation I wouldn’t be surprised if this early make-up later morphs into the characters final Joker look.

While we still have no further plot points on where this narrative will go, the vibe I’m getting is that of a grungy Taxi Driver inspired cinema experience and there definitely won’t be any happy endings here.

Joker will be unleashed on audiences on October 3, 2019 and it’s going to be a mad old time.

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