Joker 2 Review: Todd Phillips Laughs At The Fans

I just got out of Joker 2 about an hour ago. You can watch my coming out of the movie theater reaction on YouTube if you want.

Note: Spoilers follow.

So I liked the first movie a lot. I went into Joker 2 without knowing much about it. I managed to avoid all the trailers and the spoilers. I knew Joaquin Phoenix returned as Joker and that Lady Gaga was cast as a version of Harley Quinn. I also heard it was a musical.

However, just like I previously said, the musical stuff is all in their heads, which honestly I didn’t mind. It’s not like the entire movie is a musical, but I will say, there is a lot of singing, and yes, it drags on (songs are kinda boring, too).

I think if Todd Phillips would have given us the ending we deserved, the musical parts of the flick would have been easier to deal with.

So “Joker” appears only in the musical stuff for the first two-thirds of the movie, meaning he’s really not in the film, again all in their heads. It makes sense from the story’s perspective because Arthur is in jail and on trial. However, just when it starts to get good – we get the Joker and Gaga as Harley – Phillips gives a big mother f’n FU to the fans. Believe me, it’s a massive FU. Joaquin Phoenix does, too.

As I go over in my reaction video, I actually didn’t mind the first two-thirds of the movie. It does come off a bit boring and slow, but you are hoping for some big payoff at the end to make up for it. You’re hoping that Phillips will tie everything together. Instead? Phillips ties it to two characters, one that appears for about five seconds, and the other is a character no one gives a rat’s ass about.

What sucks is that Lady Gaga comes off as basically meaningless in the entire movie. Her character doesn’t do jack squat and the only reason she is in the movie is to inform the audience – through telling Arthur- that there are a lot of people backing him. We really don’t get to see all these people. It’s only when Gaga becomes Harley and walks up the stairs of the court do we see all the people (it’s not like the end of the first Joker). More on that later.

Meanwhile, much like the first movie, Arthur is getting “picked” on by the guards in the jail. I am just going to come out and say it, but yeah, they’re all white. Did you notice that the one black guard was actually kinda nice compared to the other guards? He basically let Harley touch Arthur outside the jail cell. He also is the one to have saved Arthur at the end of the trial. Notice that?

So in the first movie, Arthur is getting picked on and at the end becomes the Joker and does what he does. Flick made a billion dollars.

So again, the first two-thirds of Joker 2, there is also a lot of build up and you’re hoping for payoff. There is a really cool scene where Arthur fires his lawyer and kisses her goodbye. Enter the Joker! F’k yes! This is what we’ve been waiting for! There is another really cool scene with Mr. Puddles. Harvey rests his case. Joker decides not to defend himself and rests his case. Judge says to come back tomorrow for closing arguments, etc.

So Arthur is back at the jail and the guards aren’t too happy that he humiliated them on TV. So they beat the shit out of him and drag him back to his cell. The one kid he kissed starts singing, “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The guards don’t like that and end up killing the kid. You’re left thinking to yourself, “Damn! What’s the Joker going to do now?!”

Next, we’re back to closing arguments. Here. We. Go! This is the build-up we have been waiting for all this time and the big-time payoff! Joker is going to give this really awesome speech! He’s going to fix mother f’n ASS!!! Harley is there, too!

F’ck NO!

WTF just happened? It feels like an entirely different movie?! Joker comes out and says he was never Joker and that he has been “Arthur” all along and knew what he was doing. WTF did I just watch?! Todd Phillips just shit all over the first movie and the fans! He also threw $200 million right in the f’n garbage! He doesn’t give a f’k! He just received a hefty $20M payday! Same with Joaquin Phoenix! You can’t tell me anybody that had anything to do with the movie didn’t know the ending — SUCKED!

Oh, I also didn’t like – and this is when I knew it was going downhill – when you find out who Harley really is. That was a bummer. And she ends up leaving the court when Arthur says he isn’t the Joker. Then at the end when they meet up, Arthur is like “We’re going to live happily ever after.” Well, she says “You’re a f’n loser” and bails. WTF. She shoulda been the one to kill him, if they were going that route. Again, her story comes off as meaningless. We never get “Harley.” I hope Gaga wasn’t hoping for an Oscar like Phoenix received for the first one.

Okay, let’s take a step back, as before the ending with Gaga, the court house blows up! Arthur manages to make it outside where a couple of supporters dressed as Joker manage to get him in their car and drive away. He’s free! He’s going to be with Harley! F’k NO. So Arthur doesn’t want any part of them and jumps out of the car and runs away?! Cue the infamous “Joker” staircase that everybody loves from the first movie! That’s where he finds Harley (see above)! WTF! Phillips shits all over that, too!

So after the Harley part, Arthur is arrested and he’s back in prison. They’re all watching TV. The one douchebag guard says Arthur has a visitor. Arthur gets up and starts walking through the hallway. The guy-in-the-movie-for-five-seconds stops Arthur and tells him a joke. Well, the joke’s on us as the guy stabs and kills Arthur. WTF.

Update: A couple of other things:

Harley had sex with a guard to get to see Arthur in the jail cell. Recall how she ended up in the cell with Arthur. She tells him the guard let her in. Then she tells Arthur she would do anything for him, with “anything” obviously implying, well, anything.

Also, fans are questioning if Arthur was raped in the guard scene. My impression is that he wasn’t raped. I noticed Arthur had his underwear on when they dragged him back to his cell.

Original review continues:

In an interview at EW.com, Phillips explained the end by stating the guy-in-the-movie-for-five seconds was the real Joker. WTF.

Todd Phillips knew exactly what he was doing. He’s no dummy. He intentionally did all the building up of Arthur, and then pulled the rug out from under not only the Joker, but the fans. It’s a big FU to DC, but more importantly the fans. Phillips intentionally didn’t want to give the fans the “Joker” ending. There is no doubt about that. The entire movie was building to that. You can’t tell me otherwise. Phoenix knows it, too. It’s unforgivable.

So in kind, the fans have responded by giving their own FU to Phillips. The flick has massively bombed at the box office. Now that’s funny.

Joker 2 gets a 1-star rating out of 10.