Opinion: Joker: Folie à Deux – Is It A Sequel We Didn’t Expect, But Definitely Needed?

After making fans wait for nearly five years, director Todd Phillips finally dropped the much-anticipated sequel to the haunting story of Arthur Fleck. Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Phillips and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, sees Joaquin Phoenix return as Arthur Fleck, the chaotic antihero we've come to know and in some ways, love. The hype around this sequel is completely justified. After the first movie gave us a literal cinematic masterpiece with stunning performances, brilliant storytelling, and breathtaking direction, how could we not have sky-high expectations? And while the sequel delivered, it did so in ways that let’s be honest, not everyone was expecting.

The plot: Joker: Folie à Deux picks up right after the events of the first film. Arthur Fleck, now behind bars in Arkham Asylum, is facing trial for multiple murders. As the movie progresses, we see Arthur's mental state continue to crumble under the weight of abuse from guards and fellow inmates. His lawyer tries to build a defense around his instability, while the story digs deeper into his split personality—the Joker—and the possibility that his violent streak stems from childhood trauma. His good behavior eventually lands him more freedom within Arkham, where he meets Lee, igniting a relationship that adds new emotional depth to his character. The film cleverly weaves together his trial, this new relationship, and the ongoing chaos in Gotham City, all while shining a light on the stigma surrounding mental illness in the 1980s. Arthur’s unraveling is mirrored by Gotham’s own descent into madness, with themes of identity and mental health driving the entire narrative.

Let’s not tiptoe around it, Arthur Fleck might be one of the most loved, and ironically, the most human antiheroes we've ever seen on screen. As much as I want to applaud the writers for bringing this character to life, I’ll admit, there was always a nagging concern: how would people take it? We're talking about a man whose downward spiral into mental illness leads him to kill without a second thought. It’s disturbingly real, not some far-fetched villain origin story. It forces us to confront how fragile the human mind is, and how easily our surroundings, the media, culture, and society can push someone to the edge. So, if fans were expecting more Joker madness, more chaos, and crime, it’s understandable. But what Phillips did was give us something deeper, and in a way, even more unsettling.

Todd Phillips' Joker isn't the anarchic supervillain we’ve been used to from the comics, The Dark Knight, or even Suicide Squad. This Joker is heartbreakingly human, almost too relatable. We were used to seeing Joker as the detached, chaotic antagonist, but Phillips flipped that on its head in the first film, he made us feel for the guy. We went from fearing him to actually understanding him. And that, in itself, could have been dangerous, considering the influence of media on real life. So while Folie à Deux didn’t serve up the Joker madness some were craving, it was a responsible, thoughtful take on how the story could unfold without glorifying the darker sides of mental illness.

Now, let’s talk about the curveball—the fact that Folie à Deux is a musical. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure. As much as I love Lady Gaga, I have to admit, this shift gave the film a very different vibe from the raw grit of the first movie. Not that there’s anything wrong with experimenting, but when you’re dealing with a film that’s already made such an impact and cemented itself as a modern classic, the stakes are high. Still, I’ve got to hand it to Todd Phillips—he doesn’t bother explaining his vision to anyone, and honestly, if you get it, you get it. The performances were top-tier, the musical aspect added a strange new layer, and while the storyline didn’t give us exactly what we were expecting, it gave us something that felt oddly necessary. It might not be what we wanted, but it was definitely what we needed.