I loved the performances and the direction that Todd Phillips and Joaquin Pheonix decided to go with the character of Arthur with having him face the consequences of his actions and battle with his identity through them. The challenges placed on Arthur both felt subversive and yet cohesive with where we last saw him in 2019’s Joker. However, the lame musical sequences, thin story, and off-putting ending bog this movie down tremendously! Still, I have not stopped thinking about since I left the theatre, and that is worth something in my opinion. Great review, man!
Thanks for commenting Zach! Always appreciate when you stop by 😄. I don’t know if the story felt thin to me, it felt more clunky. I really like the exploration of the theory of two identities. I think if they had leaned a bit more into that while incorporating Harley a bit more I think this would’ve hit exactly what it needed to for audiences.
This is a great fair breakdown. I agree with the negatives about the musical aspects bogging down the story. There's so much to like with those things holding from being great
This was defiantly a let down for me, I wish we got more of the joker side of him insted we got all of this Prison/Courtroom drama with Arthur and it felt warned out. There is a lot that i do like but there is also a lot that i hate. Great review!
That is a completely valid feeling. We spent a ton of time with Arthur and not Joker. That balance was also very similar to the first one though as well.
Interesting discussion about the film, I've mostly seen negative takes. I will check it out eventually but I have no rush to go see it due to the ratings.
Yeah I think it’s one of those films that will gain a solid fandom with time. The musical aspect really stumbles along throughout the film and that’s what’s really influencing the low scores. This film is almost worth a screening simply because of the gorgeous cinematography
“This film is incredibly directed”. That’ll be the big point you and I differ. I feel everyone else did their job. Actors fantastic, cinematography great…but Phillips dropped the ball imo. He was the weak link in this production. Love hearing your thoughts though, man!
Directing is so hard to quantify because each scene is so packed with vision and creativity. I can admit that as a whole package the film struggled towards the finish line and that also reflects direction. I just appreciate the journey he took Arthur on. Thanks for stopping by!
I didn’t like how it was a big f u to the fans of the first Joker movie. I don’t care for musicals too much but like you and many others said.. the songs that were in the movie didn’t do anything to move the plot or explore anything. I did say that years later people will see this as a masterpiece of a film. Just give it time.
@@TheMovieMinute-wMichaelAllen He pretty much undid everything that was done in the first movie. It was like a slap in the face to the amazing work he had done in the first film. Having Arthur feel bad for what he did and not want to be the ‘Joker’ anymore after gaining a following. Making this movie a musical with nothing adding to the plot made it boring to watch tbh. It had some good dramatic scenes that was cherished in the first film but the unnecessary singing that didn’t elaborate or expand the plot was annoying. We wanted to see more of Arthur being the ‘Joker’ not him feeling bad for his crimes in court. To be honest, the first half of court of Arthur portraying as ‘The Joker’ was actually entertaining because he really didn’t care. I was expecting him and Lee to cause alot of chaos in this film. I did not expect it to be the film we have seen. Now if it showed Arthur portraying as ‘The Joker’ representing himself in court and wins and show how corrupt Gotham really is (and it could’ve shown the turn of Harvey Dent by losing to a criminal like Joker) then boy that would’ve been an interesting film. The Joker is a fictional character set in a fictional world everything doesn’t have to be so serious you know BUT i did like Todd Phillips take on Arthur. I thought his take on the origin of the ‘Joker’ comparing it to mental illness and the dangers of it to society was unique and never done before with the character. I really didn’t mind that ending either. It’s just a shame that you could tell that Todd gave zero f’s about the sequel like he did with The Hangover 3 when he didn’t want to do another sequel. I hope i answered your question 😅
Very thorough take! I agree that the potential of a much better film feels like a loss. I don’t know if he really felt sorry for what he did, rather, he felt sorry that this is what his life had become. It’s almost like the film represented the stages of grief in his own journey through mental illness. He basically lost everything because no one ever truly cared. Then along comes Harley, but she doesn’t want all of Arthur, she just wants Joker. This existential identity crisis is what I think Todd wanted the core of the film to be. It just got muddled up in the clunky middle musical.
