Summary
Now thatJoker: Folie à Deuxis officially out in theaters, something very odd has happened. One of the most anticipated DC Comics movies in years is one of the most hated DC Comics movies in years. Audiences and critics alike are not impressed by the sequel to the original movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck (aka The Joker). But it’s more than just not being impressed with the movie, people actively dislike this new installment.
There are several different reasons why people aren’t big fans ofJoker 2. There’s the fact that it has quite a few musical numbers, thanks in large part to getting Lady Gaga on the cast as Harley Quinn. That’s just part of what has made people unhappy about the way the film ended and there are people who just didn’t like howTodd Phillips paced the movieand how he had the plot unveil itself. And the worst thing about all of this. The thing about a movie that is currently getting a45 on Metacriticis that Warner Bros. probably should have seen what has turned out to be a very disappointing movie.
Rumors Hinted At A Problem With Joker: Folie à Deux Early On
There were a few things that didn’tseem likeJoker 2’s productionwas going as well as expected. Despite the fact that fans had quite a bit of trust in Todd Phillips in taking the sequel to new heights based on the success of the first film, it seems as though there were signs here and there that showed there was trouble. And the fact that Phillips wasn’t actually the first choice for the film was the biggest of all.
Christopher Nolan was theoriginal choice forJoker: Folie à Deux,but he decided to move on after some arguments with studio higher-ups. Then Todd Phillips stepped in and put out the movie he wanted. And while that’s not usually a bad thing, especially when the first film did so well both commercially and critically, it turns out it was a recipe for disaster forJoker 2.
The first big sign that something was very, very wrong with the production of this film was that Phillips reportedly wouldn’t and didn’t communicate with James Gunn or the DC Comics people about how this film should turn out.
It turns out that Phillips wanting to go it alone and do his own thing was, in fact, the biggest sign yet thatJoker: Folie à Deuxwas bound to fail. The first big sign that something was very, very wrong with the production of this film was that Phillips reportedly wouldn’t and didn’t communicate with James Gunn or the DC Comics people about how this film should turn out. That would normally not be that big a deal, since it’s clear that this film isn’t really supposed to be closely tied to anything that came before it, or that will come after it in the DCU. But reports that Phillips flat refusedany notes or feedback from Gunncould be a hint that something else was going wrong. That there were some hard feelings between the two.
One Big Sign Of Problems In Joker 2
But the biggest problem, the thing that should have tipped everyone off, that perhaps Phillips knew the movie was more for him than it was for the audience, was the rumors that he refused to do any sort of early test screening. Phillips didn’t want to hear what people had to say about Lady Gaga or Joaquin Phoenix’s performances, or get any feedback about the way the film’s story was carried out.There’s the ending that has peoplequite angry about how things were wrapped up. There’s the introduction of characters that don’t go anywhere.
There was talk of a Harley Quinn movie that won’t materialize now.
If there had been a test screening or a couple of test screenings, all of those kinds of problems could have been pointed out. And while Todd Phillips might still have refused to change anything from the movie he wanted to make, it would have at least given the studio an idea ofhow audiences and critics would respondto it. Studios have teams that can tell them how best to respond to bad screenings at the very least. The fact that no one wanted to know before the wide release might have been a sign that at least some people involved knew problems were brewing.
Todd Phillips Walking Away Point Towards Trouble
There was one more sign that Phillips knew things might not be going the way the studio wanted forJoker: Folie à Deux. Phillips has announced he’s “done with the franchise” of Arthur Fleck anddone with DC Comics.
Stepping away after two films, especially when the first one was so popular, should have been the first real sign that he wasn’t in love with the material he was working with or loving the idea of having to work with DC and James Gunn on future projects. That he wanted out so quickly was a signal to fans of the first movie thatthings simply didn’t go very well.
