Spencer Thomas | editor-in-chief |

If a movie sequel wants to match up to its predecessor, then it has to either continue the previous story in a way that isn’t clearly a far-fetched money grab or have something entirely different to say. “Folie à Deux” had such high expectations because it felt like both were possible.

Not only did “Joker” end with Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) entering prison amid an explosion of public support, but it explored complex themes like mental illness and social estrangement, which always present a longer conversation.

The trailer, teasing Arthur’s trial and a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque romance between Phoenix’s Joker and Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, did nothing to temper those expectations.

The movie opens with an animated sequence in an old-school “Fantasia”-esque style that is creepy and matches the ironic and dark comedy of the first film.

However, the film flips this narrative as we see Arthur grapple between his Joker personality – which is causing other desperate and psychotic people to give him love – and the attention that has always been in his life, such as that of Quinn, someone he knows is doing the right thing.

It’s a great twist in the series because it builds on the strength of co-writers Adam Phillips and Scott Silver’s unique, hyper-lifelike interpretation of the DC universe. It gives the Joker a realistic psychological arc because at the end of the day, nobody has real superpowers.

As was the case with the first movie, the world building of an R-Rated Gotham is great, both aesthetically and narratively. The grimy, dark cinematography seen in Arkham State Hospital is unsettling and intoxicating. For whatever faults the movie has, that ever-present aura makes it worth the time of moviegoers who enjoyed the 2019 movie.

And then there’s the elephant in the room: The fact that this movie is a musical. I remember seeing a teaser when the movie first came out.

“Arthur Fleck not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him,” it read.

Music? Must be a metaphor or something.

It was not. It was a sign of the fact that this movie includes approximately 10 show tunes and love ballads split between Gaga and Phoenix. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let this bold move create any preconceived biases going in, but it just doesn’t work.

The cross-section between fans of the first movie and musical fans is pretty small, so it’s tough to imagine that the studio thought this might go over well.

Writer and director Todd Phillips had worked with Gaga before on her breakout film role in “A Star Is Born.” While an actor and director repeatedly working together is not uncommon, it’s hard not to wonder how the concepts for the movie came together.

Was Lady Gaga brought in for the music, or was the music brought in for Lady Gaga? Her performance as Harley Quinn is good, much more sickeningly weird than Margot Robbie’s in “Suicide Squad” and “Birds of Prey.”

And it makes sense – she’s an eccentric person that was supposed to come in and convincingly match Phoenix’s freak. But they don’t pull off the sudden switch to a musical well enough to justify the move, so those turned off by the music, while pessimistic, are right to be soured.

Imagine the uproar if a sequel for “A Star Is Born” wasn’t a musical. When expectations are flipped like this, there has to be something more to offer.

Gaga’s singing is great, but Phoenix is dry and out of tune. It can be argued that this would make sense for his character, but the contrast is off-putting, especially considering he’s carrying one half of the vocal load.

[SPOILER] In the end, when Fleck rejects his Joker persona, and allows Quinn to walk out on him, it weakens whatever strength their love ballads did bring. It renders them pointless at worst, and unconvincing at best.

However, I commend the film for trying to do something different, and the studio for green lighting it. It’s better to see more movies, especially superhero franchises, do stuff like this than more Costco spinoffs that are meant to entertain for an evening and then sell another spinoff of their own.

If more creativity like this is endorsed, there are bound to be some hits. Maybe people will even look back on “Folie à Deux” a little more fondly without the jarring nature of the first piano keys and Phoenix’s vocals coming in.