3 Mistakes That KILLED Joker Folie à Deux (Writing Advice)

[@steelazuredragon]

"they trade info dumps with each other" - favorite quote of the video.

[@maggot1111666]

The worst part is that this movie doesn’t even lend itself towards info dumps like a fantasy or something

[@KutWrite]

I dug that one, too.

[@volodymyrostrovskyi533]

These are not infodumps, considering that Harley's constantly lying

[@YouilAushana]

Plus, the songs?

[@YouilAushana]

​@@volodymyrostrovskyi533 _women or politician?_

[@the_toaster_waffle]

Thanks for not only giving a movie review, but also a thorough writing lesson!

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I love your name lol

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@89odev]

Maybe you could do a "Good sequels vs. bad sequels" video... wink wink

[@bettyelgyn3071]

Support this idea!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hopefully by the end of the month!

[@Mariobro4]

​@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Dew it.

[@Lando9807]

megamind 2?

[@89odev]

My favorite recent (well, recently watched) sequel was Terminator 2. The way they upped the stakes with the new terminator "technology" that made it even more unkillable, the incredibly well-done plot twist with the two terminators, the way it expanded on the terminator idea from a social standpoint (the boy bonding with the terminator, the mother's reluctance to accept his help because of trauma). All this while keeping what made the first film great: kickass action sequences and chilling scenes of terminators being terminators. Tbh I play a lot more video games than watch movies so I know of more good sequels in that category: Unravel 2, The Talos Principle 2, Portal 2, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Psychonauts 2, Little Nightmares 2... maybe I should make a "Good video game sequels vs. bad sequels" video...

[@clowncinema]

What’s even worse regarding the stakes is that Arthur himself doesn’t really seem emotionally attached to them. Arthur never seems to care about whether he lives or dies-which is the main stake-so why should I?

[@jackdavids2723]

Allow me to be the one to compliment you for that profile pic.

[@christophermanley3602]

Do you think Heath Ledger’s joker cared if he lived or died?

[@clowncinema]

@@christophermanley3602 no but that worked because he was the antagonist. We weren’t supposed to care whether he lived or died. Also, the fact that he has no regard for his own life contributes to his nihilistic worldview. But with Arthur, who we are supposed to care about, his apathy toward his own life makes it hard to be invested in his story.

[@TheShark94700]

@@clowncinema Maybe because he wanted to kill himself at the end of the first ?

[@clowncinema]

@@TheShark94700 yeah but then he didn’t and found a reason to live through his clown army

[@Yatukih_001]

Morale of the story is don´t write a sequel nobody wants. Thanks for your video man!!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@Lithilic]

When you get an unexpected hit like the first Joker movie, there's a strong temptation to go back to the well, especially when creatively bankrupt studios are desperate for money. The problem however with an unexpected hit, or any sort of lightning in a bottle, is that if you can't understand what made the first one a hit, you're not going to be able to replicate it, and clearly they failed to here.

[@CabezasDePescado]

The director clearly made it out of spite but it was a childish and petty reaction, they had many drections to go and full control, no excuse for making a bad movie even if it a sequel was not needed

[@justinwinningham4892]

It’s a soulless money grab, let’s be honest

[@forresth.6690]

They didn't try to replicate the accident, they doubled down on their intentions. The original film wasn't a Joker origin story, it was about what happens when the bones of a Joker origin story are fleshed out in something along the lines of the real world, i.e. everyone loses. Unfortunately, Todd Phillips failed to make the point; so many people thought "Joker won!" that the result was an empowerment-based blockbuster instead of the mild-to-moderate cinematic success he was aiming for.

[@SpartacusSPQ]

They did not replicate, they went even further. Just not in the direction of glorification. The tragedy is immense, and so painful they hide it behind the costume of a musical and put on the happy face. But behind the mask is something so broken you don’t want to see it. Arthur is reality. Joker is not. No matter how much we’d want that.

[@wfchannel4673]

@@CabezasDePescado yeah, the movie seems made specifically to piss off the fans who were a little too enthusiastic about the original, with pretty much everyone returning from the original too happy to cash a paycheck to put in much effort.

[@NickNab]

The Joker movie didn't need a sequel at all. It was all wrapped up in a neat little package at the end and that was that.

[@screwielewie]

Technically, there's already a sequel: any of the Batman movies 😋

[@WestheBestMoore-du8kp]

@@NickNab I liked the way the first film is connected with the Batman just as the Penguin series

[@screwielewie]

@@J31 Yeah, the Critical Drinker said something similar. 👍

[@plaidchuck]

@@screwielewie hurrrrr durrrr muh non woke director failed me

[@screwielewie]

@@plaidchuck ...wut?

[@Biscuits..]

We're gonna pull a Pacific Rim with this one

[@Ollyiswild_04]

I was thinking the same thing

[@CabezasDePescado]

Agreed

[@ShinGallon]

I've rarely left a theater as angry and disappointed as I did when I went to see Uprising. Pretty sure only Rise of Skywalker was as bad of an experience as that.

[@ribclicker]

What do you mean? We’re still waiting for the second to come out

[@Reg_The_Galah]

Pacific rim job amirite

[@kylefields3951]

I think another reason why it's not well liked is because Joker felt complete when it was over. There's a legitimate possibility that people aren't rushing to go see it in theatres because they don't feel compelled to watch a story that didn't necessarily need a Sequel.

[@mickstone7380]

Yeah it would be like making a sequel to taxi driver

[@mickstone7380]

Could you imagine if in 1974 taxi driver was the smash Hit instead of Jaws? And they made taxi driver two, and taxi driver 3D

[@louksirluna4556]

I dont want to see the second one because i dont want it to ruin my vision of the first movie

[@Kakaragi]

The Fourth mistake is that Joker already has a sequel, it’s called Batman!

[@MsJayteeListens]

One of the reasons I don’t like either Joker movie is Batman stops that guy pretty quickly and gets him the help he needs. He would never become his great nemesis. Unless of course it’s Battfleck, he would just kill the joker

[@Kakaragi]

@@MsJayteeListensHe’s still incarcerated though

[@missmeaghanj2482]

Very true!

[@mimilook4347]

I'll never forget how hard my heart was beating while watching the scene where Arthur kills Murray in the first movie. The music in the background was giving me chills, Arthur was getting more and more angry while Murray and the audience kept making fun of him and Arthur's behaviour was getting more and more unhinged until that point. When he was talking in that scene you could see the pain in his eyes after everything that happened to him before this moment and then his anger as he's yelling at Murray and killing him in front of the live audience and cameras. That was a really great moment, my favourite, and it's what made the movie good. And so I was sitting there watching the sequel and waiting for the sequel to give me a scene that's like that but it didn't. And it couldn't either because a scene like that was accomplished by everything that came before, all that building up paid off - the story was going somewhere. But of course, the sequel just doesn't give us any story, there is no build up, nothing. Arthur is just, as you said in the video (great video btw), waiting for things to happen and that's it. There is no climax because nothing lead to any climax.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Yep, first Joker had some fantastic suspense to it. The subway and Murray scenes are standouts.

[@mimilook4347]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Yes! Thank you so much for replying. I love your videos 😄. I forgot to mention the subway scene, cuz we also see him kill other people in the movie too before the Murray scene, so it was obvious that he's going to kill him and when he said "I got nothing to lose" I knew he's going to do something crazy again. And the subway scene kinda terrified me the first time I watched it, it was really great too. He killed his mom as well, and his colleague, he decided to get back at everyone who was humiliating him, so we were expecting him to finally become the Joker, which we came for. They promised something and they delivered. His villain arc being so strong is the reason why the second movie fails - there's no way that a violent man with mental illness can be cured from all his trauma with the power of love. Mental illness doesn't work like that. It's like nothing from the first movie that happened never happened and he was never crazy.

[@npcimknot958]

It’s as Lowkey carthartic wasn’t it? You see author is a product of the environment.. he tried so hard.. and when the idol you admired persons to care for you.. but invites you to humiliate yourself.. that F you up hard..it’s something a lot of people can relate to.. you do the best you can.. and you realize you’re just being laughed at, used.. You don’t have to be crazy to understand that feeling of utter betrayal and humiliation and i think it also really illustrates why good people can end up going postal.. And it does align with the jokers ‘ all it takes is one bad day’

[@bark22]

In 1989, I took my then 7 year old daughter to see Ghostbusters 2. Seeing that the entire cast and crew were coming back for the sequel, I remember thinking “What could go wrong?” While walking with her back to the car (after the movie), I recall thinking that the movie was so bad, that I would have to apologize to my daughter for wasting her time. Instead, she looked up at me and said “Daddy…that movie wasn’t very good.” ❤

[@PhoeMIX2]

I remember I saw Ice Age: Collision Course as a kid, and even as a kid who watched movies for dumb fun I knew it was bad compared to the other Ice Age movies.

[@tomleonard830]

People have serious nostalgia googles for that movie. I was 14 when I saw it and remember it not being that great also.

[@WestheBestMoore-du8kp]

@@bark22 It is awesome that you are sharing your appreciation of film with your daughter, and it must be very rewarding that she shares your passion. I actually liked the movie in comparison to the REWRITING of the original. Maybe I just wanted a ghost story instead of a cultural lecture

[@forresth.6690]

(How can one make a movie in which one animates the Statue of Liberty and then totally fail to use her symbolically? And choose "Higher and Higher" over Ray Charles's performance of "America The Beautiful" to do it?)

[@glentz716]

Yeah, that was one of the worst sequels I ever paid money for

[@mikehunt5106]

3:39 I couldn’t really figure out why I didn’t like it but I think you put it perfectly here

[@envrie9423]

There’s a lot of people blindly hating, thanks for actually explaining why this film fails, appreciate it!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Of course! Thanks for watching!

[@michaeljordan5630]

I think the problem with the Joker movie is that it a character study movie which most of the time a character study story is a smaller personal story that focuses on a character.

[@Achieme]

NGL i am one of those people that didn't like the idea of it being a sequel way before it was a musical. I liked the ambiguity ending where you can't tell if the events were real or all in his head. I didn't see it but one of the things people talked about why the sequel sucks is that he's not embracing his joker persona and he's just arthur and he's like i don't wanna be the joker anymore.

[@offdutyenglishmajor9924]

Exactly how I felt about it. The first was a solid standalone movie. The fact that it made you wonder what was real and what wasn't fits perfectly with someone like the Joker.

[@ShadoSpartan44]

im glad to see you explained in detail the main reasons it was bad, most people just say "acting was bad, special effects are bad, and it didn't make sense" without going into detail. Appreciate you giving some examples and maybe now you can make a video how you might do things differently.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@RaySierra]

I saw this at the theatre....i cant believe they made this into a musical!...i have no idea why they did that?...i heard about this,but i still refused to think it would be that bad!...and it was! And then some!..Wow!

[@lanskyzxc]

Does a sad pathetic character mean a bad character? Arthur has always been broken and sad, is it that hard to imagine a person like him losing the resolve to be the Joker and wanting to be seen and loved as himself?

[@crimsonmoon8649]

Well, I think I know what movie will dominate the next Golden Raspberries

[@JanstonCordell]

It's a slight deviation from your question, but my least favorite sequel of all time is Ghostbusters 2. It was absolutely disrespectful to the protagonists; they go from heroically saving NYC to being birthday party clowns.

[@eddied.3426]

I loved that! The only movie I've seen that takes responsibility for the wreckage caused other than hancock (and that avengers movie...) besides, the heroes were never "heroic" really. They were not proffessional. They caused more damage than they prevented. Still fun movie though and I do preffer the 1st one although one of my and my family's most used quotes: :why am I covered with goo?" Came from that sequel. But to each their own. I thought it was a lot of fun

[@thegiftedfire3470]

It also doesn’t make sense that the public in the sequel forgot that ghosts exists which bother me

[@eddied.3426]

@@thegiftedfire3470 some saw ghosts. Not millions of people. That they wouldn't believe makes sense. Also trickery is a fair and plausible explanation. Plus people will belive anything

[@SirToaster9330]

My big problem is how the movie regresses Arthur's development and it treats him being assaulted as a punishment, the corrupt society that made him is absolved of blame and instead the lesson of the movie is "He's bad, so do whatever you want to him" which has dangerous real world consequences.

[@unicorntomboy9736]

I remember when i first started university at the time, i loved the first movie. In fact, I ended up watching it twice. The first movie was subversive and compelling, with pognient themes that meant the movie actually had something to say, a message it wanted to communicate. It is often cited as one of the best movies of the 2010s decade, and deservedly so. When I first heard it was going to be a musical starring Lady Gaga, of all things, it perplexed and baffled me, and felt like a red flag going into this movie. I decided to not watch it, and will go to watch that new Transformers One movie instead.

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

Was it worth it?

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@siegfriedmordrake3229 I have not seen it yet

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

Transformers One is a good movie. Ignore the first trailer, it doesn't represent the movie at all.

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@jesusromanpadro3853 As a writer, is it a good thing to watch as many movies as possible?

[@Lauren007E]

I mean, it could have been a court room musical about unrepentant criminals in the vein of Chicago.... but you cant really do that with low enegry poorly sang jukebox musical. Imagine if instead of 'we both reached for the gun' we got Billie eyelash (idk how to spell her name)'s 'I'm the bad guy'. A Chicago rip off from Harley Quinn's POV would have been really interesting

[@danieltb8119]

I thought the movie made it clear enough (opening scene to the end) that the stakes in this movie were Joker versus Arthur Fleck. Additionally, Fleck is being manipulated constantly by everyone in the movie. I think you missed the point were Arthur Fleck ultimately defeats the Joker during the final court scene by claiming he is of one sane mind & personality when he wasn't. He takes agency in doing this. He takes agency by leaving the taxi. Fleck is manipulated by his mother, the prison guards, Harley, other Joker fans, the media, etc. Fleck struggles & has agency versus his manipulators. I can understand fans expecting a film with more fantasy versus realism being disappointed.

[@antoniosamaelspeziaanaya2500]

I agree, most people put Arthur's Joker as a kind of mastermind such as Heath Legder's one was, but no, this Joker is more a consequence of external factors such as a cruel mother and a bad system that never cared, that end up becoming an idol.

[@TheKadetJaina]

Thank you, that was exactly what I saw in the movie. It was a story about the whole world expecting him to be something, manipulating him, pushing him (again). And him defeating it. Most of the time I agree with movie criticisms but this one had completely different effect on me than the rest of the audience it seems.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I'm really sorry, going to skip this because I might like to see the film, but absolutely here for support!!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

No worries. And thank you so much!

[@danrazART]

Please don't give them money for they will make more bad films if they are financially successful

[@crumpscrumbs]

@@danrazARTThe director of this movie has already been blacklisted from the industry and nobody wants to work with him anymore. Rest assured, nobody wants this to happen again.

[@c.s2193]

I thought so too. Then I heard what the story is about, watched a couple of short videos about it and now I’m glad I haven’t wasted any more or time to watch this dumpster fire lol

[@IsomerMashups]

Did you learn from your mistake?

[@browneyeofsauron1244]

I really like how you disect why it failed instead of indignation farming and needless complains.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@browneyeofsauron1244]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty It feels a bit off that basically every one of my comments on your videos are compliments, but you've earned it. I really enjoy your content.

[@MiikaKontio]

This video was such a great look on the lack of story, motivations, actions and payoff in the movie. No body has said it better and I have watched tons of reviews

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you!

[@Leo4gzs]

Don’t know how this channel doesn’t have more than 300k subscribers. Great videos.

[@rowan404]

My answer to the question of the day is Frozen II. When I was a kid, I absolutely adored Frozen and looked up to Elsa as a role model, but the sequel completely undid all of her character development from the first movie. Despite no longer being a huge Frozen fan, I was devastated by what my childhood hero had become. The inciting incident of the first movie was her abandoning her kingdom and her sister. The conclusion of the second movie was her abandoning her kingdom and her sister. It hurt to watch. I _really_ hope the upcoming Frozen III undoes this critical error instead of making it even worse.

[@jackmeowmeowmeow2177]

Brandon drops another great video. I think you give consistently strong advice, I'm glad I found this channel.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@RhenishHelm]

Funny you mention Swain's "Techniques of the Selling Writer." I just picked it up at a library sale for $2.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

What a steal!

[@MiikaKontio]

I see Joker 2 and Brandon in same title, immediately clicked the video

[@christophermanley3602]

I enjoyed "Joker 2," but I also enjoyed "Last Jedi" and "Cats." So it seems that if the internet hates something, it's probably right up my alley.

[@wowzers94]

Oddly enough, the first sequel that came to mind which was a disappointment was another Batman related film, The Dark Knight Rises. I kept waiting for it to really kick in and grab me like TDK, but after an hour or so, I remember realizing it just wasn't going to happen. I was so bummed.

[@elradswordman]

I had this one in mind too. Such a disappointment and I never watched it again.

[@lindildeev5721]

There's also Batman and Robin, which is considered one of the worst superhero movies ever.

[@siegfriedmordrake3229]

Thank you! This one was so boring I couldn't even hate it, I just felt indifferent to it and vaguely annoyed

[@elradswordman]

@@lindildeev5721 you're right. That one was a catastrophe too.

[@drewmantia]

Rises blew me away as a theatrical experience but it falls apart more with each subsequent viewing. Just not on the level with Begins and TDK

[@Mr_Vosakisen]

Brandon its 4 am, I'm trying to sleep, now I have to watch this

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

You are not the only one. 🥱

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha hope you watched it with the blue light filter on

[@tylikestotalk]

i love this video because I was in the theatre thinking, "damn, something is majorly wrong here," but the only thing I could conjure was the lack of stakes, so it's good to know why it felt so incredibly off

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for watching! Glad the video helped

[@AndrewKelley]

I like your point about lack of agency. I feel like that's also the biggest flaw with the movie Hereditary which I watched today. The characters just kind of exist in this chaos that happens to them.

[@kimaya4503]

Solid criticism! I loved it up until the nonsensical third act. I also felt there was a lack of commitment to the protagonist. Toni Collettes character was suddenly de-emphasized for no discernable reason, imo.

[@AndrewKelley]

@@kimaya4503 I completely agree. I really thought they were going to do more with the miniatures. I half suspect that they originally planned to do that, but then chickened out and went with the demon king thing. Think about it! In the very beginning we get that scene where the camera literally pans into miniatures which then come to life. The cuts make it look as if the house is a set piece in a workshop with the lights flicking on and off. The weird camera angles. Sleepwalking. Weird poses. They were totally building up to some kind of miniature based horror and then changed course partway through.

[@Imagination5002]

i didn't think you'd make a video on Joker 2 ! honestly quite pleasant to see tonight

[@VincentStevenStudio]

I think everyone has said enough about The Last Jedi, so I won't say any more about the movie itself. But it was the movie that broke me. I was super hyped. I bought the tickets weeks in advance. I counted down the days. I couldn't sleep the night before. I couldn't believe Star Wars Episode 8 was about to be unveiled. The movie that destroyed my hype. Ever since TLJ, I have never felt hype for another movie again. I just hold my excitement and wait until I watch the movie first. If it's good, great. If it's bad. Oh well. Who cares anymore.

[@eryqeryq]

To be fair, TFA was kinda mid, because it was just a thin re-skinning of ANH. It only gets love because it was so much better than the Prequels.

[@VincentStevenStudio]

@eryqeryq It had so much potential though. It was a great set up. The characters were lovable. Rey, Finn, Poe. An interesting villain in Kylo Ren. It was finally a real movie with personality. Back to the fun family adventure of the originals and not the boring monotone political prequels. And then...well, you know the rest.

[@jimwoodswrites]

The Last Jedi is a writing masterclass in what not to do.

[@glentz716]

The Force Awakens is a writing masterclass is what not to do

[@mori1bund]

The Rise of Skywalker is a writing masterclass in what not to do.

[@decepticonstinger3150]

Andor is a writing masterclass in what not to do

[@azulsimmons1040]

This is easy. All the JJ Abrams and whatever Star Wars Sequels, The new Thor movie, and The Marvels. Absolutely horrible.

[@RouzbehGhasemi]

I like how you explain each point with such detail. I really like to hear your thoughts about The Fountain. The character building, the plot, everything.

[@dr1kk3r]

I connected with Joker directly. You just didn't see how abusive these guards are. That was by no mean treating him nice...

[@ScreenRafa]

Yes, i disagree with Brandon on some points, but I liked the movie.

[@LouisWritingSomethingCrazy]

Sounds like they broke sequel rules 1 and 2 1) Never retell the first story! 2) Never have the same arc for your characters!

[@Tousicle]

Brandon, I love that this isn't a review, or one thing you would change, or how they got the entire movie wrong and didn't pick up where they left off by red-conning the entire first movie. I loved that you just took this for what it was and said, here are three writing techniques we could learn from and here is the result. Bravo!

[@plaidchuck]

Wow imagine that, the guy whose main achievement was The Hangover had his luck run out

[@GaryNac]

I love the fact that despite being derived from a Super hero comic that the first Joker felt very much like a Drama,Thriller/Horror movie however I never watched the second one and I don't know how soon or even if I would ever get around to actually watching it yet I still appreciate the review.

[@sergeromero2099]

More often than not, when I hear about an upcoming sequel I get the feeling that the pitch always goes something like: Producer, "Let's make a sequel'. Writer, "What will it be about?" Producer, "Who cares, just put the same characters in it and people will watch it."

[@johnfernandez2751]

Yeah, and/or carbon copy of the plot points from the original.

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

@@johnfernandez2751 And also retcon the character development so you can do it over again !!

[@-441-]

So glad you touched on this bro!! Nice to hear analytical approaches and you never disappoint my g.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@phillippedelolmo6370]

As Arthur stated in the final scene from the first Joker film, when asked, " You want to tell me your Joke?"..... Arthur responds..... "You wouldn't get it." It's very obvious that the critics, let alone the general audience, didn't get Folie à Deux at all. It would appear that the audience, within 5 years, has become more narrow-minded, inept, and only wants what they feel they deserve... The sequel is a conclusion to Arthur's tortured life and not about the exploits of the Clown Prince of Crime. The film is about Arthur's real world and fantasy world experiences colliding. And eventually it's his adoring fans turned enemies on him that wind up killing him. Hence, Lady Gagas "Lee", Phillips interpretation of Harley Quinn. If you really feel it necessary to analyze her character, then you would see her as the secular form of chaotic crowd. The obsession turned hatred after Arthur says in court publicly, he's not Joker, he committed the crimes, he's not a dual personality, and so on. This turns out to be a reflection on you, the general audience, and especially the critics that simply did not want to understand the film nor give it a chance to tell its story from the first film. Much rather it's showing the inhumanity and the complete disconnect from a word that was used several times for the first film, empathy. Rather instead people were looking for a redefined murderous Clown Prince to take up the mantle before good old Heath Ledger would show up... For the comic historians, it should be known that the character has stated in several books that he's more of an idea, hence Arthur providing this idea, and dare I say inspiration for the future of the Joker that fanboys were searching for. Simply put, all I hear is hack critics and Fanboys whining that they didn't get what they wanted, boohoo. The dumbing down and heartlessness of today's society reflects in much of the negative critiques you're finding with this film, that's to be expected. What else do you expect from spoiled little brats that love dick and fart jokes... Speaking of Redundant frat boy Moronic comedy,, Marvel gives you Deadpool and Wolverine. As typical with the MCU, mindless bubblegum attempted roller coaster with an attempt of being semi-funny with lowbrow comedy and digging up characters from their Hall of want to be heroes. Let's put it this way, I highly doubt and I'm willing to put money down that Deadpool and Wolverine will see much of any awards being thrown their way, and there's a good reason for that, it's not really a film, it's a fanboy fest, and you see how limited their Horizons are. Folie à Deux will later resonate with people that can appreciate a film that is based on the characters from a comic book and bringing them into a tangible real life that is gritty ugly and in your face truthful. Even with the song and dance elements, what goes on in people's heads can be by far more disturbing. As for Wolverine and deadpool, or whatever it's called, its going to go along with the rest of the MCU films, chewed up, spit out, forgotten about, somewhat like a used condom when the fanboy is the only one in the room,, maybe a little cash in the pocket, but meaningless, lowbrow comedy easily forgotten about. 👏👏 Well done Todd, and thankx🃏

[@Danielss250]

The way you talk it's almost like Todd Phillips makes some deep and introspective movies that are very hard to understand instead of the overly exposed and explained movies that he actually makes, where characters literally tell you exactly what's going and what they're feeling in detail lmao. You sir deserve an award, it's hard to be this pretentious. You're not as smart as you think you are.

[@Gareth-410]

Albino reading all that

[@phillippedelolmo6370]

@Danielss250 the film has by far more depth than you or most people are giving it credit for. If the film is overly explained and one-dimensional, why are so many people upset that they didn't get what they wanted? For anyone to think that this was the origin story of the battle between the bat and the Clown is short-sighted, and obviously naive. I will say that the films undertone of the audience watching this film is that of a lack of any empathy, let alone the imagination to understand the character not being what they wanted but rather the idea of what the character will become. The death of Arthur Fleck literally gives birth to "The Joker". Pretentious? 🤣 Well, typically the one making that accusation is the one that didn't get their way, boohoo... I never claimed anything about my intelligence... however by your reaction I can only make the assumption that you're just like the rest of "them"... sad there's so many 🃏

[@Danielss250]

@@phillippedelolmo6370 " If the film is overly explained and one-dimensional, why are so many people upset" - Because the movie is bad and they wasted their money and their time to watch it. Crazy concept right? "I never claimed anything about my intelligence"- While you didn't write those words they are very clear in the context of your comments. You just made a dissertation and now this response where your main point is that the film is too good at subverting expectations and ppl are just mad that they don't understand it and didn't get what they were looking for. You made it very very clear that you think of yourself as part of some enlightned few who just know better and are so empathetic while the rest is just a part of the sad "them", your words, not mine. "I will say that the films undertone of the audience watching this film is that of a lack of any empathy" - You say this and yet you casually dismissed other ppls frustation and just classify those who don't agree with you as "them" and saying it's something "sad". Oh yes so empathetic, I'm so glad we have you and Todd Phillips to teach us the way. I don't have to assume anything here as you can see.

[@phillippedelolmo6370]

@Danielss250 Well, the film wasn't bad, nor was it a waste of money, and for people that didn't get it, that's their problem. You can read into my commentary however you want, and if it appears to you that I'm being pretentious and enlightened, that's fine. It's not my problem that the IQ level, specifically in the United States, is lowered so far in 2024. As far as empathy, I don't think that I'm being unempathetic to a bunch of whiny ass Fanboys that are throwing Tantrums because they didn't get what they wanted. Too bad. Apart of the reaction comes from the many that are slamming the film without even seeing it, let alone the critics not understanding it whatsoever, and then trying to rip into people that did understand it, or appreciate it. You mentioned "frustrations".. 🤣 .. why? Because THEY didn't get want they wanted? Well, what they wanted wasn't possible in the storyline of this film. Common sense? To expect otherwise is naive. So empathy should apply to whining, able-bodied adults, that throw insults at others who don't agree with their narrow-minded views of how they see the world... that's all I need to know from you. At least you didn't use the "Bro" response. You don't need to be taught anything. THEY will give you that.

[@SUBSYNDICATE]

I think Indiana Jones was done so dirty... a once charismatic character just acting as an "I'm so old"-punching bag, literally. Just sad

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Indy 5 was horrendous. I die a little anytime someone says it's better than Temple of Doom.

[@johnfernandez2751]

Post mortems like this are great. You saved me a lot of pain by watching this for me, but even if you hadn't, it's great to hear you pin down the issues so precisely. I'd love to see more of these in the future whenever there's a particularly bad movie that comes out.

[@cjkalandek996]

Your last bit on "we should just pretend this never existed"? See, I HATE it when people say "I hate this movie so much I'm gonna pretend it doesn't exist". Because that's so immature to me as well as both paradoxical AND nonsensical. You'd have to acknowledge the existence of something in order to have an emotional reaction to it.

[@apollyonbob]

Worst recent sequels? I can think of a whole TRILOGY of bad sequels. Kudos for resisting the urge to make a "somehow, the Joker returned" joke in here somewhere hahaha

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hahaha I had to restrain myself

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I was sure you would have that joke in the beginning. I would have loved that !!

[@dawnkravagna3200]

Excellent analysis. Thanks for sharing.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@armaturetattoo5169]

It was Arthurs lack of any agency that really killed the movie for me. I kept waiting for him to start doing something. Take some control. When he fell in love with Harley I though ok now he’s going to start hatching a plan, especially with her on the outside, but nope. When the bomb went off in the court room I thought awesome are we going to find out that joker had secretly been planning this with Harley and his following? Nope just random thing that happened. I guess he decided he wasn’t the joker? Pretty lame

[@cigoLxeL]

On the meta side of things, if something you create becomes successful but you're unhappy because it appealed to an audience you don't like, making an intentionally disappointing follow-up just to spite them probably _isn't_ going to attract the audience you really wanted.

[@DeepGnomeDruid]

The Hobbit. Splitting it into three movies, bad cgi, meaningless original characters, cringy romantic subplot. An absolute slap in the face to the source material.

[@rokeYouuer]

See, I feel like a lot of people conflate the LotR movies as the Hobbit’s source material, when the source material is obviously the book, the Hobbit. And the movies are a pretty good adaptation of the book. While I think any fans of Tolkien’s can agree that making a trilogy out of the Hobbit was never going to work, and yes, the writing and visuals are noticeably worse than those of LotR, I think the meat of a lot of people’s complaints is that it’s sillier than LotR, when so is the book. It’s a CHILDREN’S STORY, not an epic fantasy, and I personally think the Hobbit movies are good in their own right, although obviously even the best of the trilogy isn’t nearly as good as the worst of the LotR trilogy.

[@plaidchuck]

@@rokeYouuer Agreed the first Hobbit movie I thought was great. The scene with Gollum was just how I remembered imagining it as a child reading the book

[@TheBrilliantBrick]

@@plaidchuck I haven’t got around to seeing the movies yet but I read the book and I heard somewhere that the first movie is apparently 60% which probably explains why it’s the best as the others are probably filled with bullshit pulled out of the writers asses instead of the source material.

[@RedDeadAuto1]

EARLY. Funny enough, I just finished another Joker video by CaptainMidnight literally a few seconds ago. Love your content bro.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you!

[@AnotherDuck]

Not _recent_ sequel, but Highlander 2. There are just so many problems with it.

[@LuminousXDMC]

he was only in the joker persona and makeup for 20 minutes of this 2 hour film, and that includes his imaginary musical scores

[@Hi-fm1xg]

Sequel that really disappointed me was Incredibles, because I didn't think Brad Bird would make anything less than sth brilliant and finding Dory

[@nightlordAL]

You're a teacher as well as a review, thank you, a credit to this hellscape of hate mongers

[@nadeeml9276]

Another excellent video! I hope you choose to make a video about the show The Penguin when it's all done, my goodness is that an amazing show!!! I have no doubt you're watching it. I really want to know why Oz is such a sympathetic character. I mean Im sure I can figure out a few reasons of course - but really waiting for your expertise. Thank you kindly again!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I need to check out Penguin. Hearing many good things

[@soirema]

I disagree that we are introduced with Arthur being "happy" at the asylum, the gloom reality, and the depression he is stuck into, shows really well that he has nothing to live for since the very beggining

[@tomleonard830]

You mentioned that Arthur is a passive character in the story. Could the same story (with few changes to the narrative) be made better if It were changed to have Harley be the main character instead? She is the more active character already. There would not need to be too many additional scenes to switch the focus to her instead.

[@Torkvaad]

Riddey Scott messing with Alien franchise was definitely one of biggest disappointments.

[@TrueUnderDawgGaming]

1. Barely any Joker 2. Repeats the first movie 3. Kills the protagonist for no reason

[@gloriathomas3245]

Protagonists and even supporting character are often killed for no reason and you see a lot in TV.

[@JohnPyle]

Brilliant review.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@ianbergerurra8021]

Could you make a video on what would make a good *prequel*?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hoping to do a Bad vs. Good Prequels in the future. The hard part is finding GOOD prequels haha

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

​@WriterBrandonMcNulty The recent Transformers One movie is an amazing origin story !! It's not connected to the live action movies but it can still be considered a good prequel. Highly recommend giving it a watch.

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

​@WriterBrandonMcNulty Also how could I forget ? - Monsters University. That movie is an underrated masterpiece and a great prequel in my opinion.

[@jasontodd6779]

This movie didn't fail to create sympathy for Arthur, it intentionally insulted Arthur, trying to make him look pathetic. People who make this hate Arthur and don't want anyone to sympathize with him.

[@Ritch548]

I stopped watching this video at 1:37. You said Joker 2 failed to create sympathy for Arthur when it does. Example 1: when Arthur was walking side by side with the guard and says “thanks pal” and gave him a pat on the back only for the guard to pause and slap Arthur on the back of the head.

[@samfrazier5599]

Damn sharp analysis!! Well done!!

[@missmeaghanj2482]

Pretend this one never happened. Exactly!

[@YagoFierceDeity]

Adorei o vídeo. Obrigado pela aula.

[@axebeard6085]

Unlike most people, I have actually experienced folie à deux with a dangerously violent romantic partner who tried to manipulate me into being violent. I experienced childhood and adult abuse. I lived below the federal poverty level because for 30 years the VA misdiagnosed my PTSD and Bipolar disorder. For 20 years I was prescribed various REPEATED combinations of 10 different antidepressants and augments, which made my Bipolar disorder worse. Due to poverty, I had to live with one of my childhood abusers for a decade. People avoid me when I become hypomanic and talk too quickly or divulge too much personal information. I had a girlfriend hire someone to kill me when I broke up with her. Thanks to that, I've been a hermit and an involuntary celibate for decades because I have panic attacks around women. So here's what you missed because you DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE FIRST FILM: 1. The first film was intended to be a realistic character study about characters in the DC Universe. The origins and motivations of each character needed to be realistic. This means realistic psychology. You can not realistically get Batman's Joker without him being inspired by a proto-Joker. The types of trauma Arthur experienced were too debilitating, and would NEVER have created someone equal to Batman. 2. Both films are a horror story for Arthur. Joker did such a good job of making you empathize with Arthur that you were cheering as he killed people. BUT THERE WAS NOTHING TO CHEER ABOUT. Getting revenge on the people who brutalized you is NOTHING TO CHEER ABOUT. Granted, Arthur was certainly justified in killing the first stock broker in self defense. But not the second. And CERTAINLY not the third. There was no self-defense in killing his mother. There was no self-defense in killing Murray. 3. Musical elements: Have you ever watched a musical? Do you know the purpose of musical numbers? They don't exist just to pad the runtime. They are put into films because they are the ONLY viable way to make the audience understand complex internal emotional states. You can't show the audience the experience of folie à deux using voiceovers. I KNOW, because I experienced it. The first film did a very good job of showing the audience what Arthur's internal emotional state was. But how do you think a film can show the audience a shared delusional state between TWO PEOPLE? Voiceovers? So, let's pick out some points in your video: 0:38 If you wanted a repeat of the first film, you should have just re-watched the first film. The whole point of a sequel is to continue the story, not repeat it. You had already developed sympathy for Arthur in the first film. 1:19 You used the words "sympathy" and "empathy". I don't think those words mean what you think they mean. "Sympathy" is feeling concern or sorrow for someone. "Empathy" is sharing in that person's feelings and perspective. If you think that "sympathy" is more powerful, and that the films intended you to feel "sympathy", then its no wonder you believe that the sequel sucked. You were supposed to see the world through Arthur's perspective. This is ALSO why you failed to understand the message behind both films: almost everyone in Gotham is a victim AND a villain. It is a vicious cycle. When you treat someone badly, they treat you badly, which only gives you an excuse to treat them worse, and then they treat you worse, and so on. Every single shot in the first film is pounding that into your head. It is VERY obvious if you pay close attention to the radio and tv broadcasts. 1:54 "...relatively nice to him." Are you kidding me? What were you doing? Texting on your phone? Every single interaction with the prison guards involve threats, implied threats, abuse, or allusions to off-screen abuse. Did you NOT notice Arthur squatting in the rain instead of sitting down in the bleachers? When Lee came to see Arthur in his cell, did you NOT understand HOW she got there? As someone who has spent time in a psych ward, the little things can be just as painful as the big things. In this day and age, imagine being denied your phone simply because you're ill. Now, imagine being denied your phone when the nurses are sitting around passing the time on their phones watching Netflix. This is COMMON is psych wards. 2:05 If all you felt was sympathy for Arthur in the first film, then its no wonder you had no emotional connection to him in the sequel. 2:15 Were you paying attention to that "tame uneventful intro sequence"? Were you listening to the radio? Did you pay attention to what Arthur was doing? HE WAS TRYING TO PERFECT HIS APPEARANCE SO THAT THE COURT AND JURY WOULD LIKE HIM. HE WAS PUTTING ON A MASK!!! 2:35 I would love to hear a rational explanation for why the threat of the death penalty IS NOT a stake. 2:42 Things at stake in the sequel: (a) Arthur's identity, which he finally comes to terms with when he admits that he is the Joker and he did kill those people, (b) Arthur's mental health while under the influence of Lee, (c) Arthur's physical safety while in the prison, (d) Arthur's emotional needs in his relationship with Lee, (e) Arthur's moral compass when he admits that he killed those people, (f) A freaking trial where the death penalty is on the table is ABSOLUTELY relevant to the safety of the supporting characters and society as a whole. God, this isn't rocket science. Why not just admit that you went into the film biased, and came out biased. 3:02 Did you notice that you just said "In a sequel, we TYPICALLY want to raise the stakes." Do you not know what the word "typically" means? I'll give you a hint: IT DOES NOT MEAN "ALL THE TIME". 3:22 Every second of Arthur's interactions with Lee are EXACTLY WHAT FOLIE à DEUX FEELS LIKE. You did go look up what folie à deux was, right? You didn't just assume it was a hoity-toity way of saying "part 2". Right? 3:47 Do I need to point out that "failing to see a compelling drama" is often the result of NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FILM? The end of the first film had Arthur breaking. The end of the sequel has Arthur putting himself back together and being at peace. I fail to see how that is a repeat of the first film. 4:00 Do you know how much agency a prisoner has? Do you know how much agency a psych ward patient has. Do you know how much agency a man who is experiencing folie à deux with a manipulative woman has? Folie à deux is a break with reality. How much agency does a delusional person have? 5:14 Back to an earlier point: THIS IS NOT BATMAN'S JOKER. This is proto-Joker. At what point in the first film did Arthur show himself to be a mastermind? You went in to that film with expectations. When a film fails to meet your expectations, IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE FILM. It is your own fault for not leaving your expectations at the door.

[@monikaengelsfeld686]

The guards are humiliating him, like when they send him the guy to kiss him. Or when Arthur wants to thank the guard and pats him on the back and he responds with a massive slap to Arthur's neck. Saying the guards are nice to Arthur is a huge misjudgment.

[@andrewpowell1734]

I thought I was going to see this movie, but now I’m not. I saw the first one twice in a theater.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Same here. Went in completely blind on opening night and loved it so much that I went again a week later

[@maxeisenhardt8800]

Independence Day: Resurgence. In the first movie, after the president was attacked by the alien's telepathy and he was briefly connected to the alien hive-mind, he mentioned that they bring their whole civilization each time they invade a planet, so it's implied they were all exterminated for good when the mothership exploded. But alas, Fox wanted Part 2 and they commited some of the worst sins a sequel can have: 1) Killing off a main character off-screen because the actor was unable to return. 2) Contradicting what was established in the world they built. 3) Telling pretty much the same story, and with the aforementioned elements, being ultimately an inferior version of it.

[@garym6315]

I'm not going to watch this movie...not even watched the trailer. But I'm curious if there's ever been a film riding so high critically and financially that falls so much in such a short period of time. It's like if The Phantom Menace had been the next film released after A New Hope, in the 80s. Usually franchises turn to crap and make bad choices over many sequels, but it's unprecedented how this just fell off a cliff and destroyed all goodwill and love the original brought.

[@felixthecat2786]

This isn't bad writing. Just because the masses didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean it's bad writing. I thought this film was exceptionally well written and I can see some complaints about the ending. Just because you don't like the ending doesn't mean it's "bad." People wanted Arthur Fleck to survive at the end or escape, but he doesn't. The movie is about a battle between Arthur Fleck and his "shadow" ego Joker. In the end, Joker wins out over Arthur Fleck. What did people think they were seeing?

[@zilartsy433]

I agree with your points, I’m really disappointed to see the potential lost. The implication of the title is that one of them is delusional and pulls them into their delusions- hence the name meaning “madness of two.” It was an actual phenomenon and it would’ve been really cool to see how they would’ve executed that in the movie.

[@williammclean6594]

I also hated the ending where like it's just some random guy that kills Arthur. And then we find out Arthur wasn't even the Joker but just inspired the psycho that stabbed him. And then like you, see the guy that stabbed him like carved the Joker smile on his face. Implying he's Heath Ledger Joker. I mean if they were going to do that they should have gave the guy who killed him some screen time. And it makes sense that this Joker isn't the Joker because like Bruce Wayne would just be a little kid at this point. But I didn't like the idea of watching a movie about the guy who inspired the Joker. They should have made Arthur the Joker but just in a universe we're Batman doesn't exist. Or where he's not mentioned so it could like make sense later.

[@Joshcoshbagosh]

I’m gonna be completely honest. Idk how people couldn’t tell he wasn’t the real joker even in the first movie considering Bruce was a little child while Arthur was a middle aged man. And the of course the climax where you have a bunch of people dressed as joker and one of which kills BW’s parents. It seemed pretty clear to me even in that film that the intention was Arthur could be perceived as just the inspiration for the “actual” joker.

[@williammclean6594]

@@Joshcoshbagosh yeah but still having some random kill him with giving him no screen time was bad. Then implying he's Heath Ledger Joker was even worse.

[@Rezzanine]

@@williammclean6594 he's not Heath Ledger's Joker. Ledger's Joker looks around the same age as Christian Bale, but in the first Joker film, Bruce Wayne is still a child. If the man who carved his own face becomes the next Joker, he will be considerably older than Bruce Wayne when Bruce finally comes of age. Additionally, the Waynes' murder in the first Joker contradicts the depiction of this scene in Batman Begins. Finally, Harvey Dent is already assistant DA in Joker 2 and is also (technically) disfigured. Given that Joker and Joker 2 are both set in the early 80's (judging by movie posters in Joker 1), Dent's age in Joker 2 also doesn't align with his age in TDK (which was set in 2008). Joker and Joker 2 are set in their own universe basically.

[@williammclean6594]

@@Rezzanine Yes, but if they're they're different universes from each other it doesn't really matter. It still wasn't a good ending to have our search just get randomly killed by some. Nobody because he renounced the Joker personality. I've seen other reviews on it. The director was just pissed off at incels resonating to the movie. So he made every effort that he could to say Fu to incels.

[@Rezzanine]

​@@williammclean6594 Not arguing Joker 2's merits, just pointing out that it is not connected to The Dark Knight trilogy... or any other Batman film, for that matter. It's a misconception. And it does matter, because that misconception is exacerbating the sense of disappointment for people (including you in your original reply above). Hate Joker 2 all you like, but it's inaccurate to say it depicts Heath Ledger's Joker. Though I suppose it would be fair to criticise the filmmakers for causing that confusion in the first place.

[@robchuk4136]

Lack of agency is the big one for me. He just doesn't do much. But I'd argue the stakes were Joker's very life, since he was facing the death penalty. It's just that I don't think that's estbalished until the second half of the movie, so yes, it does go on for far too long without any meaningful stakes. My most disappointing sequel in recent years is Jurassic World Dominion.

[@AnujChatterjee-q5b]

Yep. Jurassic World Dominion was a major disappointment. They set up a world with dinosaurs everywhere on the island and do all these commercials about how they can come up in drive-in theatres and backyards but it instead focuses on the locust crisis and isolates itself to BioSyn vallley instead of exploring the worldwide dinosaur crisis. A lot of the action scenes feel like they are from a James Bond movie where dinosaurs have been squeezed in. The dinosaur sequences lacked genuine surprise and tension. However, I think it is decent and over-hated. Those scenes of the JP and JW cast interacting with each other are great, Jeff Goldblum has a lot of good jokes and there are a lot of emotional moments with Maisie. Its a 7/10 for me.

[@oliviamaynard9372]

This is truly the great comic book movie ever made, and combined with first one the best comic character origin story of all time

[@lonjohnson5161]

This isn't recent, but Highlander 2 was about as bad as it gets. It was the first movie date I had with a girl I met that Halloween. After the movie we had a hard time getting the conversation started, because each of us didn't want the other to think we were negative people, but once we realized that the other hated it, we had plenty to talk about. Our 29th wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of this month.

[@ashwilliams8783]

Im absolute agree. Thanks for this video and others

[@marcomacias3960]

the revelation of someone killing the Joker to become him makes the Mandarin twist in the 3rd Iron Man film look like the Scream twist

[@me3699-f7f]

Bro became a movie reviewer 😂 but tbh I kinda like this type of content as you explain writing errors

[@canaanarinda]

This movie was an INTENTIONAL plot by the director to stick it up to the studios for forcing him to make a sequel

[@thedudeabides3138]

Great observations, thank you.

[@lofo7703]

I enjoyed the film. It kept my attention, had some great acting and looked fantastic. I especially liked gaga and wish her and jokers relationship took up more screen time.

[@adammartin5866]

Pretty much all the sequels have disappointed in recent years. There are a few exceptions. It would, however, be easier to ask which sequels in recent years haven’t disappointed.

[@ultgamercw6759]

There is also the ending which pretty much messes up both movies and technically even more movies besides them. Keeping it vague for those who don't want spoilers.

[@Rezzanine]

It doesn't connect with any other movies. Joker and Joker 2 are set in their own universe. The detail that I think you're referring to is a tribute of sorts, not an indication of continuity (as so many other details in Joker and Joker 2 clarify that these are not connected to any other Batman films).

[@andrewmclellan1623]

Worst sequel: Austin Powers 2. In more recent memory, The Incredibles 2

[@rellenoz]

Incredibles had a sequel?

[@jeremyarcus-goldberg9543]

This is a great example of how you can learn from anything if you are willing to think about it. You’ve done a great job of creating advice from a movie that you didn’t enjoy. I also was amazed at your summary of Joker 1. You succinctly explained the plot and themes in a meaningful way.

[@aaronmurray4624]

I think it's weird to call all of these "failures" when, to me at least, these were all conscious choices. I think the point of this movie is to directly attack the image of Joker at the end of the first one and interrogate the audience for being seduced by that Joker. The bad guy in Joker two is the people who liked Joker one and part of that punchline is showing just how unsympathetic Fleck is. Sure, bad things happened to him, but bad things happened to everyone in these films and most of them didn't turn homicidal. I think the joke is on us, and that's a super valuable thing for art to do. Most of the criticism I keep seeing is something like "people liked the first one and didn't like the second" but that's not the definition of good art. At the end of Joker, Arthur Fleck didn't deserve sympathy and Joker 2 showed that and it showed it well, forcing the audience to stew in the fact that he deserved help (help he didn't ever really get) but not sympathy. Calling it a writing failure is like calling a Picasso a failure because the proportions are wrong

[@LittleFish57]

"Harley Gaga". 💀😭

[@tommaxwell5602]

My screen play has a character who is passive and easily bullied (by his wife) with his arch involving his getting some backbone. He has dreams but those around him push him around and he must overcome their dominance to achieve his goals and ultimately save his own life. Can you give us some tips on how to avoid the problems you outline here, I don't want his passivity in the first half to be a turn off. Would also love to see a video about non-linear story telling, Gone Girl has such an imaginative structure but I struggle to understand how I'd implement something like this. Love ya x

[@benmcfee]

Full disclosure: I'm writing this before having seen the video. However, I _did_ see _Joker: Follie a Deux._ Didn't hate it, but also didn't love it. Many people are saying that the decision to make it a semi-musical was the problem. I disagree, though the music still was the problem. How can that be? Because the film suffers from the fatal mistake that a lot of sub-par musicals make. Namely, the songs did nothing to push the story forward. In a good musical, if you were to skip past the musical numbers, you wouldn't know what was going on, because the content of the music directly pertains to the plot, or some key character trait. In bad musicals, the plot stops dead in its tracks, to make way for musical numbers that add little or nothing to either the plot, or characters. As a result, you could skip past all the music and still get what's going on. This was the case with _Joker: Follie a Deux._ The decision to make it a musical actually makes sense, considering the characters at play here, but in order for us to not be taken out of the action, the music must provide something other than atmosphere, and in this case, atmosphere was about all the songs did provide. And after the first six, even the atmosphere was becoming stifling. The truly frustrating part of all of this, was that there actually was a good movie hiding in there, and almost no one had the patience to make it to the end, because every five minutes, the story would screech to a halt, so we could get another scratchy-voiced duet. This is not even close to the worst movie released this year, however I do understand why it may wind up being the biggest disappointment.

[@Rezzanine]

The song in the courtroom fit. The rest could be cut and the film would be better for it.

[@stephenwashingtonjr1625]

Man worst sequel is lot to choose from. Spiderman 3 with Topher Grace as Venom was really bad. I would like to see a video on how to follow up a good first season of a show and continue to keep it interesting throughout every season because it seems lots of shows struggle with that

[@johnfernandez2751]

Agreed. Spiderman 3