Joker: Folie a Deux early reviews out: The film receives mixed responses

As the world gears up for the theatrical release of Joker: Folie a Deux, the much-awaited sequel to Joker (2019), early reactions to the film have been varied. The Todd Phillips directorial is a musical that follows Joaquin Phoenix's Joker and Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 4, and it currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 63% from 49 reviews. Joker: Folie a Deux also currently holds a 54% rating on the Metacritic platform.

Writing for BBC, Nicholas Barber called the film 'A dreary, underwhelming, unnecessary slog.' In his review, he wrote, "Depending on how you look at it, this demythologising exercise is either daring or it's irritatingly smug, but it's definitely not much fun. Phillips seems to be saying that if you fell for Fleck's Messianic self-image the last time around, then the joke's on you."

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film an improvment over the first. He wrote, "...though it ends up as strident, laborious and often flat-out tedious as the first film, there’s an improvement."

Owen Gleiberman from Variety appreciated the concept of the film more than its execution, mentioning there is no longer any danger to Joker's presence. "It’s an audacious concept. It’s one that demands an audacious execution. And for the most part, that doesn’t happen in “Folie à Deux.” He also lamented that Lady Gaga was underutilized. "Gaga never gets a chance to do what she did in “A Star Is Born”: seize the audience with her rapture."

While Siddhant Adlakha from IGN Movies gave the film a negative review, he appreciated the performance of Phoenix. "Phoenix sprawls out across the screen, luxuriantly, comfortably, and confidently…however, he never loses Arthur’s inherent goofiness even when putting on this front," read his review. Phoenix had won an Academy Award for his performance in the first film, which, during its run at that time, was the highest-grossing R-rated film.

The film hits screens on October 4.