Joker: Folie a Deux has premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.
Its a perverse statement for a film that seems stubbornly committed to giving audiences quite the opposite.
These stylized soundstage numbers are exquisitely shot as is the rest of the film by returning DoP Lawrence Sher.
Gaga, likewise, gives them her all.
Even worse, musical numbers are frequently deployed as the dramatic crescendo of a given scene.
Rarely has a film been so senselessly devoted to sabotaging its rich set-ups with flat pay-offs.
Gone is the sense of Arthurs explosive transformation mirroring a Gotham City at a tipping point.
The film hardly even ventures beyond the claustrophobic walls of Arkham or the courthouse.
Instead, its focused on the Arthur/Joker dichotomy who is really in control?
And can Lee tip the balance?
However, given how few true Joker sequences feature, its clear where Phillips interests lie.
The result is resoundingly downbeat to the point of feeling mean-spirited.
Joker: Folie a Deux is released in US theaters and UK cinemas on October 4.
