That scream you just heard was everything we'd just written disappearing from the screen before our very eyes.
It was brilliant. Honest.
Typical isn't it? First review in years...
Anyhoo, onwards. My takeaway will be here soon.
So, right, yes. Joker Folie a Deux. Or Joker 2 as the kids will be calling it by the end of the month.
Did we need this film? Does it take the character any further? Is it telling a story we need to hear?
Yes. Yes to all of that.
Initially we weren't keen on seeing this. Not having been near a cinema since the pandemic (people are just the worst) combined with not being a massive fan of the first instalment meant we almost certainly had something better to do on a Sunday.
Floss. Wash the cat. Prune our knees. Literally anything would have been preferable when the idea was mooted.
Plus, ya know, People (again) had been saying Things. It's a musical. There are cartoons in it. The Jews are controlling the weather.
Granted the last one has sod all to do with the film, but seriously - HOW????? And if they could, would they not make it warm and sunny? Why the hell would they create hurricanes???
Honestly, People....
But the other stuff was also relevant. Reviews have been bad. It hasn't made as much as it 'should' have done within 10 minutes of release (whoever decides the parameters of that rule needs locking up). IT'S A MUSICAL!!! CARTOONS!!!
To be honest, the last two there were reasons to risk People and actually go and see it.
So in the spirit of adventure/anything for a quiet life, off we went.
And once we'd got over the shock of the new look cinema (we fear change), revelled in the reclining seats, lost our phone down the side, retrieved our phone from underneath, got all reclined and comfy again, we were ready to find out what all the fuss was about.
And in a shocking turn of events, the noise was all - if you'll excuse the lurch into Olde Englishe - bollocks.
Cartoons? Yes. One. At the start. Which is both funny and relevant, setting up as it does the rest of the film. Warren427 was losing his shit over nothing again.
Musical? Also yes. Kinda. And as someone who saw people walk out of Sweeny Todd back in the day, I'll concede this can be a problem. But it's not Les Mis, ya know?
The characters break into song at times. But it's a device. It serves a purpose. If you can't see how the scene unfolds, what the song is telling us in the context of the whole 'bit', what purpose it is serving, then I'll be honest - this isn't the film for you.
I suspect you turned up wanting more victim porn, more confirmation for your theory that the world is against you.
In which case, go back to the first film and leave this one to the rest of us.
Because what we have in Joker 2 is a dark, compelling court room drama romance prison drama with two actors (Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck/Joker is joined by Lady Gaga's Lee Quinzel) working in perfect harmony.
It's nasty. It's sinister. It's creepy. It's funny. It's twisted. It's mesmerising. It's a thing of utter beauty.
Yes it's too long. No, we don't need Steve Coogan playing a TV journalist.
But away from that, what we have is another look at mental health. We are asked the big questions – is Fleck genuinely mad, or just evil? Who, in fact, is the real Arthur? Does Lee love him? Or her version of him? Is she part of the problem? Or is she a whole different problem?
These are all things you will be animatedly discussing on the walk or drive home. You won't have answers.
Because where Joker was clear(ish) that Arthur was a victim – of abuse, of circumstances – Joker 2 is far more ambiguous.
And in being so, we are left to ask questions – both of the film, but also about society and the media – about how we all got here.
As well as a raft of fuming enemies, what Joker 2 has is a firm grip on its narrative, an ambition to tell the story in the best way possible, and the courage to challenge its audience.
This film is not for everyone. But I guarantee if you don't hate it you will absolutely love it.
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