I just saw Joker 2. It was a horrendous piece of shit and I now officially disavow the Root Reviews (tm).
It makes the scene where he smokes in the first one and says “you wouldn’t get it” so meta. Upon a second watching there are only three legitimate complaints:
1. It’s a Batman movie!! It should’ve been its own thing
2. It’s got terrible pacing!! It’s a little slow but I think that’s intentional. I’d need to watch the first one again to observe its pacing but this one is meant to be a court drama. Of course it’s going to patter along.
3. It didn’t need to exist!! I said in my review that this was one of the reasons it wasn’t as good as the first. It’s a very meta and philosophical argument and not one that can be used to completely shut down a movie. Did ESB need to exist? No ANH is perfect as is. Did Harry Potter, a series with 6 sequels need them all? Arguably no. It might not be as fulfilling but the first book provides a suitable ending. Did we *need* Rocky IV? Absolutely. Communism had to be beaten, both irl and on the screen. Wait…
Did we need Aliens? Alien one is a near flawless movie (phew back on the tracks)
It’s a strange argument to put all your chips on, and funny how it’s only used as a cudgel if the product isn’t 100% enjoyed like cattle. I said the same thing about Star Wars VII when it came out because you could just watch ANH instead, and because at the time VII was astroturfed of course I was called contrarian. Guess who was the only one consistent throughout with Star Wars sequels.
Another rewatch has solidified my opinion that it’s a 7/10. It’s just not as good as the first, but provides a nice continuation in terms of plot. Did people actually expect the extremely mentally unwell man to create a criminal empire? Did people actually like the Joker from the first instead of empathize with Arthur as the man being eradicated because of the Joker persona? He was going to shoot himself on air. He has no greater message or idea. It was spur of the moment.
Second watching has also confirmed how intelligent the music is. The dual melodies with completely different purposes is revolutionary and takes the idea of a countermelody into a completely new plane. I hope other creators are listening to that and feeling inspired to create.
Cope and seethe at missing the point. Hootie tootsie, low iq cutie.