Joker 2 Initial Reviews Are Here And The Musical Seems To Miss The Right Notes

What Is Joker 2’s Rotten Tomatoes Score?

As of now, Joker 2 has received a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes which is far less than what was expected of the film. The reviews of Joker 2 are very mixed and an estimated, three out of five reviews from the initial screening of the movie are on a rather negative note resulting in a lower-than-expected Rotten Tomatoes score. In comparison, the Joker (2019) debuted with an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Critics Say the Musical Element Is Not Working Out

All the critics who have talked about Joker 2 in a negative light have focused majorly on the movie’s Musical approach. According to the critics, even though ambitious, the Musical aspect does not fit in with the theme of Joker’s character.
Hannah Strong from Little White Lies, brings forth that she does not understand why Todd Phillips was so adamant about making sure that Joker 2 stays a musical while overshadowing other elements that could have made this movie a masterpiece like its predecessor. In her review, she commented-
Now, with that being said, you would wonder if this musical element is that strong in the movie, it might have an effect or certain brilliance to it but as it turns out, it does not. According to David Ehrlich from IndieWire, the musicals of Joker 2 failed to express anything at all and were largely underwhelming as well. In his review, he wrote-
In another review from Screendaily by Tim Grierson, he went as far as saying that the chemistry shared by Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix was as lukewarm as the effect the musical numbers had on screen. He wrote-
With everything mentioned by the critics above, it looks like Joker 2 is not really living up to what people expected from the movie. On top of that, people are not only dissatisfied by the bad incorporation of musical elements but multiple reviews have stated that the on-screen chemistry of Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix did not work well and does not give off the Joker and Harley Quinn vibe you would expect. However, even though a majority of these initial reviews are not positive, let’s wait till the movie is released to understand the perception of the audience it targets. Will it live up to what fans have been expecting, I guess we will find out on October 4, 2024. Till then, stay tuned!