He’s wild again. Seduced again. Another laughing, whimpering, abused and traumatized (man) child. But in Todd Phillips’ sequel to his 2019 blockbuster, Arthur Fleck aka Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) is no longer what he was before, which could pose a problem for die-hard stans of the first film. On the other hand, it might be a relief for those of us who liked Joker in a grubby, complicated way that didn’t make us feel good. Joker: Folie à Deux is a far less morally controversial film, which makes it both less interesting and more entertaining – if you like the songs. Which you should. These are great songs, embedded in the restless highs and lows of Hildur Guðnadóttir’s excellent score, with a tonal consistency unusual for a jukebox musical.

The undeniable main attraction, however, is Joaquin Phoenix’s level of commitment, which may no longer have the shock of the new, but is still as fascinating a portrayal of a gnarled and stunted psyche as we’ve seen recently. His physical emaciation is such that last time, when his collarbones looked as if they were clawing through his skin to strangle him, this time Lawrence Sher’s queasy camera is transfixed by shoulder blades on either side of a scoliotic spine sticking out so far that they could be the wing. Stumps of a fallen angel. As he shuffles through the corridors of Arkham State Hospital in a sedated daze while awaiting trial, Arthur’s spirit (whatever joke) is broken upon his admission by the joylessness of incarceration and the verbal abuse of the guards, led by Brendan Gleeson bad work. “Do you have a joke for us, Arthur?” is his endless refrain. Arthur never does.

But one afternoon, while talking to his lawyer Maryanne (Catherine Keener, almost parodically perfect casting as a heartbreaking liberal lawyer who insists that Arthur’s Joker-shaped illness, not Arthur himself, is responsible for the murders), Arthur discovers a Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga on the back burner) takes part in a music therapy course. Their slow-motion moment of connection mirrors his delusional fixation on Zazie Beetz’s Sophie in the first film, except that here, according to the title, it’s a shared delusion. Lee committed herself to meeting her idol, the Joker, perpetuating the vicious cycle in which a celebrity stalker/killer in turn became a celebrity and inspired his own unhealthy fixated following.

In elaborate fantasies, Arthur as the Joker romances Lee by mining the Great American Songbook in lavishly staged musical numbers that pay homage to Fred and Ginger, Judy Garland, nightclub cabaret performances, and the 1970s of Sonny and Cher TV Variety shows, complete with awkward, self-conscious banter. But although these sequences represent a break from reality, care is taken to ensure that the transitions are seamless, such as when Lee serenades Arthur with the Carpenters’ “Close to You” after the song’s central motif has already been heard for some time time runs through Guðnadóttir’s score. From the outside, Arthur’s behavior may be disordered, but to him everything is a continuum.

Joker arrived after nearly four tiring years under Trump, when it felt like every day US The discourse was full of malevolent energy and incipient violence. Now, at the end of Biden’s presidency, the temperature is lower. It’s a complacency reflected in a sequel where very little actually happens and where, save for one incident, that may end DA Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) with some narratively useful injuries, there are refreshingly few obvious attempts to reconcile the story with Batman/Direct current Tradition. In contrast to “Joker,” “Folie à Deux” doesn’t so much brutally cannibalize itself as calmly gnaw at its fingernails.

In fact, the development of this film is either incredibly brave (and subversively counter-subversive) in selling out the Joker’s core fan base, or just plain stupid in up-in-your-grill “neutralize” appeal of the previous film. In any case, it’s a decision Phillips doesn’t make unintentionally, even if his long-term play remains unclear. Does he address the toxicity of the first film to put her to rest, or does he plan a third film (Joker: Ménage à Trois, anyone?) in which she comes back tenfold? Once again you feel like he’s having all the cake and eating all the cake, except here maybe it’s because no one really wants that cake. Except those of us who just really like the music. The devil always had the best songs.

► Joker: Folie à Deux comes in United Kingdom Cinemas October 4th.