FFive years ago, Todd Phillips released his critically acclaimed take on DC Comics supervillain Joker. Joaquin Phoenix donned clown makeup to play the maniacal Arthur Fleck Pagliacci in a strange Scorsese thriller starring the Joker as Travis Bickle and Rupert Pupkin – and had the undeserved honor of killing a character played by Robert De Niro.

I thought the film was vastly overrated and praised by goggle-eyed pundits, but it became an awards-winning sensation – and continued the awards season tradition of honoring the idea of ​​a comedy, under the strict condition that it not be funny.

Now the sequel is here, and while it’s just as jarring, tedious and often just plain boring as the first film, there is one improvement. It’s a musical of sorts, with Phoenix and others belting out show tunes, often in fantasy set pieces, a bit like Dennis Potter’s Pennies from Heaven. This gives the film a texture and flavor that the first film didn’t have.

And Lady Gaga, the sensational actress and musical talent, is now back in the cast – though nowhere near as human and profound as in Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born – as Harleen Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn), a severely disturbed psychiatric patient who meets the Joker in a music therapy class he is allowed to attend as a reward for good behavior while he is in custody awaiting trial for his five murders. They fall deeply in love – with each other, that is, which reinforces the self-adoration they both already have, although it is never clear whether the narcissism of the two leads is intentional.

There’s no doubt about it – the opening is sensational. A parody Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoon repeats the story so far and raises the curtain on a rousing first part showing Arthur’s life in prison. There’s a great supporting cast, with Brendan Gleeson as a prison guard (oddly, it’s only Gleeson’s character who tells a joke and gives a hint of what one sounds like), Catherine Keener is Arthur’s lawyer, Steve Coogan is an interviewer for a TV tabloid, and Zazie Beetz briefly reprises her role as Arthur’s former neighbor.

There’s a real spark when Joker and Harley meet in jail – unpretty. But the whole film ultimately turns out to be oppressive, claustrophobic, and repeatedly trapped in this strangely unreal prison of the Gotham universe where Phoenix and Gaga are kept apart for long periods of time – and Phoenix’s own performance is as one-note as before, but certainly just as powerful and his screen presence is impressive.

Defense attorney Maryanne Stewart (Keener)’s plan is to convince the judge that her client is mentally disturbed due to his abusive upbringing and that he deserves hospital treatment due to diminished responsibility. District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) says Arthur is not insane and deserves the electric chair.

Arthur, on the other hand, is torn. He understands that the insanity plea is his only chance. But he also longs to re-embrace his Joker destiny – the crazy, scary clown persona that his lawyer tells him to reject: It has brought him fame, a heroic destiny, and the love of Harley.

Lady Gaga brings a sly and manipulative malice to her role: Harley is secretive, smart, and genuinely disturbed, which Arthur/Joker may not be. Is she supposed to be the Lady Macbeth of DC supervillains?

In a way, yes. The story, as it is constructed, gives her character little chance to develop – in this direction or any other. And during the final part, one can feel very uneasy, wondering if anything remotely plausible, sad, funny or unexpected will be revealed about Arthur, as the film’s body language insists on his mythical significance.

This mad self-restraint propels the film up its laborious narrative level. And Lady Gaga delivers a diva attack. Could it be that her Harley Quinn is returning in an adventure of her own?