What critics are saying about Joker 2 as sequel hits unwanted achievement

Joker: Folie a Deux has landed in UK cinemas but unfortunately for the film, it has now hit an unwanted achievement.

Joaquin Phoenix returns in the sequel to 2019's original hit as Arthur Fleck who has been placed in Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes committed in the first film.

While there, he meets Lady Gaga's Harleen (or Lee) AKA Harley Quinn, who helps him find love and turn the film into a full-blown musical.

The film also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey and Bill Smitrovich. It's directed by Todd Phillips who helmed the first film as well as The Hangover franchise and Starsky & Hutch.

However, upon the film's release, Joker 2 has found its Rotten Tomatoes score taking a drastic hit.

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With a host of new reviews being published online, the average rating for the movie starring and has sunk to 39% from 159 critic reviews.

The newly revamped audience score on the website, now called the Popcornmeter, doesn't make for good reading either at 37% from more than 500 verified ratings.

But what are the critics saying about this wild take on the comic book movie? Website IGN, said that one of the issues with the new film is its focus on what came before.

They said: "The worst thing about Joker: Folie à Deux is its unfulfilled potential. It begins with the promise of a novel approach to the Joker and Harley Quinn, placing them in a where the opposite of cruelty is musical romance. Unfortunately, the DC sequel gets bogged down by a lengthy courtroom saga, which not only keeps the dazzling Lady Gaga away from the spotlight, but centres the movie entirely around its own predecessor, without doing or saying anything new."

Meanwhile, Total Film weren't convinced either: "Part courtroom movie, part behind-bars romance, Folie à Deux is an unconventional musical sequel that fails to hit the high notes."

Empire warns that the film very much will not be for everyone as they said: "As sweet and beguiling a musical romance as it’s possible to have between two murderous psychopaths. Its kooky approach won’t suit all stripes of comic-book fan, but it finds a strange, tragic hopefulness all of its own."

It's not all doom and gloom though as it has received some positive reviews, with NME looking ahead to the future of the franchise.

They wrote: "Phillips and Silver have delivered the last thing anyone expected: a socially responsible Joker movie that finds an intriguing way to explore the consequences (both on and offscreen) of the first film. Joker fans shouldn’t cry too hard though – Warner Bros. have cleverly found a way to leave the door open a little for the franchise to continue, should the need arise."

The Independent were in praise of Phoenix's performance saying: "The genius of it is that we can’t help but care for Arthur despite his neediness and derangement. Even during the film’s most apocalyptic and violent moments, we’re always aware that, underneath Joker’s gaudy war paint, lurks little, feeble Arthur. Against the odds, this ingenious and deeply unsettling film even turns into a bit of a weepie by the final reel."

Joker: Folie a Deux is in cinemas now