Where Marvel Comics has made significant strides in molding the zeitgeist of the 21st century, cementing itself as a mega-franchise years after emerging like the Phoenix following bankruptcy and business ownership shifts, DC Comics continues to fumble as it endeavors to establish the definitive take on any of its characters.  While the two Shazam movies were the first fully faithful adaptations of the comic book pages, every other director’s effort to make a superhero movie ultimately has misfired.  DC repeatedly hands the reins over to directors whose takes represent self-indulgent expression to the exclusion of a loyal adaptation that can stand the test of time, appeal to a wide audience, and remind viewers that comics are fun.

Its latest effort may be the farthest DC studio Warner Bros. has shot its arrow.  The Joker has always been DC Comics’ most disturbing character, made worse with his manipulation of mental patient Harley Quinn into a homicidal terror.  The darkest side of DC Comics returns this Fall in the sequel to the 2019 Joaquin Phoenix movie, Joker.  Joker: Folie à Deux (meaning roughly “madness for two” and a shared delusional disorder in modern psychology) introduces Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, arguably the worst of all the modern role models for kids.  But if over-the-top psychological examinations of fantasy are your thing, this movie seems built just for you.  Here is the first trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux:

Filmmakers are always trying to create the next Bonnie and Clyde movie.  Is this it?  Look for the Joker sequel Joker: Folie à Deux in theaters October 4, 2024.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg