In 2019 US director Todd Phillips let loose his version of Joker, based on the DC super-villain character, on the world.

It saw Joaquin Phoenix in the lead, and went on to become a phenomenal success, becoming the first R-rated film in history to earn over a $1 billion at the box office, as well as two Oscar wins, including one for Phoenix.

It was seen very much at the time as a standalone project, but its studio Warner Bros. had other ideas. They probably wished now that they didn’t green light this brave sequel, as Phillips took the story in a very unexpected direction.

Serving time for his murderous acts in Arkham State Hospital is Arthur Fleck (Phoenix). He is awaiting trial for his deeds, but the time he’s spent there has him struggling with his mental health.

His mood changes dramatically when he’s taken to another wing to participate in a music therapy session and meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is a self-admitted fan of his.

It’s not long before she manages to bring Arthur’s alter ego back, as the Joker re-emerges from his slumber. But it’s not just a case of whether Gotham is ready for his return, but Arthur himself.

If the first film was the origin story for the Joker, this sequel is a love story. That wasn’t the biggest bone of contention for many on its release however, the fact that it was a ‘musical’ was.

That said, despite the music, or perhaps because of it, this is a most fitting sequel. The music is used as in insight into the mind of Arthur Fleck, a man with obvious mental issues, whose introduction to a new love fills his heart – and head – with music.

He is an entertainer, and many of the songs are throwbacks to classic Hollywood musicals, re-creating a similar look and feel to them throughout that is also, strangely, entirely fitting for his new outlook on life.

Perhaps many were put off by the notion of it being called a musical, in which case it’s their loss, as this dovetails Phillips’ original really quite elegantly. The music represents the psychosis that Arthur is suffering from, and is a way for him to deal with his transition from a truly dark place, to a far happier one – for him.

This theme extends to Gaga’s character too, who is also a patient it needs to be reminded, and it’s this shared psychosis of sorts that is the centre of the story.

It is a bold and eccentric vision, that just didn’t hit the right note with audiences, who no doubt where expecting something closer to the original. But Phillips’ is no fool, using music as a construct rather than as a genre. Love, after all, has its own soundtrack, and despite many of the familiar, upbeat songs used throughout, many sung by Gaga and Phoenix, there is a defined melancholy in the air that suggests that all is not rosy in this world.

The fact that this film was labelled a musical by so many critics on release was a kiss of death, but for those put off by it are missing out, with what is a beautifully told love story totally befitting not only the previous film but also its legacy.

Is it a different film to the original? It can be perceived to be, but the truth is, it’s tonally spot on, and therefore an apt extension to it.

There was a clue in title, with Folie à Deux meaning madness of two, a shared madness on screen where the music that surrounds them also defines their state of minds.

This sequel then is another piece of serious cinema from Phillips with the Joker centre stage that also puts on quite a show.