The first reactions to Joker: Foil for Two are here!

The highly anticipated musical sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 blockbuster joker premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, September 4th, and now critics are commenting on the film starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker and Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn.

“There’s a real spark when Joker and Harley meet in prison,” The GuardianPeter Bradshaw wrote: “But the whole film ultimately turns out to be oppressive, claustrophobic and repeatedly trapped in that strangely unreal prison of the Gotham universe in which Phoenix and Gaga are kept apart for long periods of time – and Phoenix’s own performance is just as monotonous as before, though certainly just as powerful and his screen presence is impressive.”

Writing for The Wrap, William Bibbiani said Phoenix is ​​”incredibly talented and brings new insights to Arthur Fleck that Arthur himself didn’t seem to understand until now.”

“He’s no less impressive than Lady Gaga, whose interpretation of Harley Quinn contradicts pretty much every other portrayal,” Bibbiani added.

The Irish periodTara Brady gave the film three out of five stars, writing that 49-year-old Phoenix was “a sight to behold” in the role of Arthur Fleck/Joker, while 38-year-old Gaga “gives her all to an underrated role.”

“There are interesting points about the intersection of love, mental illness, obsession, performance and fandom,” Brady wrote. “If only the movie were a little better.”

The Hollywood ReporterDavid Rooney wrote in his review: Slide for two “will likely be embraced or rejected for the same reasons” that audiences either loved or hated the 2019 original. “By preventing the Joker from wreaking insane havoc on the streets of Gotham City, the film effectively neutralizes him,” Rooney wrote. “I don’t want to give too much away, but even more than its predecessor, the sequel reduces the arch-villain to a hollowed-out product of childhood trauma and mental illness. That said, there’s little we didn’t learn last time. Even the dance routines are lifted from Joker.”

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In a negative review of the film, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote that Phillips had created a “horribly — perhaps even intentionally — dull sequel that does everything it can to not amuse you,” and was particularly critical of the director’s use of 38-year-old Gaga. “Phillips’ decision to cast a generational superstar in a role that seems designed to maximize both her towering talent as a singer and her all-consuming screen presence as an actress, just so he can have her sit in the back of a courtroom when he’s not cutting off her musical numbers … well, that’s way more criminal than anything Arthur Fleck ever does in this movie,” he wrote.

Joker: Foil for Two was officially confirmed in June 2022, following the success of Phillips’ original film, for which 49-year-old Phoenix took home the Oscar for Best Actor. The film was nominated for 11 Oscars in total and also won the award for Best Original Score. Phoenix reprises the Joker alongside Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond. PEOPLE confirmed that Gaga was in talks to play Harley Quinn in June 2022.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to share the news, reporting that the actress and singer’s Harley would exist “in a different DC universe” than the one Margot Robbie played in Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey (2020) and The suicide squad (2020).

Other cast members in the film, which 53-year-old Phillips co-wrote with Scott Silver, include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey.

Joker: Foil for Two will be in cinemas on October 4th.