DC Films’ Joker: Folie à Deux Review

It’s been literally 5 years since we got a grounded take on an iconic villain, Joker with The Hangover & Old School director Todd Phillips directing and writing with his partner Scott Sliver and when it came out, it was hyped up and ultimately looked upon favorably among many people with only a minor size of detractors. It also was a money success too, being the first R rated film in a long time to make a billion in sales, with plenty to share among not just Warner Brothers and their inhouse production houses, Brons Creatives and Joint Effort too.  So, the idea for a sequel was put on the table with dollar signs as the main catalyst, despite being viewed among the filmmakers and audiences as a one-off film. Thus, the creative shift to a musical drama, signing on Lady Gaga as an iconic character as well, and a major budget increase has spawned a follow-up/conclusion to the first film with DC Films’ Joker: Folie à Deux, with the same creative team behind the camera and in front. Does the film match the same compelling heights of its predecessor, or does it somehow fumble the execution and crafts a confusing mess that is not only weird, but boring? Let’s get right into it and catch up with Arthur after a long time away.

The story picks up about 2 years after Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) became The Joker and killed a talk show host by the name of Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro), as well as instigated violent riots, murdered 3 Wall Street kids, killed his mother, and brutally murdered an associate that gave him the gun, Randall (Glenn Fleshler).  He has finally suppressed that persona and is working hard to keep it that way, despite an impending trial and the illegal treatment of prisoners housed at Arkham Hospital lead by a guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). However, during one of his transfers, he comes across a mysterious female patient known as Lee (Lady Gaga) whose curiosity for him grows into an obsession to know more about Joker in a therapy singing session.  As the trial of the century comes closer to happening, Arthur’s life becomes more revealed, his persona explored, and he fully becomes comfortable in the character as his love grows for his Harley Quinn through song and dance.  However, it all comes to a boiling point, as he is confronted with the consequences of his actions and eventually must come to terms with his dual identity.

To give some context before going into my thoughts on the narrative, it was confirmed via interviews with Phoenix and Phillips that this was originally going to be a Broadway Musical as an idea to recreate the first film in that medium. Knowing this detail, provides some understanding as to the limited locations and the self-contained character study drama we got for this one. Alright, first off, it is supposedly a musical with interludes set between two types of story scenarios, a prison drama and courtroom drama as well as the basis for the style of a musical film being inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s One From The Heart. While it does go further into Arthur’s motivations from the climax of the first film, it also ends up being oddly repetitive and at times a clip show of the first film, with previous characters coming back during the trial. It all builds up to a subversive spin on the idea of the character that ends up being the most divisive element that renders the entire narrative drive moot by that point.

So, it was a big swing from Phillips and Sliver (Phoenix was an uncredited Co-Writer), and the verdict, is a big old miss that leaves audiences confused with the overall point of this follow-up. The film fails to commit to being a proper musical with the choreography and design of the interludes, feeling like the setups are there but frustratingly never going further with them. The closet we get to a proper number is “There’s Always A Joker In The Pack” where it comes close to being an actual set piece that is vibrant, violent, and fits with the Joker character. The times where Lady Gaga can sing properly like “We’ll Build A Mountain”, she is able to showcase her reliability to be both a strong singer and convey her emotions solidly in her performance.  However, there is a major reason it fails as a musical proper and it has to do with the ways in which the music was incorporated to transition each scene.

It's not enough that it’s non-committal to its narrative music style, but it places them in odd ways that actively pauses the story in its place and weirdly repeats itself.  The songs are mainly used to convey the emotional states of Arthur Fleck and Lee, with most of them going to Arthur where he mostly sings his emotional state to the audience, only for that to be a moment contained in his mind.  This leads to a frustrating feeling of inconsistence as to what the film is trying to be throughout, as this intercuts the other problematic narrative element in the film, and they fail to go grander with the musical interludes.  The songs themselves are also a collection of songs from the early times of the 1940’s to literally 1980’s songs that no doubt contributed to the massive budget to the film undoubtedly.  As a musical, it fails to entertain and even keep audiences engaged with the film, literally unable to say anything new about this character and fails to advance the main components of the film by stalling it to convey what the characters are feeling in that moment with little substance gained.

Which leads us to the second half of this film, the courtroom trial that serves to recap and ultimately explore the consequences of Arthur’s actions on that fateful night when the Joker sent Gotham City into utter chaos.  This leads to a superfluous reference in the character of Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) being the prosecuting District Attorney in the case seeking the death penalty, with Arthur represented by a public servant lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) trying to separate the crime to his split personality. This is where the story kind of moves forward but comes to a halt as it happens to repeat the same thematic conflict and beats as the first film, with certain moments becoming clip show moments flashing back to the first film and featuring at least 2 characters previously with the climatic confrontation with Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) being the only scene that feels like it moves the story forward as well as exceptionally performed to take Arthur to task about his use of  “Joker” to kill and destroy everything in his path.  It does end with an obvious bang, but it happens so suddenly, that we learn through an obvious exposition line about it being a car bomb and done by people (who become a meta commentary on fans of the first film) that are willing to adopt the Joker as their excuse to burn the city down.  As a courtroom drama, it runs in circles over stuff we already knew and ends ups retreading familiar ground, leading to where the film becomes contentious and problematic in general.

During the prison setting, we see Arthur going about his business and opening himself up as the Joker, to the point where a lockdown happens, and he insults the guards on national television. This leads to a moment that will live in infamy, Arthur not only gets beaten by the guards but implied to be sexually assaulted as well. It feels like an obligation to mention this as for many years, we had normalized that story device towards female characters in media that it’s very hypocritical and moronic to make that the motivation for his change back into Arthur permanently. Despite the underlying issue with that creative choice, it just gets worser with how the film wraps it up with Arthur going to Harley Quinn to be with her, only to reject him as she sees him as the loser nobody he is, no longer her “Joker” and walks out on him as he is sent back to Arkham. This leads to the most controversial ending that instills the notion that Joker is an idea or mantle, not a fully bodied character by making two ham-fisted references (monologue from Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and the infamous Glaslow Smile scars) and Arthur’s demise by a random inmate that makes the entire film feel pointless. So yeah, narratively, it’s a broken mess that oddly feels like it was reworked from a Broadway play and into a film that feels at odds with what it wants to be and repeats itself to a fault, going in circles as a prison/courtroom drama and fantasy musical that really says nothing meaningful regarding Arthur Fleck and his influence on the Joker Persona.

Now that we’ve ripped the band-aid off the major failings of the film, we can finally get to the elements that are solid throughout the film by covering the cast for the film. Starting with the man himself, Joaquin Phoenix once again as Arthur Fleck as well as “Joker”.  Once again, he provides a sterling performance that truly feels compelling and riveting to watch unfold.  While he is at the mercy of the script this time around, he still puts in the same committed effort as he did before, even during the moments of singing. With his formal training from his time as Johnny Cash in the bio pic Walk The Line, he applies that to his moments of singing and it is okay to hear for the most part.  Despite the shortcomings with the script/direction, he continues to provide a truly realized performance within this character and dealing with the duality conflict that makes it a memorable one for him.

The newest addition is of course, Lee Quinzel played by none other than Lady Gaga. She does retain most of the fangirl energy of the character, while instilling the manipulative elements that have become more synonymous with her modern interpretations. When she can perform and act with her co-star with the time allotted, she is very solid especially when the film allows her to sing the songs in this film instead of minimizing it for the musical interludes that happen often.  This is no fault of her that the story direction disappointingly underutilizes her immensely and only brought her in for well, her singing abilities when she has proven to be able to balance that out in previous films like the romance music drama remake A Star Is Born. Despite that narrative problem with her character, she does enough with her time to make her take on the iconic character work within this world.

The rest of the cast is a mix of bit players from notable actors to ones that kind of standout starting with the institutional characters. First off, the Arkham guard Jackie Sullivan played by Brendan Gleeson is surprisingly great being the unpredictably charming yet dangerous caretaker for Arthur.  You also have this notable fanboy inmate for Arthur Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland) that shares a few solid moments of humanity but otherwise, one that’s memorable in the few scenes he had. While the other actors like Catherine Keener and Harry Lawtey are suitable fine in their respective roles, it seems most of the attention regarding the cast is squarely once again on Phoenix and this time around, it feels too much of a retread of the issues that were prevalent in the first film.  Overall, the entire cast is solid in general but lead by a reliably great lead performance and a secondary one from Gaga that makes the most of her time but feels shortchanged by the direction and choices made within the script.

We’ve finally got to the last sections of the review, being the technical elements where we will feel the most contention as for the most part it is on point and questionably handled this time around.  We’ll start with the cinematography and art direction first, with the same DP Lawrence Sher and the design team lead by Jared Patrick Gerbig.  The screening seen in this review was the IMAX 70MM film print and it is hard to deny that it looks gorgeous as well as natural in its earthy tones with the use of the Arriflex IMAX approved cameras that brings out the vibrancy in the dark, gritty atmosphere of this world.  This also houses a ton of impressive shots that even go on for a single take that is worth mentioning. The sets designs regarding the Courthouse and Arkham State Hospital all look fantastic too as it has this unique combination of grounded reality with a stylized decadent design befitting the dilapidated setting of Gotham (being a combination of both New York/Jersey and Los Angeles).  A major gripe this time is that the film is so focused on its narrative, it kind of loses the character of Gotham that was ever so present in the original film, meaning it feels too much like any other metropolis as well as being set in only 2 major locations, with 2 more for specific scenes. From an art direction and shot composition, it is a magnificent film to watch as well as see unfold with the decadent settings and the dreamlike scenarios (despite those looking like a Broadway stage for those set pieces).

In this section, we look at the editing of the film regarding pacing and structure where the film’s issues from the screenplay are very much present here. There is a lot of down time between each transition scene to the conversations between characters that either feel like they drag the film or just spell out what the characters are going through.  The inclusion of the musical moments feels like they come out of nowhere and go into a sort of song speak that just exposits what the character is feeling but influences little in advancing the story further. This is exacerbated by the larger music numbers mentioned in the courthouse and before the verdict that feel like they are closer to what Phillips wanted the musical elements to be but ultimately end before they get enjoyable. For a two hour and 18-minute film, the film feels strangely longer from the padding buffer of the musical elements and repetitive nature of the narrative exploring the fallout from the first film’s chaos.

Lastly, it’s time to look at the sound design and score/soundtrack for the film, as that should be the bread and butter for a film that relies on singing as well as the soundtrack to drive it forward. Starting with how the music comes across, which is a bit raspy and at times off key intentionally as the characters are technically not meant to sound like professional singers.  It works within the context of the film and it sounds good and evenly steady in the soundscape with each of the elements working in tandem with each other.  The score is once again helmed by composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and she maintains the musical motifs from the first film, that unfortunately is a footnote due in part to how much of it gets pushed aside for the jukebox soundtrack that drives the music within the film.  Most of the soundtrack are a good chunk of familiar songs from the 1960’s like "Get Happy", "For Once in My Life", and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" that are either in the moment or part of a larger number performed on camera by Phoenix and Gaga.  There are a couple of 1970’s songs that play at different points in the film that represent the time period where the film takes place around the 1980’s.  Simply put, it does sound balanced, intriguingly crafted in how they reinterpret familiar songs, and while great to hear Hildur Guðnadóttir score again, doesn’t feel as prevalent or memorable as it did in the original film.

Taking the noise out of the equation with the final thoughts, DC Films’ Joker: Folie à Deux takes a different direction to set itself apart from the original film’s conventional narrative and goes further into answering the questions that were left ambiguously unanswered.  After seeing the film, it was probably better if those questions remained unanswered as the film spends a ton of needless time rehashing the first story’s thematic conflict and focuses in on the consequences of Arthur’s violent actions that only had one notable payoff but otherwise felt like treading over familiar ground with no payoff to it.  As a courtroom drama, it’s very pedantic and dull while the musical elements are not even fully realized by only half-heartedly committing to them in the setup and somehow ending them just as they begin, killing the momentum of the story as a result. Despite the incredible performances and exceptional camera work, it is all for naught with the mean spirited, spiteful story at play here and a shocking contempt for what came before.  Literally, looking backwards and telling the viewers how they viewed the first film incorrectly and subversively must see it in a different light even if it alienates everyone in the process.

Score: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DC Films’ Joker: Folie à Deux is a bafflingly ambitious sequel that seems to go out of its way to recontextualize the first film and subversively deconstruct the idea of “Joker” as a character and persona that will rub comic book fans the wrong way and somehow, fails to be engaging as a courtroom drama or Musical film.  The incredible performances are still there, and the film is a gorgeously crafted film on a technical level in camera and art direction. However, it is all for naught with a story that is stunningly spiteful and retreads too many familiar thematic/character beats that end up feeling superfluous as a continuation to the first film. With the kicker being how deflating and unsatisfying the end point of this story is, completely collapsing from within.  What makes it frustrating narratively, is how much it ends up going in circles covering the same beats regarding Arthur by resetting him back to his meek persona and having the characters literally look at the first film again but in a different lens.  This is a film that seems clearly to be ashamed of itself and decided to make sure no one cares by the end of this one, and well, mission accomplished in rendering both films' narratives pointless.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022) Review

Occasionally, a film comes out and completely flips the script to create a mixture of genres of storytelling that truly captivates effortlessly from start to finish. That lies at the heart of the directing team The Daniels (Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert) second feature film called Everything, Everywhere, All At Once with the writing/directing all on them but produced through the famous Russo Brothers’ AGBO studio.  Not only is this an ensemble piece, led by the charismatically game actress Michelle Yeoh, but features a lovely mix of familiar faces (James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, and returning to acting officially with this film outing while being behind the camera for decades as a stunt coordinator, Ke Huy Quan) and new ones that deliver funny moments or standout as a prominent part of the cast.  This also has a wild mix of sci-fi adventure, generational family drama, and an absurd yet dark comedy that truly goes big with its weighty themes of existence and the purpose of living, with the wonderment of what could have been. Let’s really explore this family and see what kind of journey they go on.

We follow Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), an overworked and worn-out laundry owner that runs the business with her estranged yet meek husband Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan) as they are being audited by the IRS for delinquent payments on their place.  This is happening as their daughter Joy Wang (Stephanie Hsu) is visiting to help her family out with their troubles, along with her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel), but her overbearing mother forces her to come back for the Chinese New Year Party, as her grandfather Gong Gong Wang (James Hong) is coming with them to the IRS for their appointment.  They visit the place to see the inspector assigned to their case Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis) but what seems like a stressful, mundane day becomes a bit crazier than expected as another Waymond jumps into his body to instruct Evelyn of her purpose in a growing dangerous evil that threatens to destroy the entire universe as we know it, on a massive multiverse scale. 

This Waymond is known as Alpha Waymond and provides Evelyn a pair of Earpieces that operate as connectors to the vast network of universes through a smartphone, which only confuses her even more as he suddenly disappears after providing a set of instructions on how to activate the devices. It seems you must do something completely dumb, nonsensical, or outlandish, as it provides the trigger needed to activate the devices and connect a user to Verse-Jump into another universe and their requested abilities. As she does this, it jumps her to Alpha Waymond in another world, who informs her of a malicious and brutal omnipresent person known as Jobu Tupaki with the deduced intention to destroy the multiverse as we know it.  Now, with the fate of the universe in the balance, Waymond pushes Evelyn figuratively and literally to discover her true potential to master control of her different selves to be strong enough to take on Tupaki, fix the growing pains with her family, and ultimately, get her taxes done right for once.

So, it is quite hard to truly encapsulate in words just how wacky, absurd, messy, and inventively entertaining this adventure is and it shouldn’t be a surprise with the filmmakers’ previous film Swiss Army Man.  Which is why this film is truly one of a kind, and the story is both grand in its wild invention and imagination, yet still tells a relatable, personal family tale that is universal despite how much of it draws upon Chinese/Asian culture.  The personal focus on this family drama and the mundane struggles of taxes/marriage/parenting remains the driving force of the narrative, amplified to inventively creative heights with the sheer zany spins on the multiverse concept. The variety of worlds range from one where she is a martial arts master, sign holder, chef, and even one with hot dogs for hands and hands for feet! The Daniels really push the concept far and wide, both on a comedic and emotional level that all feeds into the overall themes of the film that are weighty, philosophical, and personal in surprising ways.  It starts with the Wang family themselves.

What lies at the core of the story is the strained relationships Evelyn has with both Waymond and Joy specifically. Starting with the tested marriage that Waymond has a conflicted desire of ending before getting taken over by a well-trained dimensional commando that becomes the hidden heart of the story, as well as the stern mentor for Evelyn to finally become the hero that can stabilize and save the multiverse. Joy ultimately becomes the core conflict of the tale in an ironic yet personal way, as another but just as effectively told tale of a daughter that feels nothing but shame and frustration with her mother’s expectations and approval.  As for Evelyn, we discover that the worst version of her, ends up being crucial to discovering the true purpose of existence for humanity regarding the nihilistic nature of our purpose but also the ability to choose to give that purpose meaning through how we live and act in our lifetime.  This is a tricky area to explore, due in part to keeping the story critique as spoiler free as possible. The best way to put it, it truly takes this familiar but powerfully handled family drama and structures it expertly around a wacky concept of parallel worlds, what could have been in life, and the subtle blend of drama with dark yet goofy humor that comes with knowing our lives could have been one way or another.

That’s the absolute genius behind this film’s narrative, that it can somehow transition between comedy and drama so effortlessly, without feeling too jarring or disingenuous about its execution.  It becomes this absolute insane roller coaster ride of emotional highs and lows amplified from the directing team’s previous effort.  Even the supporting characters provide some much-needed levity, especially Beaubeirdra and the side characters that pop up for an unexpected gag/joke reference specifically for a particular Pixar film. The film doesn’t shy away from exploring the elements of generational struggles and pain that influences the actions of another, expressed in the multitudes of different paths we could have taken and how those change on the surface, but never changes who we truly are throughout the universe.  The family dynamics work exceptionally well, and their arcs/end point becomes a deeply powerful, profound core of what makes this film’s narrative shine through as the new expectation for any future attempts to create multiverse stories. It will certainly be one that makes you laugh, cry, and truly reflect on making that existence count, in the face of pure nihilism and lawless chaos.

Let’s get into the cast of the film finally, starting with the family themselves and the respective roles they serve in this crazy adventure. Starting with Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, as the worst version of her being in debt, on the verge of a broken marriage, and a strain relationship with her daughter that is ready to cut out and leave them behind.  Michelle Yeoh has been coming back in the spotlight with more prominent roles than before, over here in the States (despite being an international action icon throughout the 80’s and 90’s). This is the film where she truly challenges herself as a dramatic actress and truly carry this whole film with one of her finest performances yet, managing to switch between dramatic and comedic exceptionally well.  It is very reassuring to see Yeoh basically lead the entire ensemble and truly provide an excellent performance that also elevates the rest of the cast extremely well.

The next performance that is worth exploring, is Key Hu Quan as Waymond Wang, her mousy, dolt of a husband that has become infuriated with their marriage being loveless, neglected, and akin to partnership than an actual marriage. He becomes the hidden, surprisingly emotional core as Alpha Waymond jumps into Waymond of the worst universe to help Evelyn connect and unite her different selves to be strong enough to take on the big baddie, Tupaki.  This is Quan’s return to films officially (despite making a few appearances in small roles, he is most notable as a kid actor that played Short Round in The Temple Of Doom and Data in The Goonies), as he was mainly a stunt coordinator and worked behind the scenes for most of his career. But the recent surge of Asian driven films provided the motivation to take on a role that required him to be both physically and emotionally adept at conveying multiple forms of this character. Surprisingly, he matches with Yeoh perfectly in humor and drama, regarding how his different selves interact with each Evelyn.  He helps to set the tone for how well choreographed and entertaining the fight scenes are in this one as well, along with exceptionally displaying charming chemistry and dramatic urgency with his interactions with Yeoh.

Which leads to the most compelling and complex character of the cast, being Joy Wang played by Stephanie Hsu, the estranged daughter that loves women, with a steady girlfriend in Becky even though her mother is ashamed of their relationship and unwittingly belittles her looks as well as her station in life. She ultimately becomes the central conflict of the film’s adventure and her dynamic with Yeoh is truly engaging, heartbreaking, and in a way tragically truthful about how people feel regarding existence in general. It is that counterpoint that provides the conflict weight and stakes that feels personal yet real to the characters and their arcs in general.  It is also clear Hsu is having a blast playing so many variations of herself that have completely been mentally snapped by the abuse done to her in one world, that combines all of her into a singular being created from generational pain, to wreak havoc on the multiverse, while searching for her mother to help her feel what she truly sees, in an everything bagel of nothingness. It is interesting to note that Hsu was a replacement for Awkwafina, who dropped out of this role for Hsu to take over and it is great to see an upcoming and clearly promising actress truly standout in this film as a supporting yet central role in this adventure. 

This leads to the supporting roles that stood out, for both the reliable great efforts and surprising depth brought to these characters as well.  To start comedically, with Jamie Lee Curtis as the irritable yet naively forgiving IRS Inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra. Of course, she is visually very much older and has let herself go clearly, both comedically and surprisingly for a character related reason that makes her mini arc work exceptionally well with the climax of the film.  You can also see throughout that she is putting in the work physically too, as one of the Verse-Jumped Soldiers for Tupaki with some of the fight scenes she has with Evelyn and Waymond.  Even in another world with hot dogs for hands and human hands for feets, she displays her ability to be game for the outlandish humor and unsuspecting heartfelt end point of that comedic gag.  Curtis truly makes her presences felt comedically and dramatically, throughout the film.

The last major supporting character to discuss is Evelyn’s Father Gong Gong Wang, played by legendary actor James Hong, the elderly yet unassuming father of Evelyn that was taken in by her, after her mother passed away.  The character is played up as both a dotting, disappointed father to a hardened war general that will go to extremes to stop Tupaki at all costs.  There are some truly heartfelt moments with him and Yeoh that adds dramatic weight to the conflict perfectly, as well as an escalation that continues to push the boundaries of the concept of the multiverse.  Another character actor that treads the lines of comedic and drama perfectly for the film, as well as showcasing the hidden pains and regrets that come from elderly parents’ actions to raising a child.  He becomes the ignorant parent that is stuck in his ways and learns through his daughter’s actions how much he contributed to the mess they all found themselves in.  That should cover most of the cast members, as everyone else gets a chance to shine comedically as well as in the action set pieces in this film.

Let’s finally bring this home with an exploration of the technical aspects for this film, made on a modest budget of $28 million dollars and so much of that quality is seen in the way it was shot, edited, choregraphed, and with a compelling original score/theme song by Son Lux.  This was shot by Larkin Seiple, who has worked with The Daniels before on Swiss Army Man and truly displays that creative synergy with the many ways they showcase the different worlds in this film.  The formatting of the shots completely changes with each world for different aspect ratios that it is either parodying or reflecting the universe’s atmosphere, along with the vibrant use of colors and lighting, despite the limitations imposed by the distance and scheduling of the production throughout the making of it.  The film truly encapsulates so many differing styles of filmmaking that truly makes each world distinctive and inventively fun to be in, as evident with the next part.

What better way to transition further into the technical aspects of the film, then with the focus on Art Direction/VFX Designs for the film.  The art direction combines quite a bit of Asian aesthetics into the film, be it Wu-Xia, Wong Kar Wai, and the obvious uses of the office complex similar to films like The Matrix.  Then the more absurd and outlandish elements are usually exaggerated for the joke/gag or the focus for the scene, especially as we get one scene that is driven by written text and another with visible grit to the world we jump into throughout the film.  For a film on a modest budget, it truly is astounding how inventive and seamlessly handled the VFX is for the more outlandish elements of the film, that truly should be commended as present in the way it blends with the actors and shot compositions throughout the film.  The pandemic must be mentioned to the no doubt challenging yet creative ways the cast and crew were able to get their work done, being separated by miles and countries throughout the production as well, making the use of VFX truly sublime here. These elements also make another aspect of the film standout considerably from the creative use of the budget in making the settings pop out and VFXs handled with expert efficiency.

Those elements make the action set pieces in the film standout considerably, with massive help from seriously talented action experienced actors and stunt team at work. There is a wonderful blend of slapstick and absurdity to the action itself, with most of the invention coming from how ridiculous they get, be it cleverly crude or truly going headfirst with the goofiness of it all.  Especially with one set pieces that that has a blast piling on the crude, absurd humor that is rare to see in films, committing to sheer insanity to logic and reason.  The fights get more personal as well, making for some truly wild transitions that occur as they blend each of the universe together or different filmmaking styles to the story.  The choreography for the fights in this film is up to par, with today’s stiff competition especially with the use of wide shots and deliberately paced cuts to feel the weight of each movement as it happens.  Having seen stuff like the scene breakdown, truly showcases how imaginative, challenging, yet brimming with sheer fun to create such exciting thrills and entertaining action through inventive means.

The editing is just as exceptional as the rest of the film, with only a few nitpicks mainly for how the film wraps up at the end (no spoilers, just the creative choices made for it).  The blend of action and drama is handled with a very deft, balancing touch to it that manages the many tonal shifts that could have otherwise wrecked the entire film.  For much of the film, it is handled exceptionally well and allows for both the dramatic/comedic elements to blend with each other smoothly.  Where it does get a bit overlong is the final scenes of the film, where it does overwhelm and feel like it plays on a bit too long with its end point.  However, it is forgivable for how it sticks to the landing, and it is refreshing to see a film convey a traditional ending that really wraps all the storylines up neatly, which is a miracle regarding how many subplots and gags they had to juggle with in the story.  Despite that minor gripe, the film flows and plays well at its runtime, to truly keep everything contained into one film was no doubt long and arduous work to get it to what we got as a result.

Lastly, let’s get into the sound design and original score from Son Lux (with another artist named Mitski for the theme song) that truly adds to the odd yet trippy atmosphere of the film.  The film does get playful with the way sound is handled, which enhances the goofy, slapstick nature of the film’s humor and the limitless bounds of the multiverse.  It was surprising to hear cartoon effects from time to time and allowing for the use of dissonance that really makes the joke and outlandish elements hit harder. Which leads us to the original score by a band named Son Lux, relying on a unique blend of ambient and energetic synth music to drive the action and emotional push of the story.  Their style of music is very much a part of this film’s style as well, and succinctly matches the film beautifully in surprising ways as well as two theme songs that become the musical identity of the film with “This Is A Life” (featuring Mitski & David Byrne) and “Fence” (With Mose Sumney).  The only knock that could be given for the score is how much it is tied to the film itself and that outside of some truly memorable motifs that stick with you, it doesn’t lend itself too much to outside listening from the lack of consistent melodies to latch onto most of the score.  Otherwise, it not only does the job well in providing another layer of energy to the story, but it truly matches the insanity of the film as well, in surprisingly inventive ways that make it work with the visuals.

This Is A Life (Son Lux Ft. Mitski & David Byrne) <--- (Link To Music Track)

It has been 2 years now since coming back to theaters and with more people filling the seats once again, expectations for something that truly entertains and is creative will hopefully be the main drive for future films to come. In this case, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once delivers on so many levels of creativity in many aspects of filmmaking that its solid foundation for a simple yet effective family drama truly grounds what is literally a dimensional jumping adventure that can be emotionally engaging, exciting to watch, a completely messy flip flopping of logic and rules going out the window, and just clear reckless abandonment of traditional storytelling. However, at its core, the focus of the film remains the relatable yet incredible journeys of the Wang Family, especially between the family members conflicting motivations and arcs, driven by the generational pains they have endured and inflicted onto one another that truly makes us care for their changes in the story and completely enthralls many people when it sticks the landing and makes their overall narrative end on an uplifting complete note.  This is important to note as the film totes the line of existentialism and the chaotic nihilism that drives many of the characters here, but always keeps it on the characters actions driving the story and it is one hell of a ride as a result.

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out Of  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Daniels’ second feature film outing is a triumphantly impressive sophomore outing and proving once again how talented and inventive this creative duo is in crafting personal stories with genuinely thought-out emotional arcs to go with an overall narrative that is wild, trippy, and makes no sense on the surface, but truly ties into what the filmmakers are conveying.  The cast in general are truly phenomenal in and out, with Yeoh providing her career best in this one along with Quan being the surprising heart of the story and Hsu truly proving how versatile she is in being a supporting character and integral central role to the conflict of this film’s narrative.  You also get some truly solid and imaginatively goofy, yet fun action set pieces to go with how inventively wacky the worlds get in this one and how the film truly embraces the chaos of the whole concept, but it never truly forgets the story it wants to convey.  The reason it scored this high is that this is one film that truly and proudly wears its heart for the world to see through this insanely satisfying adventure film and for a film to inspire so many repeat viewings and see how buzzed and excited the audience became after the film wrapped up, it’s nice to get a film that can be so many things, commit to its title literally, and convey it expertly to make this one of the finest films of 2022.

DC Films' The Batman Review

With a long lasting, storied character such as DC’s iconic vigilante hero, Batman, the character and his world has been re-iterated numerous times throughout the different facets of media.  From the origins of the comic books from Bill Finger and Bob Kane to the transitions of TV Shows & Films, he has lasted for nearly a century. That’s nothing to scoff at and it brings us to the latest interpretation that draws influences specifically from stories like The Long Halloween and different aspects of the iconic origin story Batman: Year One called simply The Batman, with writer/director Matt Reeves behind the helm (fresh off of the underrated yet compelling highs of Planets Of The Apes Caesar trilogy), writing with Peter Craig (The Town, 12 Strong, etc.), and featuring a star-studded cast with Robert Pattinson taking up the cowl this time (who has proven time and time again in films like The Lighthouse and Tenet to be a capable actor for many roles).  Does this new, grounded take finally capture the crime/neo-noir atmosphere and stories that the comics for Batman are well known and loved by fans, or are there some rough edges that hold the film back from greatness? Let’s take the cowl and see the city spanning crime that has enveloped the Infamous Gotham City into chaos for this outing.

It is well known among citizens and people coming in that Gotham City is a breeding ground for criminals and corrupted powers in every corner of the city from low level crimes, all the way up to the politics of old.  Enter Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman (Robert Pattinson), who is in his 2^nd year of fighting the scum and villainy of the city but has grown to become cynical and jaded by the lack of change that isn’t coming from his efforts as a crime fighter.  This is compounded with a corrupted police force, with his only liaison being the haggard yet determined Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffery Wright) and the Gotham Underworld being run with an iron fist by the powerful Penguin (Colin Farrell) and in the shadows, the whispers of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).  Throughout Gotham City, there have been numerous murders with the calling cards of a question mark, with little riddles/hints left to surmise the reason for each death by the mysteriously delusional Riddler (Paul Dano).  And this is where the Dark Knight comes into the limelight of both the light and shadows of this case.

It seems The Riddler is targeting specific people that are connected to the investigation and indictment of the Maroni Crime Family and their drug operations.  Which served as the foundation for Batman to get notoriety from that success, as well as form the alliance with Gordon, which they have maintain for 2 years now.  But with the latest sets of murders related to corrupted people tied to the foundations of the city, many of the players in Gotham get mixed into it.  With Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) tied to her connections to the underworld that rules Gotham in the shadows and Batman struggling to maintain his anger and vengeance for the criminals, they are joined by the dangerous and destructive plans of The Riddler to figure out the cause of all this and discover the dark secrets that could very well shape the choices for Bruce and what he must become, to truly lay his impact onto the city.

This is a refreshingly different blend of low tech/grounded reality, with a bit of the fantastical spectacle that embodies many of the qualities of the character that are finally being fleshed out in this outing for once. The biggest element is that this is more of a crime/hard-boiled detective thriller tale with a visual style akin to neo-noir and having Batman work with Gordon to solve Riddler’s clues and discover the next gruesome part of his plans.  It is also the one of the few adaptations that establishes how miserable and nightmarishly broken Gotham City truly is, to allow for crime to run rampant and create an environment that would allow for unstable/dangerous villains to inhabit this place.  It is also a murder mystery that truly takes its time to establish the world for this adaptation that draws on a few notable comic books, namely The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and elements of the New 52 comic stories crafted for Batman and his back stories that shape this incarnation of him.  In that regard, the film ironically draws upon the best of Batman’s different media adaptations from Nolan, Burton, and others to create a blend of grounded believability to the city while establishing the different fantastical comic book elements of the series (there are numerous hints, fan service, and visual set ups that could come into play in future sequels from innocuously unimportant characters in the background to little visual details that hint to a larger story).

While it does go overlong in certain scenes and set pieces, each part of the story feels consistent as well as following through on its dedicated focus on providing Batman with a fully fleshed out arc that may seem non-existent at first but becomes clear upon closer reflection.  As it all revolves around one line “I'm Vengeance”, we see Batman not only embody that ideology throughout the film but we also see how that very notion becomes the very evil that pushes back his impact on the city as a whole.  This is the Batman film that truly challenges his philosophy and motivation as a character and that can’t be understated as we have only focused on the broad strokes of the character or left them ambiguous to keep the focus on the supporting characters or villains.  That’s what the film truly accomplishes for once in adapting this iconic hero to the big screen and it is a credit to the sharp reverence and love for the source material felt in both the writing, direction, and the incredible performance in Pattinson, who brings their work to life and makes this Batman truly his own, on top of instilling that character into an inspired take reminiscence of director David Fincher’s body of work specifically Se7en.  It is why outside of being a bit bloated in parts, many sub plots relying too much on spinoffs/sequels to give them weight, and underutilized characters both disappointingly limited but understandably by design, this is truly one of Batman’s better and engaging film outings in recent times, and a truly fresh new start to hopefully a series of films akin to what Reeves has proven with the incredible journey him and other writers took us with the ape Caesar in the Planet Of The Apes trilogy.

Let’s look at the cast of characters in this dark, grimy Gotham City with Batman for once leading the helm this time out.  This will be the 7^th official actor to don the cowl and cape, with Robert Pattinson’s approach to the character more akin to the early years of the character, rather than the grizzled veteran of recent years or even the already established hero with a set goal/motivation in mind as other interpretations had been.  He must convey a character that is still trying to understand and figure out how he can truly affect change to a city that refuses to do so, and that arc is conveyed exceptionally well through Pattinson’s ability to convey so much without dialogue and with it, it truly is important as it marks the growth the character goes through from start to finish.  It all revolves around exploring him being the embodiment of “Vengeance” and by the end, rejecting that notion to be better and represent the hope of a better tomorrow for Gotham.  Pattinson turns in a compelling lead performance, and it is no surprise that he is the anchor for the film’s narrative this time out.

This is not to diminish the supporting cast, who all bring their A-Game to the characters, starting with Selina Kyle played by Zoë Kravitz as the agile thief with a heart of gold, Catwoman. The only knock to her performance is a very dull and leaden current event line that felt jarring and a bit out of place but is easily forgivable as this is the second film to explore the on/off relationship between her and Batman.  Kravitz embodies the shifty, dangerous tight rope act of self-interest cynical thief with a heart of gold and indirectly working with/against the criminal underworld of Gotham pitch perfectly.  As her character is closer to her persona and traits of the iconic team up in The Long Halloween, she is given quite a bit to stand out, despite the awkward chemistry from time to time with Pattinson that we can only hope will develop more thoroughly in future outings.  Otherwise, pretty much a great performance and rendition of Catwoman that feels entwined with the major players of Gotham Underworld, making her closer to her comic book counterpart than any other adaptation, outside of Batman Returns.

The most notable supporting characters are with these two iconic figures, first with the reliably great Jeffery Wright as Lieutenant Gordon and Colin Farrell as the transformative/brutish Penguin.  This Gordon is a haggard, desperate police lieutenant at his wit’s end on stemming the tide of chaos from destroying the city.  Hence, he has formed an alliance with Batman and in that regard, we get to see them working together to solve the Riddler’s clues and attempt to prevent the murder spree from continuing.  Wright puts his own spin on the iconic character of Batman’s support structure and brings some suitable gravitas to the role, despite the unfortunate comparison to the casting perfection of Gary Oldman in the Nolan trilogy.  This Gordon works well as a supporting character in this tale and is different enough to stand on its own while maintain the notable traits of the character.

This leads into another fantastic character performance, by Irish actor Colin Farrell as the illustrious Penguin.  He pretty much comes in and out of this tale, as the manager of the shady Iceberg Lounge and provides Batman some much-needed criminal conflict, operating one of the major drug operations in Gotham.  This is a combination of incredible make-up work and the spirited performance from Farrell that provides a different yet closer take to the comic book/animated counterparts before him.  He certainly makes an impression and ends up providing much of the levity to the proceedings and establishes the delicate blend of grounded realism with the more fantastically outlandish comic elements that can be further developed in future outings.  But nothing compares to how a notable character actor truly makes the most out of a villain that operates out of sight and mind.

This brings us to the main baddie himself, the deranged and intellectually dangerous Riddler played by Paul Dano as a complete re-invention of the character combining the elements of the familiar with the newer details that create a mix of what we know of the character with a good mix of serial killing characters like Jigsaw.  The character mostly operates behind the scenes, making his presence known through the riddles and traps he creates for his victims.  It is very much a modern update of the character that works with the world established here and provides a different kind of conflict than what we’ve seen from Batman’s Rogue Gallery on the big screen.  When he finally ends up in the spotlight in act 3, Dano delivers on the notable traits of the character in the comics, as well as being effectively crazy in his performance.  Despite not having a ton of screen time or scenes, he makes his take on the character memorable and one worth seeing again in a future storyline.

That can be said for the last set of characters that make an appearance here, as a recurring one and a one off.  The notable supporting character that had limited time in the film was Alfred Pennysworth played by Andy Serkis.  He approaches the character with a grizzled yet balanced vibe in his performance that does make his scenes notable for Bruce’s growth and change as a character, making his limited screen time regrettable but still a creative choice reflecting how distanced the characters are from each other at this point in his career. The last one to mention and cover is Carmine Falcone played by John Turturro, who is the secretive criminal head that runs everything in Gotham City.  He makes his limited time in the film standout with his assured yet calm demeanor that makes him just as dangerous as the villains Batman usually fights with, making his presence a proper part of this crime ridden, corrupt world they operate within. So, the cast of characters all stand out in their own ways and make their presence known with the fantastic cast behind them and strong direction that made it quality stuff along with being as close to the comic book counterparts as you get with the looks and clearly defined traits on display here.

Let’s finally get to the major section for the rest of the review, the technical aspects of the film with art direction/costume designs, cinematography/editing, action set pieces, and of course, sound design/score.  This is the film to go back to bringing the Gothic architecture and design of the city from both the comic book inspirations and Tim Burton’s films, with notable locales of London and Chicago (Transits and Streets used for it) on display.  The art direction crew (Oliver Benson, Joe Howard, Gary Jopling, & Matthew Kerly) truly created a Gotham City that is both believable and a worse version of the dark and grimy parts of many metropolis cities in the world.  It is also notable how most of the environment has been either been made or shot with earthy tones in each set/art design to create how lived in this city truly is.  This is a great blend of two totally different artistic styles that feels fully realized and alluring to see more of, as well as change with each entry set within it.

Next up, the costumes with the tech designs are quite unique in how it has a low-fi sensibility to it, while still establishing how outlandish yet cool some of the notable gear comes across.  Lead by Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran, the obvious point to discuss is Batman’s bulky yet powerful suit (David Crossman & Glyn Dillon: Batsuit Designers), which has this dual purpose of striking fear into criminals, while coming across as unstoppable that no doubt defines how Bruce is, within his second year as Batman.  Everyone else seems traditionally dressed, even Catwoman’s costume is practical (despite being disappointingly unremarkable) but the villains are uniquely designed and styled.  With Penguin, he has the traditional tuxedo look but is more remarkable for the incredible make-up efforts of Michael Marino for transforming Farrell’s look into a disfigured yet unnatural one for the character.  As for Riddler, it’s this grungy and makeshift mix of military styled overcoat with a gimp face mask that while does go into the edgy vibe of the story, it certainly feels like a balance could have been better found in designing it.  From an art direction/costume design standpoint, the film’s world/characters do feel fully realized to the atmosphere and setting for this crime story.

This brings us to the cinematography and editing for the film, that adopts what came before to find a happy medium for the grounded yet stylized approach to the look of the film.  It was shot by Greig Fraser and you can tell that director David Fincher’s visual style, specifically Se7en was the clear inspiration for the look and energy of this story.  It does fit perfectly with the gothic design of the city, with the effective use of the dark yet earthy color tones visible in the shot compositions.  Which leads to the refreshingly clear, yet tension filled editing, as we see how versatile and effective the lead characters are in a fight or them investigating a crime scene thoroughly, conveyed by the work of Editors William Hoy & Tyler Nelson to allow for each fight scene to breath in contrast to the fast cutting and quick flashes that were notable from the previous film adaptations before it.  As well as playing the story out like a traditional crime drama mystery with a fantastical yet gritty comic book edge to it that feels like one of the Batman comic tales come to life.  The film in its look and editing comes to life with the way it paces the action beats deliberately, allows for brevity to the investigative/character development, and truly make Gotham believable in its existence.

This leads to the notably few but effective action beats of the film, a stark contrast to the other adaptations that usually rely on the grand scale and scope of the action to come through to entertain.  Here, they are usually done to inform us of the character, drive the story forward, and feel like a proper culmination of the conflict building to that moment as evident with the intense and powerful opening sequence that establishes how violent and dangerous Batman is, within two years and still driven by his rage/vengeance to strike fear into the criminal underworld.  There is one major car chase sequence that truly utilizes traffic in a way that feels believably tense and not only captures just how terrifyingly powerful the Batmobile is in this one, but book ends with one of the most iconic shots that will define this film series going forward with how this Batman evolves and grows from here.  The many melee action beats are surprisingly clear and paced with enough kinetic energy to see what is happening and feel the impact effectively, helped by the strongly defined sound design and score to go with it, with the best one being the Hallway scene and Batman’s hand to hand tango with Penguins’/Falcone’s thugs and his tango with Catwoman.  It all builds to a showdown that is reminiscent of inspired comic tales like No Man’s Land and the Arkham games that keeps the main conflict focused on Batman’s motivation as a vigilante to finally become a hero that Gotham needs.  Most of the time is spent of Batman investigating and playing detective with the criminal underworld to track down Riddler and understand his motivated killings related to the dark history of the wealthy ruling class in Gotham.  When the action happens, it happens with intent and purpose, which is refreshing to see in a big blockbuster film of this scale.

Lastly, we get to another quality and underrated element of filmmaking that truly makes this adaptation special, is the Sound Design/Score for the film, with one notable song used that tie into the Bruce Wayne’s character arc rather well.  It is notable throughout in a premium screening how powerfully hard hitting and strong the sound comes through but what they emphasis quite a lot throughout the film is how heavy Batman’s footsteps are, in many of the scenes.  It really accentuates how otherworldly and fear inducing he comes across, that adds to the fantastic performance from Pattinson as well.  Of course, you got to mention that beastly jet engine sound that powers the Batmobile along with how effective sound is utilized throughout the quiet moments of the film.  The score from Michael Giacchino is quite the fascinating one that conveys the gothic, downright horror qualities to the character that honors the motifs that came before yet builds on it with some inventive inspirations.  It makes sense that he uses the main rhythmic beats of “The Imperial March” for Star Wars to create a different theme for Batman that feels appropriate for this adaptation and defines this character musically going forward.  It is also quite surprising to see Reeves use the song “Something’s In The Way” by Nirvana as a means to establish the hopeless, cynical vibe of Gotham as well as establish Wayne’s character arc/defect that he eventually needs to overcome at the end of the film.  It is yet another component of the film’s success of establishing a new Batman and future stories going ahead, a stellar, effectively used sound design with a truly standout score from a reliable composing veteran, and a song that will no doubt get more people interested in learning more about Nirvana.

It has been a very tumultuous time for DC comics and Warner Brothers studios regarding how they go about adapting these iconic and obscure characters to the big screen, with many misfires but only a handful of successes in spite of the challenges and problems that came from production to its release.  In this case, the reason for Batman’s longevity in media is how adaptable and ultimately timeless the tale truly is to many people, allowing for the characters and world within to be reshaped with the right story and creative energy to go with it. In this case, this new beginning to a larger story for the Dark Knight, is a triumphant success and finally focuses solely on Batman and Bruce, the indistinguishable conflict between the two sides, and how they can co-exist in a city that seems to be drowning in corruption and terror.  On top of that, you have a delicate balance between the grounded realism, but maintain the fantastical elements of the comic book mythos creates a path for this Batman to truly have a defined, long running arc going forward.  It helps that it is mainly a detective tale that feels inspired from the many of the hard-boiled crime thrillers that rely on the style of Crime Noir.  This truly is an effectively entertaining and refreshingly engaging crime drama that captures the many sides of Gotham but also focuses solely on the motivations/struggles of Batman as an avenging Vigilante, on the painful road to become the hero Gotham needs in its darkest moments.

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out Of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DC Films’ The Batman is a tense, engagingly satisfying, and truly entertaining comic book crime thriller that not only explores a different aspect of Batman but keeps that focus on him throughout the entire runtime.  What does work is the overall arc that truly defines how this Batman becomes the hero we know in other forms of media and stories, as well as touching upon aspects of his family history finally in film form.  The reason for the score reduction is the unfortunate lack of payoff from that plotline (other than a character moment for Bruce to grow from), interesting side characters limited in their roles for future appearances, the answer to the mystery might appear underwhelming but truly feels like a natural part of this tale (it makes sense for people to go nuts here and Arkham to exist), and the second act does run long in the tooth before wrapping up.  However, the entire cast is clearly game and feel pitch perfect in their respective roles, bringing the characters to life with Farrell as Penguin being the most praised of the cast members, but everyone puts in equally strong performances with standouts being Wright, Dano, and Pattinson.  The action is gritty, hard hitting, and feels not only real but manages to still be larger than life, allowing for this world to be a promising blend between the grounded realism and comic book style fantasy elements that make up some of the more notable Batman tales in his comic book series.  This is a gratifying film for many Batman fans, but also still a recommend for anyone else looking for an entertaining and enjoyable crime thriller that might run a bit long at times and understandably might feel shallow or indecipherable for those not in the know, regarding the long history of Batman.