By John Corrado

Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of Joker: Folie à Deux. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my theatrical review right here.

Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to his 2019 box office smash Joker, is now arriving on 4K Ultra HD. The film finds Joaquin Phoenix returning to his Oscar-winning role as Arthur Fleck, who’s now imprisoned at Arkham Asylum, and awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker in the first movie.

It’s here that he meets and falls in love with Lee (Lady Gaga), a fellow patient who is also a fan of his Joker persona. The story serves as a deconstruction of the first movie, while also infamously being a musical, with several fantasy numbers that Phoenix and Gaga perform together.

It’s an audacious mix that a lot of viewers rejected. The film bombed in theatres and got a critical drubbing in contrast to Phillips’ largely praised first movie, but I’m in the minority on finding merit in the whole thing.

While Joker: Folie à Deux is certainly one of the most divisive movies of the year, I largely admired it for the risks that it takes. I have a feeling that it will be critically reevaluated in due time. It’s a great-looking film, too, and the 4K edition presents the best option for fans in terms of showcasing Lawrence Sher’s striking cinematography.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD): 

The 4K disc includes a fine assortment of bonus features, delving into the film’s production. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.

• Everything Must Go (Play All – 44 minutes, 5 seconds): This 4-part documentary provides an in-depth look at the production, covering everything from developing the sequel’s story, addressing the controversy surrounding the first one, and shooting the set-pieces. The actors are allowed to go deep when talking about their characters, as we count down the 81 days of production, culminating with the crew shooting on-location in New York and returning to the staircase in the Bronx. It’s an interesting watch for those wanting to go deeper into the film.

• Can I Have a Cigarette? (11 minutes, 24 seconds)

• Finding Lee (11 minutes, 7 seconds)

• A Hundred Films in One (9 minutes, 27 seconds)

• King of Nothing (12 minutes, 5 seconds)

• The Character of Music (8 minutes, 20 seconds): Looks at the role that music plays in Arthur’s life, choosing what songs to put in the film, recording them live onset, and incorporating them into Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score.

• Crafted with Class (7 minutes, 21 seconds): A closer look at the immersive sets that production designer Mark Friedberg and his crew built for the film.

• Colors of Madness (6 minutes, 22 seconds): Cinematographer Lawrence Sher talks about developing the film’s colour palette and how it changes with where Arthur is at inside his head, and his approach to lighting the whole sets so the actors can freely move around the space.

•Live! With Joker (5 minutes, 16 seconds): A nice look at the development of French director Sylvain Chomet’s cartoon sequence that opens the film.

Joker: Folie à Deux is a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release. It’s 138 minutes and rated R.

Street Date: December 17th, 2024