Joaquin Phoenix's Joker: Folie à Deux's reviews may not be entirely accurate, as a comparison of Joker and Blue Beetle's reviews suggests.

It's an undeniable fact that one of Joaquin Phoenix's best performances to date is none other than Joker in his titular 2019 blockbuster. If anything, thanks to the iconic portrayal, the actor even got the sequel Joker: Folie à Deux greenlit. This film recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, but only to mixed reviews.

But as much as these reviews may have fallen horribly short for a film expected to be as massive a blockbuster as the first, there's a very legitimate reason why fans should take these with a grain of salt. This is because even the deflating underachiever Blue Beetle seems to rate much better than Phoenix's original movie as the character in 2019!

At the currently ongoing Venice Film Festival 2024, Folie à Deux premiered, but only to unexpected reviews from critics. Aside from the mixed initial critical reactions it received, it currently sits somewhere near the edge with a 61% rating on the Tomatometer – an average derived from the combined reviews of 44 critics. And yet there is a possibility that this rating may not be so accurate.