Joker (2019) is the top pick in this comparison of Joker movie reviews and ratings. It wins on the three criteria that matter when you are deciding what to watch: strength of the critical consensus, depth and stability of the audience score, and the awards record that followed release. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) is included as the alternative for viewers who specifically want the musical approach and the Harley Quinn material. Both films are rated R, both were directed by Todd Phillips, and both star Joaquin Phoenix, so the comparison stays close and fair.
Joker (2019): the top pick
Phillips framed the film as a character study of Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian in a decaying Gotham, and the movie lives or dies on Phoenix's performance. Critics split in a way that is worth understanding before you trust a single number. Many reviews focused on the film's debt to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, and on how it handles mental illness and violence. Audiences responded to the physical transformation and the raw tone, and the audience score has held up far above the critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The awards run settled the argument for most viewers: Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the film collected a large haul of nominations across major ceremonies.
most recent joker official site
Pros
- A lead performance that carries the entire film and won Best Actor at the Oscars
- Self-contained story with no homework required before watching
- One of the widest critic-versus-audience gaps of its release year, which makes the ratings interesting to read
- Distinct visual and sound design that holds up on a second viewing
Cons
- Heavy reliance on Scorsese templates that some critics found derivative
- Bleak tone with little relief across two hours
- The debate around violence and mental illness can overshadow the craft
Best for: viewers who want a standalone, awards-driven character drama and do not plan to continue into the sequel.
Updated Joker Online: How to Sell CVV Good Fresh Dumps
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
The sequel takes a harder swing. Phillips adds Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, builds courtroom sequences, and folds in musical numbers. Critics were largely negative, and the audience score landed well below the first film on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, which is the opposite of the pattern the 2019 movie set. Metacritic tells the same story with its weighted critic average. None of that makes it worthless. It is a more experimental film, and the people who defend it tend to defend the ambition and the Gaga performance rather than the plot.
Pros
- Lady Gaga gives the film a second real presence opposite Phoenix
- Musical and courtroom framing is a genuine departure, not a retread
- Production design and cinematography stay at the level of the first film
Cons
- Weak critical and audience scores on every major aggregator
- Depends on the first film for context, so it is a poor entry point
- The musical structure divides viewers sharply
Best for: people who already liked the 2019 film and want the stranger, more divisive follow-up.
How to read Joker ratings before you commit
Each aggregator answers a different question. Rotten Tomatoes gives you two numbers: the share of critics who were positive, and the share of verified audience members who were positive. A wide gap, like the one on the 2019 film, usually signals a movie that critics judged on intent and audiences judged on experience. Metacritic produces a single weighted critic score, which is more useful when you care about review quality rather than volume. IMDb reflects general viewers over time and skews toward people who finish and rate the film. On Joker specifically, compare the 2019 audience figures against the 2024 audience figures, not the critic figures, and the drop tells you most of what you need to know.
Verdict
Start with Joker (2019). It has the stronger critical standing, the wider audience approval, and the awards record, and it stands alone without the sequel. Move to Folie à Deux only if the first film already worked for you and you want to see what Phillips did with a musical follow-up. Read the critic and audience numbers side by side rather than picking one, because the split is the most informative part of the whole ratings picture.