Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in 'Joker: Folie à Deux.' Warner Bros. 

I’ve always been drawn to films and shows where the villain is the main character. There’s something fascinating about figuring out what drives their hunger for power and greed — usually, it’s a lack of love and respect, which, let’s be honest, many of us can relate to.

Right now, I’m hooked on "The Penguin," HBO's latest crime drama and a spin-off from the 2022 film "The Batman." Colin Farrell delivers a jaw-dropping transformation, disappearing beneath layers of prosthetics to embody the role of a ruthless, scarred capo with a limp.

That same love for villain-centered stories is what made me fall hard for Todd Phillips' "Joker." The movie was so well done that I had to check myself for actually rooting for someone who’s, well… a murderer. It even became the highest-grossing R-rated film until "Deadpool & Wolverine" came along and took over.

It made sense to move forward with "Joker: Folie à Deux," even though Phillips originally said they had always pitched "Joker" as a standalone film. I was excited to see what would come next for a character we watched transform into a fully realized villain. I was especially looking forward to a film that would dive into the sensationalism of the media and its impact on blind followers, who often end up deciding who gets to be in charge.

Unfortunately, the second "Joker" film feels like a bad joke that just didn’t land.

The biggest mistake of "Joker: Folie à Deux" is that it tries to be both a musical romance and a courtroom drama without fully committing to either. Almost all the musical numbers feel like filler and don’t advance the narrative. The courtroom scenes seem promising at first but quickly become bogged down by questions that unnecessarily reiterate several events from the first film.

The film had all the makings of a hit with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in the mix, but it wasted that potential by confining them to a musical that fell flat. While Phoenix, who snagged the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck in the first film, struggles to hold a tune, I can’t help but think of Russell Crowe in "Les Misérables." At least Crowe seemed more invested in the role and brought a certain confidence that Phoenix lacks here.

As a Little Monster, it infuriates me to see Lady Gaga in a film that feels like it’s glued to the idea that she must sing at every opportunity. She’s one of the most talented actors of our time and doesn’t need to be reduced to just her musical talent. It’s frustrating to watch her get sidelined in this sequel when she has so much more to offer.

Furthermore, the film completely misses the mark by undoing the Joker’s character growth, dragging him back to the vulnerable Arthur Fleck we pitied at the beginning of the first film. It’s perplexing and undermines everything we’ve witnessed up to this point! As a fan, I wanted to see what’s next for a fully realized villain who meets someone who truly matches his freak.

"Joker" was designed as a one-off masterpiece with no sequels. It should have stayed that way.

Ralph Revelar Sarza is a freelance TV and film critic and a metadata development specialist at The Big Dipper Digital Content and Design, Incorporated, an ABS-CBN company. This review was originally published on the author's blog, “WALPHS.com.”