Early reviews for “Joker: Folie à Deux” are not holding back on criticism, describing the film as a lackluster continuation of the franchise.

The much-anticipated sequel to “Joker” debuted on Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival, but initial reviews have been mixed. It currently has a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a decline from the original film’s 69%. Ratings on the site typically drop as more reviews are compiled leading up to a film’s public release.

Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” where his character faces trial for the events of the initial 2019 film. Lady Gaga joins the cast as Harley Quinn, a role previously portrayed by Margot Robbie. This installment includes musical sequences with both characters singing at times.

However, many critics argue that the musical parts fall flat and that Gaga’s talents are not fully showcased.

According to Owen Gleiberman from Variety, Gaga is “seriously underused” in the film, which he characterizes as “awkward” and “overly careful,” likely due to previous debates regarding the original film’s impact on real-life violence.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich pointed out that Gaga spends most of the film on the sidelines, overshadowed by lengthy trial scenes that rehash the earlier movie’s events. He labeled the sequel as “painfully — maybe even intentionally — tedious” and criticized the “uninspiring” musical portions.

Richard Lawson from Vanity Fair described the film as “surprisingly dull,” calling it a “meaningless procedural” that appears to disrespect its audience. He noted that the film feels “constrained,” primarily taking place in an asylum and a courtroom. Lawson echoed the sentiment about Gaga being “poorly utilized” while mentioning that director Todd Phillips minimizes the excitement during the musical moments.

Alison Willmore from Vulture conveyed that the film’s “grueling” nature aims to strip away enjoyment from its musical numbers, seeing it as a “waste” of Gaga’s talents.

IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha remarked that the movie fails to present an engaging courtroom drama, frequently revisiting familiar story elements and embodies “merely an extension of the original film’s narrative in a slow, explicit manner,” resulting in the musical sections not fully flourishing. He rated the film a 5 out of 10.

David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter offered a mixed review, suggesting that although the film feels “somewhat thin and occasionally boring,” Gaga brings a “dynamic presence,” and in the few scenes where she shows her full talent, the film rises to new heights. Rooney disagreed with the notion that Gaga is underutilized, believing that “too much of her might veer ‘Folie à Deux’ into a Harley Quinn origin story.”

On a more positive note, critics like Bill Bria from Slashfilm praised “Folie à Deux” as “the most intriguing comic book film of the year,” with Gaga delivering a performance that truly brings Harley Quinn to life “in a way we’ve never seen before.”

William Bibbiani from The Wrap described the film as “strikingly bizarre,” “genuinely daring,” and “the most captivating film about Arthur Fleck,” while Pete Hammond from Deadline hailed it as “brilliant.”

Ben Rolph from Discussing Film stated that the sequel “successfully follows up with a creative comic book movie unlike any other,” and Alex Harrison from Screen Rant declared it superior to the original for offering “more coherent insights into fan culture compared to its predecessor’s take on mental health” and being “much less derivative.”

Despite the divided reviews, “Joker: Folie à Deux” was met with an 11-minute standing ovation at its Venice debut, as reported by Variety. The original “Joker” won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2019 and received 11 Academy Award nominations, the highest for any film that year, with Phoenix taking home the Oscar for best actor. The original also grossed over $1 billion at the box office, setting a record for the highest-grossing R-rated movie, which was later surpassed by this year’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Audiences will soon have the chance to evaluate “Joker: Folie à Deux” themselves when it releases in theaters on Oct. 4.