Wicked: For Good

Cynthia Erivo's outstanding perfomance and the part of dividing critics and fans on how dark it is, because it is dark, it is the second act of the musical of course. The No Good Deed one of Cynthia is SO SO GOOD

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/wicked-for-good-review-cynthia-erivo-and-ariana-grande-butera-cement-their-place-in-ozs-unbreakable-heart/

"Wicked: For Good may not reach the levels of the first film, but it remains a wonderful work of technical excellence and profound emotional impact.

The audiovisual spectacle is complemented by the urgency of its social commentary on political propaganda and, most crucially, by the unbreakable heart of its friendship story. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera cement themselves as the essential figures of this adaptation, elevating the narrative with performances that are, by themselves, the biggest reason for enjoying the movie.

It's a triumphant, devastating, and catharti...

Splitting a single story into two movies is a risky production decision that sometimes pays off and sometimes doesnt. Is it truly merited artistically speaking, or is it simply an attempt at an unabashed box office money grab? When the creators of the cinematic adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical Wicked announced in 2022 that they would be depicting the material through two films, the decision was met with somewhat mixed reactions. Could the pictures each stand alone despite being parts of the same story? Would the first installment be strong enough to retain audience interest over time before the release of the second part (in this case, a year, far longer than a typical Broadway intermission)? And would there be a distinct enough...

Perhaps its just my own innate inverse reaction to hype, but boy was I underwhelmed by this. It was always going to be the harder film to make an impression, given its a prequel to Wizard of Oz and is therefore somewhat boxed in from a plot perspective. Anyway,  Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has had to flee from Oz leaving her friend Galinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) playing the role of the goody-goody for the wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and his hench-witch Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Elphie is determined to prove to the people that their leader is a fraud, but with the local population perfectly content with his governance, she has quite a battle on her hands. Indeed, the more she attempts to expose him, the less popular and more feared she becomes...