Wicked: For Good, the epic film adaptation of the second act of the popular Broadway musical, is finally here. Actually, it’s about to enter its second weekend. But that didn’t stop the Plugged In crew from sitting down to dissect this musical sequel.
Did the vocal talents of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande hold up to the strict standards of myself and fellow thespian Bob Hoose? What did Hoose think of the one-year intermission? And how, if at all, should parents navigate the darker magical themes at play?
Watch the video below, and be sure to read mine and Hoose’s reviews of the two films at Plugged In.
5 Responses
Not Wicked-related, but I saw Zootopia 2 tonight and thought it was remarkably well done, with one of the strongest stories I’ve seen in a Disney movie in years and a beautiful portrayal of adult relationships taking a hard look at their own core virtues and values and examining whether an in-depth understanding of one another inevitably leads to reconciliation (as so often happens in “celebrate our differences” children’s films) or sometimes indicates a separation instead. Also, except for some split-second sight gags, the humor seemed noticeably cleaner than in the first film, with no animal “nudists” in sight this time around; there were still a few small moments I thought were inappropriate for children, but they were very brief.
100% agree that it only should have been one film. I was a big fan of the stage play when I first saw it (back in my college days, so I’m dating myself). But there just wasn’t enough material to stretch this any longer than it already was. It already suffered from a somewhat weak second act that was largely just a compilation of wink-wink nudge-nudge references to The Wizard of Oz and lots of people just standing around not doing much for several more scenes than was necessary, slowing the pacing of the plot down by a lot. Trying to stuff a Glinda flashback and 2 new songs in there just so they could get a Best New Song Oscar nom (cuz we all know that’s why they did it) was just… ugh. Waste of time and effort. Legit could have just done one movie, called it a day, and had a passable adaptation of the source material.
I haven’t been this disappointed in a musical movie since Les Mis. And I still want to extend the right hand of fellowship across the face of the genius who thought recording live singing in *that* movie was a good idea.
I dunno. I read the novel by Gregory Maguire but did not see the Broadway show that it was loosely based on. And I do mean LOOSELY. When I saw “Wicked: Part One” last year and “Wicked: For Good” last week, I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought the first movie was tremendous fun. I EXPECTED the second movie to be darker and more serious. My friends and I saw it in 3D, and the 3D effects were … okay, but not necessary for the extra three bucks. The show stopper was “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.” Anyway, I enjoyed it more than you. But while I can watch “Part One” repeatedly, I can’t say that for “For Good.” It just wasn’t as much fun.
Let’s face it: Part One of “Wicked” is a tough act to follow. It was tremendous fun from beginning to end, and the final moment was exhilarating. Now there’s “Wicked: For Good,” which I saw on Monday with a couple of friends. I knew it was getting more mixed reviews. I knew it was going to be darker and more serious. Nevertheless my moviegoing pals and I were determined to like it. And for the most part we did … with some caveats we discussed afterward. My only real grudge was with a song-and-dance number in the first hour that I found almost cringeworthy. But overall I really enjoyed the movie, and it had a satisfying ending. Just don’t expect as much fun as Part One.
Well anything that celebrates magic, darkness, and anything that goes against God which this film and the previous one clearly does is not something I would recommend it want my family to watch. Not only is the Cynthia actress known to mock God in person, but they clearly are trying to make bad look good and clearly opposite of what the Bible teaches. I would say stick to what the Bible says. Not what the world says.