Wicked

Return to Oz was an amazing movie in many ways.

Hard disagree.

If all you wanted out of the movie was to faff about longer with these characters, then you're probably already a fan of the musical and just value them expanding on something that you already enjoy.

For me, even though I found the popular songs appealing, the interminable pace of everything around those experience-defining moments just drags it so far down, I'd have rather spent the same amount of time just watching the whole musical, rather than have it wasted on padding that experience out.

And since I've never seen the musical before, and I actually liked the music (for the most part), I think it's a huge mistake to temper that first impression by presenting it in this way.

In one case, I'd have been able to say that "I saw Wicked" in it's entirety, and if the second half was as good as the first then I'd probably be able to walk away say "I thought it was pretty good!"

But instead, I am now challenged to weigh the cost/benefit analysis of putting down another $26 ****ing dollars to see the second part of a movie that I already thought went on way too ****ing long!

I have no intention of seeing Wicked: For Good (or whatever the hell it's called) now, because they spoiled my first experience by failing to do their ONE JOB to making a theatrical adaptation of 1 play into 1 movie.

I saw a ******* bootleg recording of one of the plays and there's more going on onstage in "The Wizard and I" than there is the 150 million dollar movie.

Oh, and their budget for Part II is also 150 million dollars?

So, what you're telling me is they had 300 million dollars to make 1 good movie, and instead they went "but what if we could double our ticket sales?"

Greed. Until there's an official distribution of an actual performance of the play with actual audio and video equipment, or some sad maligned fan decides to do Universal Pictures' ****ing job and edits this movie down to the pace it's supposed to be, I don't think Wicked's done justice.

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"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel

Musicals aren't music videos.

Yeah, and movies aren't a blank check to waste my time or blatantly disrespect any and all notions of the word "pacing".

Although if musicals were music videos, Wicked would be a 3 hour Youtube playlist of reaction channels perpetually pausing the songs to gush while contributing absolutely nothing of substance.

I'm gonna pull a "ImAgInE iF tHe RoLeS wErE rEvErSeD" on you, suppose you're like me and you ****in' love The Nightmare Before Christmas and we decided to see a stage adaptation of it.

I drop three times the federal minimum wage to see this thing and the entire experience is stretched out to accommodate the characters going from Point A to Point B, talking about nothing, jokes, and literally interrupting the songs to exposit about a situation the songs are already describing. I'm talkin' "This is Halloween" doesn't even start until The Princess Bride intro elapses three times.

Now I might privately get a kick out of seeing a little more Oogie Boogie scenery chewing, and maybe the line alluding to shoving a candy cane up Santa's rectum gets a chuckle out of me, but when that musical ends well after the the runtime of the actual movie and it ends just as Santa's been kidnapped only for the cast to come back on stage and ask me to come back and PAY AGAIN TO SEE THE TRUE ENDING DLC, I'm gonna save my money.

I feel the same way.

I saw it last night and enjoyed it.

It's a very different take than the original Wizard of Oz book, as well as the original movie, but that's what art is all about - retelling the story in a new, fresh way. This movie's modern take is that people are not black and white, but rather that beneath the surface a person's heart may be more complicated.

The one negative for me was that the songs weren't memorable - not even close to the level of Les Miserables, in my opinion. One or two of the songs had a pleasant melody, but that was about it.

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Boldly going.

I rewatched it today with the actors commentary on and enjoyed it even more this time. I'm moving Wicked up on my list of best films of 2024 from #6 to #4. I predict Wicked will win two Oscars for best production design and best costumes.

genuinely think ariana should win supporting actress she's so good

If she and Cynthia don't win this year, they'll be up again next year, for sure.

It’s not a remake of the original story, it’s a prequel

It's neither a remake nor a prequel, strictly speaking.

The musical is based on the first of a series of novels by Gregory Maguire, which are more of a revisionist take on the original characters created by LFB.

I didn't mean to imply that it's a sequel -by "original" I meant 1939 original.

And like I said, it's not a remake of the 1939 movie, it's a prequel

If it were a prequel, wouldn't it just be limited to the things that happened before the events of the MGM movie?

If you have seen the musical, then you know it covers ground from things that happen both before, during, and after the original 1939 movie.

The events in this movie did happen before The Wizard of Oz. Do you remember at the beginning when a report is received that the Wicked Witch of the West had been doused by water by a little girl? And then at the press conference where Glinda announced the death of the witch, one of the munchkins asked her to confirm a rumor that she and Elphaba were once friends and then the movie flashes back?

Have you seen the musical?

This will start streaming on Peacock on Friday, March 21st.

i wonder part 2 will be good as part 1