The conclusion of the big screen adaptation of the musical is heading to cinema screens on the 21st November…
WhatsOnStage: **** “It asks its audience to sit with doubt and compromise rather than easy catharsis. For a story about good intentions and their aftermath, that feels entirely fitting. For theatre fans who have loved this material for years and years, we couldn’t be happier. Oh and the final shot? Chef’s kiss.”
Variety: “Among the second film’s satisfactions are more detailed accounts of how Scarecrow and the Tin Man came to be cursed, as well as a knock-down, drag-out witch fight. The art nouveau-style sets and ornate costumes are nothing short of astonishing, though the film relies more heavily on virtual effects, eschewing the techniques that made the blend of practical and virtual elements so seamless last time. The emotions are real; everything else is movie magic, representing where we now stand — at the apex of artificiality — for better or worse.”
The Guardian: **** “But the superstar among equals is Cynthia Erivo, bringing her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, and revealing a new vulnerability and maturity.”
The Independent: ** “Cynthia Erivo scores, but Ariana Grande less so – and director Jon M Chu still hasn’t figured out how to properly light any of this.”
The Sun: **** “Wicked: For Good is a pre-Christmas cracker, bursting with colour and a musical score so emotionally charged it will leave you weeping into your popcorn.”
Empire: *** “Still, the origin-story reveals of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow are fun, played like body-horror nightmares, and thanks to some undeniably talented performers, the film just about completes the magic trick of the original books and show: reframing the Oz myth in a political, emotionally potent light. Not quite over the rainbow, then, but just enough of its colours and candour to get by.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “Grande has been acting since she was a kid, and her quiet moments of introspection, anxiety or sadness show tender depths, as does her loyalty to Elphaba. She reveals plucky strength and resourcefulness to match Elphaba’s unbreakable backbone when she starts seeing through the scheming of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who emerges as the real despotic power player — not the empty-vessel Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). He’s a lightweight and he knows it, especially compared to ruthless Morrible.”
BBC.com: “Grande really gets her moments to shine in this instalment and makes the most of them. She was always ideal in the role, giving Glinda just the right little giggle and hair flip. She has a stronger narrative arc here as Glinda becomes disappointed and disillusioned. When she sings the line “I couldn’t be happier”, the cracks in the happy facade begin to show. Erivo continues to create Elphaba as righteously determined to expose the Wizard’s fakery and also hurt at the way she has been vilified, but that arc is more familiar now.”
Wicked: For Good is out in cinemas now.