Wicked: For Good

It’s a wonder that Baum stopped with the money supply. The impression from watching this continuation of the story is that the cultural relevancy of the foundational work is even more profound than a first glance tells. It’s all in here, and explicitly so: the social, political and personal themes that populate this split movie’s first half stand out even more in this denouement. Indeed, it’s rather astonishing how much the writers of the script could pen lines of dialogue that evoke (before the fact) specific parallels to current events and consternations. Again, it really says something that this story and its elements could be reborn and repurposed—from original incarnation (book series, then a classic movie), to another book, to the stage, and then to screen again—to say something old yet new. That whole process was helped immensely by wonderful casting, particularly in the leads (though Ariana Grande is distractingly skinny, to the point where you want to shove a donut or two into her mouth). As before, the visual design is comprehensively delightful, while most of the songs are superb. This is the whole package, a truly impressive accomplishment. Wizardry without humbug, for sure. 

Jurassic World: Rebirth

Memo to all screenwriters: giving your script’s unfamiliar characters a set of background sob stories does not make them automatically sympathetic. That constitutes one of the large problems with this movie: you don’t really have much sympathy for the group of mercenaries who form the core of the cast, so whatever is going to happen to them comes across from the start as low-stakes. Things are mildly better with the vacationing family, who at least come across as relatively innocent and thus worthy of the viewer’s consideration. Perhaps the story should have opened with them, and then there would  have been a rooting interest from the first scenes. As it is, it’s only well into the action that you start to care about what happens to these people. (Except the sociopathic corporate type, who practically has “dino food” tattooed on his forehead.) The aforementioned “action” is the key element here; the action set pieces are the most effective elements throughout the film, more so than any individual plot point or character or even the creatures themselves. Whereas once upon a time the identifiable species were the real stars, this outing mostly features a bunch of weirdo hybrids that are scary, yeah, but have no real personality or charisma. (The best sequence in the whole flick may be the one that features the good old-fashioned T. rex.) Mix it all together and you wind up with a competent but not all that compelling franchise entry that mostly makes you wonder, “When is this thing going to go extinct?” So long as no one comes up with a better idea, the answer to that question should be "now"— but the real-world answer will be, alas, "not anytime soon" (if there's money to be made). 

Wicked

From unlikely soil can spring forth remarkable fruit. The great power of this story (both this movie and the play upon which it is based) lies in the fact that it is the offspring of a story that was created over a hundred years ago—and as a metaphor for the populist movements of that far off era, to boot. In a world that seems devoted to constant change, and outright rejection of the past, it is heartening to see some cultural continuity where the tales, symbols and characters of another age can still hold charm and appeal even today. Indeed, the charm of the lead characters here—Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda—is what propels this adaptation up into rarified air and makes this work as entertaining and emotionally satisfying as it is. Some of the ensemble songs are a bit too ensemble, if you know what I mean, but the solo and duet numbers are standout. Also, this conception of the highly eccentric kingdom of Oz provides a visual feast throughout. There are a few elements that threaten to pull the viewer out of full absorption with the tale—the themes and subtext sometimes get dangerously close to preachy—but for the most part this ride can be enjoyed on its primary, straightforward terms. Let’s hope the filmmakers are able to find an equal amount of magic to pour into the forthcoming sequel/conclusion of this tale. So far, so good, witches.