Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

In this sequel to 'Wicked' we get to enjoy the unfolding of the dramas which were set up in that film, with the music taking a bit of a backseat in that the individual songs are not as strong. We pick up with Glinda enjoying herself as the centre of attention in the Emerald City, especially since she now has a magic bubble to float around in, and that she is going to marry handsome Prince Fiyero.   Elphaba on the other hand is stuck out in the woods, singlehandedly trying to fight a propaganda war against the combined forces of the Wizard and Madame Morrible. It's a war she can't win, so thankfully we move onto a more intimate scene in which Glinda successfully plays peacemaker between Elphaba and the Wizard.  Unfortunately (and for no very good reason that I could see) the peace deal breaks down almost immediately and this leads Madame Morrible to come to the fore.  She creates a tornado in order to drop a house on Nessarose, killing her.  This doesn't make a whole...

As someone who is suspicious of any film musical since 1979's ‘All That Jazz’ (a kind of high water mark), and as one who doesn’t feel that every villain needs a backstory, I approached this film with some trepidation, especially since I felt that  turning a stage musical into two lengthy films seemed self indulgent. Despite all of these concerns however, I enjoyed the ride.  It didn’t drag, it has some decent songs (and one very good one), and it wasn't as CGI-heavy as it might have been. It also sprung a few surprises. For example, it's very woke.  Not content with a main character, Elphaba, who is discriminated against solely because of the colour of her skin, the story gives her a sister in a wheelchair, as well as (another surprise) talking animals who are being persecuted. Their oppressor is of course the Wizard of Oz himself, but trying to explain to any young children watching this film why he is being so beastly to the cuddly animals might be challenging. ...