The holiday movie season shifts into overdrive this week with two of the biggest productions of 2024, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” hitting theaters.
Do they live up to expectations? Read on.
“Wicked”: The lucky ones who have seen “Wicked” on stage might quibble about the extra padding, the abundance of special effects in Jon M. Chu’s film version. Just get over it. There’s really no need to get nitpicky about his buoyant screen reimagining. That’s because what’s up onscreen is absolutely enchanting, a big-screen musical extravaganza that whisks you away from everyday cares, and belts it out at all the appropriate times.
With the well-cast three leads, catchy songs from Stephen Schwartz and peppy direction, “Wicked” casts an intoxicating spell that holds you from its opening “Wizard of Oz” homage to a showstopping performance of its liberating anthem, “Defying Gravity.” Chu throws out all the stops for that , and it suitably closes out the first leg in this two-parter (The sequel us due out Nov. 21, 2025).
Broadway gets a lot of credit for “Wicked,” but Author Gregory Maguire is responsible for creating this multi-messaging origin tale that dishes on what made the green Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) so at odds with many in the merry old land of Oz, and what made Galinda (Ariana Grande) — eventually Glinda (one of the film’s best jokes) — so cursed good.
What if, though, Elphaba was the one who emanated authentic goodness and Glinda was a bit of a tool, far more concerned about appearance and popularity (one of the best numbers in the musical)? That theme produces an everlasting parable for all ages about how being bullied and sneered at takes an incredible toll, and can summon a tsunami-like power and fury.
Erivo channels that goodness and rage, the former just simmering, with aplomb when she inadvertently enlists with her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) at Shiz University. Her classmates wince and turn away whenever they see the green Elphaba, including image-conscious Galinda. The two eventually wind up roommates but can’t stand each other. They bond and both eye a dandy of a prince named Fiyero Tiggular (Jonathan Bailey, enlivening every scene he’s in) who also dashes into the university. Meanwhile, Elphaba catches the eye of headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and even the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).
The talent trifecta of Erivo, Grande and Bailey make all the song-and-dance routines true showpieces; they’re energetic, toe-tapping and beg to be rewatched. But it’s a tender dance sequence between Erivo and Grande that manages to bring a lump to the throat.
Erivo adds dramatic heft to the part and has a soaring voice, but it is Grande who’s the espresso in the production, and she’s sensational in every scene, one hair flip after another.
Other performances are good, but suffer when the actors — Yeoh and, more specifically, Goldblum — can’t manage to sing to the rafters. They just don’t have the pipes that the three leads do, and it’s sometimes glaring. On the plus side, original Broadway leads Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel pop in for a cameo.
Chu, though, populates “Wicked” with so much spectacle — from the forests, to Oz itself and so on — that the guest cameos seem more like minor distractions (the special effects are indeed special). But a third of the way in “Wicked” gets tangled up in a longish stretch of exposition that slows the pace down. Don’t worry, it doesn’t last.
“Wicked” marks Chu’s second big-screen musical (after 2021’s sorely overlooked “In the Heights”), and the Palo Alto native is easing on down that yellow brick road toward establishing himself as the new wizard of the movie musical. Most certainly his “Wicked” — just as Victor Fleming’s superior “The Wizard of Oz” did — possesses a heart, a brain and the courage of its own vision. Better than all that it has a soul and a spirit that will captivate generations of film lovers. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Nov. 22.
“Gladiator II”: Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel to his 2000 sword-and-sandal Oscar phenom shows zero pretense over what it truly intends to be: 100-percent buttered popcorn entertainment. In other words, the story is preposterous but the scenery is a feast for the eyes. While never approaching the emotional impact of the Russell Crowe-led original epic, Scott brings the busy sequel (sharks and even an irritable rhino gets thrown in the mix) to gory, excessive CGI heights. And it works well enough, but only should you meet it on its own terms. This is not a bona-fide Oscar contender — except for the technical and costume categories — but does feature a deliciously duplicitous turn from Denzel Washington. (The Oscar winner goes for broke as the cunning power-mad slave-owner Macrinus.)
Screenwriter David Scarpa and Scott crib way too much from the first film, giving us another vengeance-fueled, buffed-up warrior in the dreamy form of Paul Mescal as Lucius (just take a gander of those biceps, will ya?). His character’s blood, not to mention blood lines, start boiling over after the death of his wife in an attack led by Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) on Lucius’ home turf. Lucius becomes a slave and is in the charge of crafty Macrinus, and soon becomes entertainment for the masses and two dangerously crackpot twin Roman emperors — Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). Seated next to them is Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, reprising her role from the first film), daughter of the long-dead emperor. She and Marcus are together.
True to Scott’s MO, everything is a rowdy spectacle and that’s what makes the crowd roar — in the Colosseum stands and likely in movie theaters. While the original score is indeed missed and fleetingly referenced, the new presence of Mescal is welcome. He’s able to tap into his fierce side as well as his emo side. Is he as much of a badass as Crowe? Hardly. But he is a different character and you’ll root for him even when vengeance clouds his judgment.
Where “Gladiator II” does stumble is in its weak final confrontation scene. It’s a letdown given what has come before. Foibles and fumbles and all, however, “Gladiator II” is still dumb fun. But it’s no match for the high standards set by the original. Details: 2½ stars; opens in theaters Nov. 22.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
