John M. Chu's "Wicked"

Review by Dennis D. McDonald

I can’t say I was not entertained by this movie. The production is physically fabulous, the two leads are excellent, and just the colors on display are dazzling and exciting.

And yet…

Halfway through I was bored. The secondary chracters are underwhelming, the story itself is bloated and obvious, and—worst of all—the music is mediocre. No amount of fancy choreography and camerwork can disguise that the tunes are unmemorable, akin to a second tier animated children’s cartoon.

I finished the movie despite being bored. At the end my wife and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously shrugged and said, “Huh?”

Don’t get me wrong. I have long loved fantasy and musicals. But this one just seems bloated and excessive way beyond what its story and tunes can support.

Review copyright (c) 2025 by Dennis D. McDonald

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