Having grown up and watched The Wizard of Oz dozens of times , and then watching the movie with my kids and now my grandchildren, I have to admit that it is a move for all ages that never grows old. I remember seeing it the first time as a young boy and was horrified to see those creepy winged monkeys flying and the wicked witch to get splashed with water and the fear I had as she was shrinking into nothingness. Those moments have been with me my whole life. Well at the Thanksgiving season my family is here every year and yesterday my kids and their spouses and kids all watched once again The Wizard of Oz and 3 of my grandchildren had never seen the film. It was a special experience for me as 3 generations of my family watched this movie that is now 85 years young. Being the good grandfather that I am this was all done as a prelude to today as I bought 12 tickets for a midday performance of Wicked ,the much hyped film with Ariana Grande as Galinda (now Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. I have to admit that I am. not an Ariana Grande fan as every time I see her I feel like Im a pedophile as she always seems to be a kid trying to be an adult. My wife and I saw Wicked on Broadway and loved it with Edina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, Much to our surprise, both had a cameo role in the movie.
I knew the movie was long at 2'40" so I knew this could be much ado about nothing inasmuch as The Wizard of Oz was half the length . So where can I start. This movie is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz and was skilfully written to tie everything up and tell the story of Oz, Galinda and Elphaba, and the Wizard (played by Jeff Goldblum). This movie had me from the very first scene and held me til the end. Ariana Grande , I have to admit was spectacular in her role but the star of this film and who has to be Oscar worthy is Cynthia Erivo. Either she or Ariana will win the Oscar this year. None of us looked at our watches and none of the old folks fell asleep. My grandchildren loved it. This is a film that 70 years from now my grandchildren will be watching with their grandchildren as I cant see this film fading into oblivion. The music was wonderful and Ariana and Cynthia sang their parts beautifully. Just like The Wizard of Oz, this movie will likely bring a lump in your throat or a slight tear in your eye. It was really that good and I would recommend this as a family film to take your kids and grand kids over this holiday season
Of interest and unbeknownst to me, the film starts with "Part One" and I thought that due to its length there would be a short intermission for the kids to have a potty break. Iw as wrong as the film ended with "To BE Continued" and a quick Google search showed that part two of this film will be released Nov 2025.
The cast was great including the voice of Peter Dinklage in the role of Dr Dillamond. Jeff Goldblum was a surprise as The Wizard
Two big "thumb's up" and not to be missed . I loved this film
I knew the movie was long at 2'40" so I knew this could be much ado about nothing inasmuch as The Wizard of Oz was half the length . So where can I start. This movie is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz and was skilfully written to tie everything up and tell the story of Oz, Galinda and Elphaba, and the Wizard (played by Jeff Goldblum). This movie had me from the very first scene and held me til the end. Ariana Grande , I have to admit was spectacular in her role but the star of this film and who has to be Oscar worthy is Cynthia Erivo. Either she or Ariana will win the Oscar this year. None of us looked at our watches and none of the old folks fell asleep. My grandchildren loved it. This is a film that 70 years from now my grandchildren will be watching with their grandchildren as I cant see this film fading into oblivion. The music was wonderful and Ariana and Cynthia sang their parts beautifully. Just like The Wizard of Oz, this movie will likely bring a lump in your throat or a slight tear in your eye. It was really that good and I would recommend this as a family film to take your kids and grand kids over this holiday season
Of interest and unbeknownst to me, the film starts with "Part One" and I thought that due to its length there would be a short intermission for the kids to have a potty break. Iw as wrong as the film ended with "To BE Continued" and a quick Google search showed that part two of this film will be released Nov 2025.
The cast was great including the voice of Peter Dinklage in the role of Dr Dillamond. Jeff Goldblum was a surprise as The Wizard
Two big "thumb's up" and not to be missed . I loved this film
