I was sent a 4K/Blu-Ray copy of the film to review, just like the first film, which I quite enjoyed; this one, not so much.
A sequel often doesn't come close to the first film. In rare cases, some sequels, or in a case of trilogies, etc some for a lot of people are even better than the first. The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather II, Aliens, and T2: Terminator 2 are examples.
For me, we have begun this need to know every little detail of certain characters that really don't warrant any further tales. For instance, the first three chapters of Star Wars, Episodes 1,2 & 3, take away the mystery of Darth Vader and what he is/who he was. Oftentimes, less is more.
This gets messy with trying to put in scenes with characters from The Wizard of OZ, one of the most beloved stories and films of any era. Dorothy is the only character here that is not given any time on screen, except for behind, or a silhouette of her when she throws the water. I am not sure if this was because they respect Judy Garland's performance of Dorothy, or they just didn't feel a need to include more of her story. We didn't need to see more on the other three either, but oh well.
There are some good scenes in the movie, but less than what is needed to keep a movie like this interesting. The only one who was doing that is everyone's favorite witch to hate-Elphaba, aka The Wicked Witch of the West played by Cynthia Erivo, who is great in everything she has been in.
Glinda(Arianna Grande) is nothing more than a crying baby, practically through the entire film, also her singing voice was annoying me here in the film.
The big lavish production is still here, but for me it felt empty. There wasn't a lot of life in the film, even though the colors are rich and the sets are big. I didn't like the soap opera feel of the film, which got far more dramatic near the end and quite laughable in more spots than just one, not in a good way either.
The inclusion of the extended scenes with the Scarecrow and a trap door is where the film really lost me and my interest.
But I'm not going to sit here bashing the film; I would rather spend time reviewing movies I actually enjoy. But I was sent this to review and share my thoughts.
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