My wife, son and I decided to go to the movies on Thanksgiving Saturday afternoon. I just got back a week ago from New York City, and I remembered that Wicked was advertised everywhere, on huge billboards on Times Square, in my hotel, and at random places around the city. We had also heard that it got high ratings and praises. How could we go wrong?
We went very wrong. Within five minutes I noticed that I had lost interest in the movie, and there were two hours and 35 minutes more to go! Pretty soon I found myself nodding off. I stuck with it because I wanted to be there for my family. By the time an hour had gone by, all three of us were looking at each other. We had noticed some people in front of us leaving earlier. We ended up leaving just a little over an hour into the movie. It turns out that all three of us had trouble staying awake. We thought the singing was bad and cringy. There was no story. We kept thinking that it would get better, but it just never did.
Walking out of the movie was a relief. The post-movie conversation over a pizza and beer was all about the utter disbelief that we had just spent over $19 times three for this film. It was an outright painful experience.
I can’t remember the last time I had actually walked out of a movie theater. This was therefore memorable. I can’t give anything better than zero stars.
Do not go.
No no no Dad! It wasn’t a terrible movie, i just don’t think musicals are your thing. Have you ever seen the play on Broadway? This also isn’t a story that exists on its own, you have to appreciate The Wizard of Oz. It completely turns what you think you know of the Wicked Witch of the West and makes you feel empathy for the traditional villain. I thought it was the best movie of the year. All the set designs were real (no CGI) and they sang live and the singing was phenomenal. If you left before you find out the twist in the story (who OZ really is) then that’s also a shame. After the movie ends, you really think differently about some of the structures of society and oddly about our latest election a lot.
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I am sure it wasn’t a terrible movie. There were many critics and audiences that rated it very highly. And yes, I have seen the play, so I know about the twists and the wizard. I remember liking the play a lot and enjoying the twists. So yes, it’s a worthwhile story with a very long history. That does not change the fact that there were three of us in the theater, and we couldn’t keep our eyes open. I really did nod off a few times. I thought the singing was awkward, and the entire production corny. I gave it zero stars on my rating scale, and I would not recommend it to anyone. After all, I walked out. I don’t do that often. But of course, this is not the first time I am completely opposite to the popular ratings…