Half 2 leans into sisterhood, spectacle, and sincerity, but its predetermined ending and softened villainy preserve the finale from reaching the dramatic heights it goals for.
There’s a specific form of premiere vitality you solely really feel in New York Metropolis.
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It’s loud with out being chaotic, glamorous with out attempting, and deeply sentimental in a means film individuals not often admit. That was the vibe at Lincoln Heart for the Depraved: For Good North American premiere, the place the forged and inventive workforce walked the carpet to shut out a promotional run that has lasted almost two years. Jon M. Chu stepped onto the stage with the form of enthusiasm you may’t pretend, reflecting on dreaming up films, referencing the household restaurant he grew up in, and thanking the viewers with the thrill of somebody nonetheless grateful that he will get to inform tales at this scale.
You wish to root for him. This franchise clearly means one thing to him, and it’s laborious to not admire the imaginative and prescient behind a two-part, five-hour musical epic in a film panorama that not often swings this large. However that pleasure additionally made me curious: Now that this chapter is ending, the place will we go from right here? Is that this the ultimate cease on the yellow brick highway? Or is Common quietly organising the bottom for one more run at The Wizard of Oz?
These questions linger as a result of Depraved: For Good edges near the Oz mythology with out ever absolutely embracing it. Dorothy seems, however by no means absolutely. The movie needs her presence felt with out taking possession of her story. I perceive the selection. This movie is just not about her. Nonetheless, the execution leaned a bit juvenile for me, and I discovered myself questioning if the restraint was purposeful or limiting.
The Story So Far
Depraved: For Good begins precisely the place final 12 months’s movie left us. Half 1 established the muse: Elphaba, the outcast; Glinda, the rising star; a fractured friendship; a kingdom in denial; and a Wizard who thrives on picture greater than integrity.
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Half 2 shifts into aftermath mode. Elphaba is now a fugitive, retreating into the shadows of Oz whereas attempting to guard these being pushed to the margins. Glinda steps absolutely into the highlight, carrying the burden of expectation she’s undecided she earned. And Oz itself is rewriting the narrative in actual time, via propaganda, public concern, and political posturing that feels eerily fashionable.
The movie additionally begins to sew itself into the broader Wizard of Oz universe, introducing sure legacy characters in ways in which nod to the 1939 movie with out making this a prequel. It’s a fragile steadiness, and whereas a few of these beats are intelligent, others really feel like bins the film wanted to examine somewhat than natural storytelling selections.
That is the problem of a movie whose ending is already predetermined. It could actually’t reinvent the wheel, so it focuses on filling in emotional context as an alternative of unusual the viewers. I believe this each labored within the movie’s favor and hindered it at occasions.
My First Impressions
Right here’s my sincere take: I wished to be swept away. I wished to stroll out as moved because the followers sitting round me — lots of whom have been clearly longtime devotees of the musical. However I left feeling just like the movie was stable, well-executed, sometimes charming, and finally simply OK.
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There may be lots to understand. There are visually wealthy sequences. There are intelligent character moments. Some scenes made the complete theater snort. There are moments of intimacy that land surprisingly effectively. And the emotional finale, anchored by the 2 leads, hits the fitting notes.
However the central battle — a rising authoritarian local weather in Oz — by no means feels as harmful or pressing because the story requires. The political pressure is offered in broad strokes. The manipulation is blatant. The concern is loudly carried out somewhat than felt. I perceive why, and that is as a result of the ending is mounted. The movie has to slip into the world of Oz as we all know it, and that limits how messy or unpredictable the battle can get.
Possibly that is the place my private style is available in. I’m not a musical-first viewer. I’m not somebody who naturally gravitates towards theater diversifications. I can admire the craft of it, however I personally wanted extra grit, extra unpredictability, or extra narrative momentum to remain absolutely locked in. It is Depraved. I wished to see a bit extra darkness.
As an alternative, I discovered the movie to be emotionally honest however dramatically delicate, touchdown someplace between spectacular and inert.
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Nonetheless, the performances are a transparent spotlight, and that’s the place the film earns its stripes.
Giles Keyte / Common Photos
Efficiency Examine
Cynthia Erivo stays the muse of this story. She instructions each scene with an emotional depth that feels grounded and uncooked. Her voice is as gorgeous as anticipated, but it surely’s her restraint that makes Elphaba really feel human. She performs the function with weight and intention, grounding the movie every time it threatens to drift into stylized territory.
Ariana Grande delivers a compelling efficiency as Glinda, who’s earnest and conflicted in a means that shocked me. Her quieter scenes stand out most; moments when she lets doubt, disappointment, or surprising readability sit on her face with out overselling something. Her voice is pristine, however extra importantly, she makes use of it to precise vulnerability, not simply energy.
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Jonathan Bailey is regular and honest all through the movies. I liked how his intentions have been clear throughout his efficiency, even when he did not communicate them clearly. His efficiency feels extra mature and outlined this time round; there’s actual emotional readability in the best way he performs Fiyero’s conflicted loyalties. He lets the character develop naturally into himself.
Jeff Goldblum because the Wizard supplies the movie with the comedic aid it wants. His timing is sharp, and he by no means pushes too far into camp. However because the supposed supply of a lot chaos in Oz, he by no means feels significantly threatening. The movie doesn’t deal with him like a real antagonist — and he isn’t.
Michelle Yeoh’s character is supposed to embody the darker undercurrent of manipulation in Oz, however the function is written with a lightweight contact that by no means fairly lands. The battle surrounding her feels simplified, bordering on juvenile, and the complexity of her villainy will get flattened into theatrics. It weakens the movie’s pressure and retains the stakes from reaching the heights they need to. I most well-liked her quieter scheming within the first movie; she felt sharper and simpler there.
Last Ideas
Depraved: For Good is a honest, visually wealthy finale anchored by two wonderful performances from Erivo and Grande. It’s polished and heartfelt, and it brings significant emotional closure to a narrative that clearly resonates with hundreds of thousands.
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It’s additionally a movie whose construction bins it in. The ending is about in stone. The political battle feels muted. The villainy is softened into one thing kid-friendly. And as somebody who doesn’t naturally lean musical, I discovered myself admiring the film greater than loving it.
Nonetheless, there’s real craftsmanship and care right here, led by performers who perceive the project and a director who clearly believes on this planet he constructed. And for followers who’ve waited years for this story to be informed on display, Depraved: For Good will ship the end they’ve been hoping for—regular, sentimental, and constructed on sisterhood.
It simply didn’t forged a spell on me.
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