As a big fan of the stage show, I did not have high hopes for the adaptation. I was pleasantly surprised. Casting is excellent, and set design (with nods to both original Wizard of Oz sets and Wicked stage sets) was a particularly highlight. The film also did not feel the need to make many unnecessary changes to songs (as recent musical adaptations/remakes have done). Changes to the plot are quite minimal and generally positive.
My critiques are mostly to…
An incredibly Nick Cage movie - only a few actors could have pulled it off, and of them only Nick Cage would have actually taken the role.
Would have been a 5* movie, but some of the fights were much more entertaining than others (curbstomping an animatronic gorilla into a urinal was a particularly highlight).
I cannot believe Lindsay Ellis got cancelled for saying this was similar to ATLA...
Also the realism/cohesion of the fantasy world felt slightly diminished by the constant gestures towards modern vernacular and culture.
