This review pretty much writes itself. If you liked the first half of this reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz (my review here), you’ll probably like the second, though it’s a bit darker and less dazzling.

Let’s first talk a bit about Hollywood gutter politics. The first half in 2024 garnered ten Oscar nominations and took home two statuettes. But when the Academy announced this year’s noms last month, its mobs of devotees were shocked (shocked!) to learn that the second half got precisely zero mentions. They called this a snub, a term that is trotted out during awards season implying dark forces at work behind the scenes.

Oh boo hoo! The story was divided into two parts to: 1) ostensibly make it less unwieldy (Wicked ran almost three hours as it was). Or, more likely: 2) to cause you to buy two tickets instead of one. I really don’t care; it’s called the movie business. but I do object to the crying of “snub!” when your already-honored film doesn’t stack up against better ones (tough competition this year). Jeez, share the fame a little.

Upside: Critics and viewers agree that this bifurcated more-is-more epic from Jon M. Chu could be the best-ever screen adaptation of a Broadway musical. The acting, set design and singing are top-drawer. Downside: It’s a musical. Plus the best songs were in the first act (except the impressive Erivo/Grande titular duet at the end). And would it have killed him to throw in a few jokes?  So not for everyone. Bottom line: anyone going into this knows exactly what to expect. (137 min)