Film Review: Glicked
Though a portmanteau not as glamorous as Barbenheimer, Glicked (Gladiator II + Wicked) lives up to the holiday hype. I had the pleasure of seeing both over the last week, and I can say that both are worth the ever-increasing ticket price.
I had high expectations for Wicked, and oh boy did it exceed them. Each moment of the movie felt necessary, with not a line out of place. The song and dance aspect never seemed forced or hokey, and as someone who is a longtime fan of the musical, I found it hard not to sing along (though of course I did not, but I can say I am looking forward to sing-along releases of the movie post-Christmas).
The costumes and set were exquisite, proving how much more playground a movie has in bringing a stage show to life. Even Elphaba’s all-black ensembles had shades of gray. It was a feast for the eyes, with little hints of the Wizard of Oz sprinkled throughout for fans of the original movie to discover.
Cynthia and Ariana were absolutely fantastic, with both embodying their characters to a tee. The acting and humor and singing all played together so nicely as to create a movie musical unlike any I have ever seen (and I thought West Side Story was quite good a few years ago).
There were several moments throughout that made me cry, when things got a little more emotional on screen. But nothing could match the way I felt at the finale, with the final song echoing through the theater and the visuals to match. No spoilers, but I was filled with such elation that I cried again and kept those tears going through the opening of the end credits.
The magic of the musical was preserved and enhanced, creating a movie-going experience that I want to have at least another time. Everyone should see this. Final rating: 10/10.
As for Gladiator II, my expectations were a little lower going in. The original film is one of my favorites of all time, and so I was worried that the follow-up would be a gratuitous rehashing of similar themes and character arcs. There was certainly some of that, mostly in the form of too many monologues from the main character to rouse his “troops” who we never got to know as well as we did with the OG Gladiator. But overall, it was a great film.
Paul Mescal (who I walked by one time on a street corner while heading home from work, true story) was phenomenal as Lucius, with his truly Roman nose and blue, blue eyes. He was the perfect underdog to root for against the several strong villains.
The film was much gorier than the first, with some deaths quite shockingly so. And the characters’ loyalties to one another shifted a few too many times to keep track of. But again, it was a great film.
Perhaps my favorite part of Gladiator II was the bits of the score they carried over from the first film. The music from the first film is one of the reasons it remains a favorite, and I was happy they decided to honor it in the second film in this way, rather than lingering too much on Maximus’ armor (though there was a bit of that) or anything else too on the nose.
This scale of filmmaking is staggering, with a truly outrageous opening battle and CGI creatures and sets unlike much I’ve seen. It’s easy to be scared of a rabid monkey when it looks like it’s truly about to bite your favorite character’s head off. Final rating: 8.5/10.
Both films were wonderful experiences—very different from one another, but strong in their own ways. I am glad that on both nights of my movie-going, the theaters were packed full, from the front row to the last. It seems it takes a Glicked or a Barbenheimer to get people excited to return to theaters, and I am more than happy to oblige (again, despite the ever-rising ticket prices).
I would wholeheartedly recommend either, whether it’s the first movie you’ve seen in two years or the twenty-fourth. As the young people say, both filmmakers understood the assignment.