"As the sequel to last year's hit "Wicked" and an adaptation of the Broadway show's shorter second act, it has blander material to work with: There's nothing as touchingas the Ozdust Ballroom dance scene, or as delightful as "Popular," or as exhilaratingas our green-skinned heroine Elphaba belting out "Defying Gravity." Director Jon M. Chu must have known this on some level."
"Chu isn't hiding the fact that he was so inspired by Grande's performance that he reshaped the sequel in her image, inserting her into musical numbers where she hadn't existed before and even adding more backstory scenes for her character in reshoots. In Chu's vision, Glinda is the emotional core. "In a weird way, she took the reins and I had to follow her and just capture it as much as I could," he told The New York Times."
The sequel faces a disadvantage as an adaptation of the Broadway show's shorter second act, offering blander material with fewer memorable set pieces like the Ozdust Ballroom, 'Popular,' or 'Defying Gravity.' Director Jon M. Chu expanded the sequel with new songs, invented backstory, reshoots, and more tender scenes. Those changes concentrated disproportionately on Ariana Grande's Glinda, inserting her into musical numbers and adding backstory. The film's structural focus on Glinda feels ham-handed and thematically misguided. Grande's comedic strengths are underused while her dramatic range is overemphasized. Cynthia Erivo's performance remains the standout highlight.
Read at Business Insider
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