There’s little in Wicked, Jon M. Chu’s unjustifiably long adaptation of the eponymous musical’s first act, likely to convert the unconverted. It’s a fitfully spellbinding affair but not quite transformationally bewitching. Those who love Wicked, will embrace the film in kind. It boasts excellent performances, extravagant set pieces and frankly extraordinary attention to detail. Those who do not, take heed: in spite of a runtime almost as long as the entire Broadway show, intermission included, Chu’s Wicked only manages to reach the show’s infamous half-time banger, “Defying Gravity”, by the roll of its credits. Part Two is twelve months from release. It’s a Jacksonian split either agonising or frustrating, dependent on personal inclination. Both, really.
There’s a blink and you’ll miss it cameo early in the new Paddington film, third in the series and first to return the beloved bear to his native Peru. The fleeting shot sees a framed photo canonise the Platinum Jubilee meeting of Paddington and the late Queen Elizabeth II. It’s a lovely nod but stark marker of just how much the world has changed since our last visit to 32 Windsor Gardens. Five Prime Ministers, a new monarch, global pandemic, TikTok, Brexit…all since the release of Paddington 2. It’s overwhelming. To this end, a return to marmalade sandwiches and a more comprehensible grasp on quintessential Britishness can’t help but feel rich in reassurance.
A rather lovely vocal performance from Lupita Nyong’o anchors The Wild Robot, which is itself a wholly lovely film. Adapted from the 2014 book by Peter Brown, the film arrives as yet one more hit from Lilo and Stitch director Chris Sanders, who also gifted DreamWorks their How to Train Your Dragon franchise. In keeping with the studio’s recent move to a more painterly house style, boasted here is a panopticon of sumptuous animation, giving rise to a rusticity in its artistic world building. Recalled are those classic Disney tales of zany forest critters and Walt’s own interest in the brutal beauty of the natural world. Added is contemporary interest in the rise of artificial intelligence, albeit with more nuance than most.
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