THB #623: Wicked

Universal opened Wicked to reviews just 24 hours before the theatrical release of the film… which is at 3p eastern on Wednesday, however much we are pretending it’s Friday.

Why?

Because everything else was completely in the win column, 100% under control.

I suspect that Wicked will be in the high 80s or 90s with critics on Rotten Tomatoes too. 45 reviews went up pretty much instantly at noon today and they are starting at 96% Fresh. And I will be another one of those Fresh votes when this review publishes.

But I have seen the film twice and I still have an odd ambivalence about it. Truthfully, I would like to see it again before writing about it, but I really don’t know that it would make any difference.

For me, Wicked is a giant box of fancy chocolates in which 36 of the 40 pieces are incredibly high-quality overly-clever flavor combinations (Absinthe, 1pc - Kübler absinthe + Chinese star anise + fennel + 62% cacao dark chocolate + ceremonial matcha dusted white poppy seeds) and 4 that…