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Five years after the mess that was Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), we're back in the land of toothy nostalgia. This time, an expedition heads into remote equatorial regions to extract DNA from three colossal prehistoric creatures in the name of a "groundbreaking medical breakthrough."

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are mercifully gone (finally), and in their place we get Scarlett Johansson, stepping in as the new face of the franchise for round seven of the Jurassic Park/World saga. Gareth Edwards takes the director's chair, and while he's always known how to stage a good spectacle, even his talents can't fully save this dino-soaked popcorn flick.

Let's talk visuals. There's certainly no shortage of giant set pieces and dinosaur mayhem-but when your dinosaurs look like glossy, overcooked cartoon rejects, all the action in the world can't make it feel real. Hollywood still hasn't learned that audiences are burnt out on soulless green-screen overloads, and the actors, forced to react to nothing, stumble through half-baked expressions of terror. You can practically see them wondering where the tennis ball on a stick went.

Character-wise, it's a wash. Most of them are either grating or entirely forgettable, spouting cringey, rapid-fire dialogue that exists solely to shuttle us from one set piece to the next. And while Rebirth does manage to attempt something new and different, it still feels like we're just circling the same prehistoric drain. It's entertaining, sure-but it just isn't that exciting.

That said, it's still a step up from Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, which isn't saying much, but at least it's something. At this point, though, it's time Universal grew a pair and gave us the R-rated, blood-splattered dinosaur horror epic we deserve-because the stakes never feel high when your carnivores are sanitized for mass consumption.

Here's hoping the next one finally evolves. But I'm not holding my breath. It's best to turn your brain off and enjoy this one for what it is.

6/10.

I will immediately begin by stating my bias; I am a purist when it comes to my Wicked, having seen the original cast at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC. The stakes were incredibly high and absolutely no one will ever be able to match the same legendary status of Idina and Kristin. That being said, this film is not without merit and I did find it decently enjoyable.

The costume and set design is breathtaking at all times. Ariana Grande does her very best to channel Kristin Chenowith with every flick of her hair and tonal nuance of her vocals (which I will add, are pretty impressive), and her efforts are respectfully tasteful. On the flipside, she fails to add depth or legitimacy to the character of Galinda/Glinda by making the character her own. Timing is of the essence, and she did not land about half of her comedic punches that should have been sidesplittingly hilarious. Michelle Yeoh is perfectly cast as the elegant and deviously sinister Madame Morrible. However, Jeff Goldblum is horrendously miscast as the wizard, purveying his scenes with unsettling and creepy undertones. Though the wizard isn't a good guy, he still shouldn't have been portrayed as such a sleazy, skin-crawling predator. The surprising cameo moment between the two main legacy actors of the broadway musical was spectacular and completely stole the show. Lastly, Cynthia Erivo did an okay job as Elphaba, but she failed to elicit any chills within me during her performance throughout, fizzling out to the background as opposed to igniting the screen. Her vocals, though admittedly pretty, aren't unique enough to lend a stand-out performance cut above the rest and her portrayal of Elphaba lacked genuine gumption and spunk; she opted to play a very soft/squishy, forgettable rendition of the character instead. I may be unfairly comparing her performance to Idina Menzel's, however I have also seen another portrayal during a touring version of the broadway musical which was also phenomenal, and even seen videos of the outstanding Saycon Sengbloh, so it can and has been done before. Therefore, it's a shame that Cynthia's performance lacked true heart.

The length of the film was unnecessarily padded for a simple act one, with three scenes in particular being dragged out to where I nearly began scrolling through my phone; never a good sign. Wicked should captivate the audience with every second of on screen/stage magic. For example, the Oz Dust Ballroom scene stretched way too awkwardly long between musical numbers, though I did appreciate the poignant and tender moment between Glinda and Elphaba. The Defying Gravity sequence suffered lengthy pauses, which broke the momentum the number should feature and leave you breathlessly shivering with chills by the time the curtain falls. The CGI effects were distracting more than they were supplemental when they were overly abundant, and detracted away from the incredible practicality. All of the musical numbers received revisions, some which left me scratching my head by puzzling design.

Lastly, this story moreso belongs to Elphaba than it does Glinda's, therefore never should Glinda upstage Elphaba's character. Even so, this was Ariana Grande's film through and through. Though Part Two of the film has yet to be seen, Act One of the broadway musical is my favorite of the two. Yet, I walked away vividly remembering much more of Ariana's performance than I did Cynthia's. While I have always hoped for a cinematic Wicked to come along since I first saw the broadway back in 2004, I suppose it's to be expected that the final product would never meet the incredible hype. I hope perhaps in another 20-30 years we will see a remake that will pay proper respects to one of the most legendary and cherished musicals of all time. Had they trimmed the fat and had the casting been different, Wicked: Part One (2024) could truly have been a cinematic masterpiece, but unfortunately it is merely a forgettable and wicked disappointment.

4/10.

Poor casting choice all around. This is a very inauthentic and bastardized account of Amy's life, leaving large and important chunks of her life entirely out of this film while filling it with fictional events that never occurred. Mitch was a horrible father and Blake was a complete POS, yet this film paints both of them as angels while the narrative depicts Amy as the unwell villain of her own life. They couldn't even be bothered to cast someone who remotely resembles her, nor did they use Amy's vocals for the music. This film is horrendously disrespectful and distasteful. Avoid it at all costs and watch the beautifully filmed documentary, "Amy", instead.