“Gladiator II”

(Drama/Action: 2 hours, 28 minutes)

Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal

Director: Ridley Scott

Rated: R (Strong bloody violence)

Movie Review:

“Gladiator II” takes place 16 years after Russell Crowe’s gladiator Maximus from 2000’s “Gladiator” (also directed by Ridley Scott). “Gladiator II,” despite its unhistorical aspects and over-the-top fight scenes, is entertaining while not capturing the artful grandeur of the 2000 prequel.

In 211 A.D., Maximus’ former lover Lucilla (Nielsen) is now married to a hero of Rome, General Acacius (Pascal). As Lucilla, Acacius and some select senators plot to overthrow Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), Maximus’ young son Lucius (Mescal) returns as a gladiator owned by malevolent and sly gladiator promoter Macrinus (Washington).

“Gladiator II’s” narrative is comparable to its prequel. The protagonists in both movies are driven by a noble sense of revenge for a murdered loved one. “Gladiator II” just adds some political intrigue to the story, better special effects and more brutal action scenes..

Ridley Scott offers a similar story. He just makes it more ornately decorated. Apart from Denzel Washington’s Macrinus’ schemes to ascend to power, the “Gladiator II” story is unconvincing because of fast character shifts. Characters appear inconsistent from one scene to the next in a hastened manner filled with platitudes.

Go for the gladiator events in the Colosseum. The fight sequences are a bold reconceptualization of the ancient Roman arena.

Grade: B- (The arena is full of action but is not dramatically fulfilling.)

“Wicked”

(Musical Drama/Fantasy: 2 hours, 40 minutes)

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum

Director: Jon M. Chu

Rated: PG (Scary action, thematic elements and suggestive material)

Movie Review:

“Wicked” is an absorbing movie based on characters from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” It holds one’s attention for a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes. It is a good movie with some interesting developments.

“Wicked” is a prelude to the famous “The Wizard of Oz,” a 1939 American musical fantasy film that has been seen in cinemas and televisions by multiple generations for 84 years. “Wicked” details how the Wicked Witch becomes the villain in the land of Oz.

A bubbly and popular student, Galinda Upland, who becomes Glinda the Good, is played by Ariana Grande. Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba Thropp, who becomes the Wicked Witch. Galinda and Elphaba must share a room at Shiz University, a mandate of Madame Morrible (Yeoh). Galinda despises her roommate and initially hates sharing the large dorm room. After multiple disagreements, the bitter rivals become friends at the elite school. As Elphaba adapts to her growing sorcery powers, she soon learns that the good life is not for all citizens in Oz. Even more, she is being duped into helping with the notorious scheme.

“Wicked” is one of the more entertaining movies – a dashing musical – one will see this year. It has plenty of good lessons to learn and meaningful characters and a well-developed story.

Erivo and Grande are a dazzling duo. Erivo plays Elphaba with endearing qualities. She makes the character endearing, a young being deceived. Conversely, Grande plays Galinda in a beautifully annoying style. Galinda is rich, spoiled and thrives on superficial aspects, such as her appearance and clothes.

The movie does have nuances that perplex. The biggest is that Elphaba’s green skin alarms everyone, yet the students take a history class taught by Dr. Dillamond, an erudite goat voiced by Peter Dinklage. No one finds that oddity strange.

However, the land of Oz is a fantasy ripe with talking trees, flying monkeys and other fascinating creatures. It is a nice escape for those looking for the perfect getaway for families.

Grade: B (Something deliciously wicked this way comes.)

“Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin”

(Period Drama/History: 2 hours, 13 minutes)

Starring: Jonas Dassler, David Jonsson and Clarke Peters

Director: Todd Komarnicki

Rated: PG-13 (Violent content, thematic elements and some smoking.)

Movie Review:

“Bonhoeffer” is an intriguing story set during World War II. It follows the plot of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a skillful Dassler), a pastor who attempts to help save his homeland of Germany from Hitler. Bonhoeffer is one of the first people to notice that Hitler is trying to reinvent the Christian church as he annihilates the Jews. Bonhoeffer’s rejection of Hitler’s Third Reich through his fiery sermons does not go unnoticed, and he quickly becomes one of the freedom fighters deemed a threat to the Nazi’s rule of Germany.

This movie is based on true events, and it is captivating. It shows how a man of faith becomes part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. However, it does have two glaring faults. The producers and writer of this movie try too hard to make Bonhoeffer a modern Jesus Christ. This is sort of an overkill.

The second is something directors do too much today because they think it is an artistic measure. Director Todd Komarnicki (“Resistance,” 2003) is better known as a writer for his screenplay “Sully” (Director Clint Eastwood, 2016). He has too many flashbacks. They often interfere with the story.

Komarnicki does this to give insight into Bonhoeffer, but a straightforward synchronous story is often better. A visit to a concession stand or a bathroom break could cause one to be out of synch for just a split moment because flashbacks interfere with synchronous story-telling.

Otherwise, this true tale of a man’s bravery fighting against the evil he sees is gratifying. It captures a slice of history by making it a biographical thriller, even if its execution is iffy.

Grade: B- (The pastor’s theology is sound.)

A still from ‘Better Man’
| Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

I am sceptical if a more banana (no pun intended, seriously) of a biopic could arrive this festival season than Better Man, which is The Greatest Showman-maker Michael Gracey’s captivating film on the life of British pop star Robbie Williams.

Let’s get this underway first: Better Man isn’t that trailblazing film that tells you the answers to the universe’s mysteries. At its chassis, this adrenaline-pumping musical biopic only tells an all too familiar story of an unruly artist and his cocaine-fuelled slides in and out of self-apathy, addiction, heartbreak, fame, and mountains of insecurities.

But then what elevated Better Man into one of the most fun experiences on the opening night of the 55th International Film Festival of India was this: it’s an all-out musical with wonderfully choreographed and pristine-looking set-pieces. Secondly, Gracey exhibits extraordinary control over a narrative that moves in and out of reality and fantasy. And, as you would have guessed, the central character is a CGI-generated monkey, voiced by Williams and Jonno Davies, and fully enacted for motion capture by Davies.

All this monkeying around seemed like a mere gimmick from the promos of Better Man, but then this distinctive feature of the biopic is also its most daring endeavour. Gracey has taken seed of the idea, as he says in a message before the screening, from how Williams grew up looking at himself as a less evolved human being. Better Man doesn’t treat this as a joke but uses it to spotlight the humour and irony in everything around Williams.

Thanks to the voice acting and good CGI magic that captures nuanced expressions and body movements, in mere minutes into the film, yours truly suspended the fact that this was a monkey. If anything, that only credits Michael Gracey’s film, co-written along with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, as an attempt true to the human element at its core. Most of the emotional beats in the script manage to strike hard.

It all begins when Robbie Williams wasn’t Robbie Williams, but only Robert, a kid who lives with his nan (Alison Steadman) and mother (Kate Mulvany) in the underbelly of Stoke-on-Trent, and wishes to see if he has the ‘it’ that his father (Steve Pemberton) had said (before he abandoned him) all superstars are born with. He’s bullied around and deserted by friends, but even as a child, Robert displays a talent for putting on a show. As a teen, he actualises a position on the music scene after becoming a part of the hot and new boy band, Take That. Strap on your seatbelts as, from here on, Better Man rockets into the night sky.

Gracey’s explosive style of filmmaking makes every musical set piece — one more over-the-top than the other — count. One such sequence comes immediately after Take That, with the help of their manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman), secures a new record label. The sequence where Robbie meets his lady love, All Saints singer Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno), is gorgeously shot and choreographed; a regular meet-cute on a yacht, after Robbie is humiliated out of Take That, is blown into something straight out of Disney’s handbook. With every song, you wonder if Gracey just wanted to pump more money and test the limits of how bizarre it could get.

A still from ‘Better Man’
| Photo Credit:
Paramount Pictures

It surely must take guts and an audacious conviction to say, let’s push a musical to its unconventional peak, not because it could be done, but because it must be. This is a film that either works for you or doesn’t; regardless, it is undeniably eccentric. In one instance, the sound of a toilet being flushed in the background is imposed on the image of Williams drowning a drink. The crazy reaches its peak at a Planet of the Apes-esque sequence where Robbie sings at Knebworth Park, the historic concert that cemented his position as a pop star of the ages.

Again, while this is the most unusual of biopics, is it the most piercing portrayal of a troubled man? I am unsure. A few emotional beats are opaque, like why Williams couldn’t pull himself up and amend his relationship with Nicole. But then, when you wonder how a real-life pop star had trusted the vision of a filmmaker to dig so deep into his troubles, baring naked his vulnerabilities, Better Man is triumph enough.

Better Man was the opening film of the 55th International Film Festival of India

Between limited-edition Starbucks drinks and flamboyant red carpet appearances, “Wicked” has taken the world by storm leading up to its highly-anticipated release Friday. 

The film — part one of the two-part musical — returns audiences to the magical realm of flying monkeys and the Emerald City. The story is inspired by L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” and Victor Fleming’s 1939 film adaptation, this time introducing viewers to younger versions of Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. 

“Wicked,” however, is more directly based on the Broadway musical of the same name — which first landed on stage in June 2003 — inspired by the 1995 novel ”Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West,” from author Gregory Maguire. 

All of this to say, this film has been literal decades in the making. 

The iconic story’s latest installment follows the bubbly, charismatic Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) and green-skinned outcast Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), whose initial rivalry leads to an unlikely friendship. 

Despite their distinctly different backgrounds, the popular girl and the pariah are forcibly introduced as roommates at the esteemed Shiz University, where they discover a shared aspiration to become sorceresses.

Animosity gives way to affection as the pair bond over newfound similarities, beautifully represented in the fan-favorite musical number “Popular,” during which Grande’s vocals greatly impress. The playful, whimsical scenery and vibrant takes on the Broadway production’s original costumes — both in this scene and throughout the whole film — add to the fun, enhancing the pair’s chemistry and lighthearted energy of the scene.

For a film centered on kindred spirits, soulmates and finding oneself, its messages are patently present in the relationship between Erivo and Grande, both on and off the screen. 

During their press tour, the decorated actress and renowned pop star have repeatedly referenced their deeply loving friendship, which began blossoming on set. Viral clips of the two crying mid-interview(s) began circulating, drawing both curiosity and criticism from fans.

Erivo responded to these criticisms in a Buzzfeed interview, discussing the importance this project holds to the cast. 

“We keep trying to say it’s not that we’re just crying out of nowhere. This experience was, like, a huge, life-changing, crazy, emotional thing,” Erivo said during the interview. 

When bringing a Broadway musical to the big screen, there can be many challenges — in particular, finding a film cast that can live up to that of the theater production. And yet, director Jon M. Chu transforms the two-hour-and-30-minute Broadway musical into a two-part cinematic journey, with the first segment alone clocking in at two hours and 40 minutes. 

In its extended runtime, the film expands on Elphaba’s backstory and further explores the world of Oz, offering more action-packed sequences that could never be realized on stage. 

Songs once limited to a theater setting now unfold in open landscapes, including the iconic sweeping tulip fields of Oz. Elphaba is also no longer confined to staged illusions of flight, with the film showing Erivo soaring through the air above the Emerald City’s towering green spires, giving audiences a never-before-seen glimpse into Oz.

The film medium also allowed for more opportunities to get creative with costume design, something Paul Tazewell took full advantage of. 

According to an article from People Magazine, the film’s costume team created over 1,000 costumes in total. Grande has 25 total looks spread over the two films — compared to the nine costume changes in the Broadway production — each of which provides a playful, sparkling addition to the witch’s iconic wardrobe. 

Fans of the original Broadway production will not be disappointed by Erivo’s exhilarating performance of “Defying Gravity” in the finale of the first act. Erivo’s wide range of vocals combined with the vibrant cinematography and action-packed conclusion create the perfect segue to the second part — set to release Nov. 21, 2025. 

All in all, “Wicked” does justice to the original musical’s beloved soundtrack and storyline, while also highlighting bold, colorful cinematography and voices new to the world of Oz.

Though the nearly three-hour runtime might discourage some viewers, the film maintains its allure with witty humor and impressive performances from both Erivo and Grande. The supporting cast, including Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, also shines, contributing to the experience of the film. 

Sure enough, “Wicked” has everything that really counts to be popular this weekend at the box office. 

Rating: 5/5