'Wicked: For Good' arrives as the grand finale to the stage adaptation that many have been waiting for years. Yet the film struggles to convert all that scale into something entertaining or even emotional. The Arianna Grande and Cynthia Erivo-starrer musical is mounted with exceptional craft but all the glitter and grandeur end up as a flat experience.

The film’s biggest hurdle is its sluggish, almost indulgent screenplay. The first half feels so long that it tests your patience more than it builds momentum. Scenes and songs go on long after they have made their point, giving you enough time to admire the visuals and also wonder if the plot plans to move anytime soon. And when the second half finally picks up pace and tension, the spark had already dimmed, and some in the theatre walked o

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