In this week’s Criticize This! we take a look at two of the most-anticipated movies of the year and a solid horror sequel that’s now streaming.

THE BIG ONE

While we have zero interest in anything to do with Wicked, there’s no denying it’s one of the most-anticipated movies of the year.

Does our opinion, or anyone else’s opinion, really matter then? Not at all! The Broadway musical it’s based on has an almost cult-like following, and according to the 98% audience rating and 89% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie lives up to the hype around it.

“A soaring spectacle that’s as visually dazzling as it is emotionally resonant, Wicked is undeniably one of the greatest movie musicals ever made,” Doug Jamieson wrote in his 4.5 out of 5 star review.

“If you can get past that it’s a 160-minute adaptation of just half of the Broadway hit, Jon M. Chu’s film is a large-scale, beautifully mounted musical,” Stephen Silver stated in his review.

Even though stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have done a terrible job promoting the film (they definitely didn’t make any outsiders like us interested in seeing it), they’re getting a lot of praise for their performances onscreen.

“Though Jon M. Chu deserves a lot of credit for what makes Wicked: Part 1 such a successful film adaptation of the stage musical, the nucleus that holds the movie together is all about Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande,” Matthew Creith wrote for IN Magazine.

“It’s a grand, magical experience, grounded by two powerhouse performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that evoke the Technicolor splendor of old-school movie musicals,” Nate Adams praised in his review on The Only Critic.

Our take: If you’re a fan of the Broadway musical or a fan of Golden Age Hollywood musicals, you are probably going to enjoy this nearly 3-hour long romp on the big screen. If you have zero interest in it like we do, just stay home and rewatch The Wizard of the Oz.

Wicked is now in the theatres everywhere.

IN THEATRES

Gladiator II

Another highly anticipated movie this year is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, which is currently sitting at a 72% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn, the film is being called a remake more than sequel.

“Set 16 years after the events of the first film, it really should be called ‘Gladiator Again.’ Scott and his Napoleon screenwriter David Scarpa have recycled most of the plot points from the first film as well as a couple of the characters (Connie Nielsen’s royal daughter Lucilla and Derek Jacobi’s Senator Gracchus),” Peter Howell wrote in his negative Toronto Star review.

“Since Paramount, Scott, and good old-fashioned corporate greed kick-started the idea of continuing the Gladiator franchise, you would think we’d get something more than a rehash of the first film. Yet there are times when the story hews so closely to the original that the sequel plays more like a remake,” Odie Henderson wrote for the Boston Globe.

What the critics do enjoy about this sequel is the addition of Denzel Washington.

“For fans of the original it’s more of the same. For everyone else it’s all Denzel and little else,” Micheal Compton wrote in his review.

“Denzel Washington’s extravagant performance likewise makes Gladiator II worthwhile. Still, not even its excessively violent action sequences, beautiful cinematography, and masterful set and costume design can save the sequel from how boring it is,” Chris Sawin wrote for Bounding Into Comics.

With an audience rating of 84%, the bottom-line is that you’ll probably enjoy Gladiator II if you were a fan of the original. Just don’t expect it to win any Oscars next year.

Gladiator II is now in theatres.

TOP BOX OFFICE

1. Red One
2. Venom: The Last Dance
3. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

STREAMING

Smile 2 (VOD)

Continuing right after the end of the first movie, Smile 2 is a bigger and gorier production that unfortunately loses most of the freaky vibe that made the original 2022 film so good. That’s not to say it’s a bad movie, because it has some strong performances and a few unique scenes that hold it together, but it didn’t quite impress us as much as we had hoped it would.

We seem to be in the minority with our take on it as the movie has an 86% critics score with an 81% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (the original has a 79% critics score and a 77% audience rating). Over on the IMDb, Smile 2 is currently sitting at a 7 out of 10 while the original has a 6.5 out of 10.

“Smile 2 has stunning visuals, incredible production design, and genuine scares. Naomi Scott is fantastic in the lead and this is a sequel that lives up to the original – even if it may not surpass it,” Matt Hudson said on the Bloody Awesome Movie Podcast.

Naomi Scott’s performance is definitely what keeps the movie so intriguing and enjoyable, and it will be interesting to see what she does next.

WATCH: Trailer for Smile 2

“Jump scares are present but more effective, and the setup leads to a more impactful payoff. Even though Smile 2 is much more humorous than the first, the overall tone is well-balanced, making this one all the more eerie,” Sabrina Ramirez wrote on Geeks on Color.

Smile 2 is now available to rent or buy on VOD platforms in Canada.

Also streaming this week: The WWII drama Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan, is on Apple TV+, Didi is on Prime Video, Thelma is on Paramount+, Spellbound is on Netflix, I Used to Be Funny and The Strangers: Chapter 1 are on Crave, and Lee, Absolution, and Seeking Mavis Beacon are on VOD.

COMING SOON

We don’t get many werewolf movies these days, so we were extremely happy to see the trailer for Werewolves, starring Frank Grillo.

This seems to be a sci-fi/horror with a lot of action and corney one-liners added for good measure. We’re expecting a fun ride when it arrives in theatres on December 6.

Check out the trailer for Werewolves on our YouTube channel and let us know what you think?

ON DISC

If you’ve been following us the last few months, you’ll know that we fully enjoyed Twisters in the theatre. Now that it’s arrived on 4K Blu-ray we had to give it another watch, and we’re very glad we did!

Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones have great chemistry and are fun to watch, the same way Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were in Twister. And like the original movie, Twisters is also big and loud and full of destruction, making it a perfect title to show off on 4K Blu-ray.

WATCH: Twisters – ‘A Look Inside’ Featurette

The image quality is sharp and clear, even during scenes of mass chaos, and the Dolby Atmos surround mix will give your system a true workout.

Special features on the 4K Blu-ray include audio commentary with director Lee Isaac Chung, deleted scenes, multiple making-of featurettes, a gag reel, and more.

You can currently buy the 4K Blu-ray for Twisters on Amazon.ca for $30.99.

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