Quote of the Day (A. S. Hamrah, on ‘Wicked’ and Its Parts)

“Wicked has dropped Part One from its title in its promotional campaign, part of a trend of trying to hide that new films are merely the first part of a series that will decline in quality as it goes on.”— Film critic A. S. Hamrah, Last Week in End Times Cinema (2025)

With the premiere of Part Two of Wicked, there hasn’t been anything so disquieting since Norman Mailer concluded his 1,200-page novel Harlot’s Ghost with the words “To be concluded.” (Fortunately, he never came up with the promised sequel.)

Consider this: the original Wizard of Oz was a blessedly concise 1 hour and 42 minutes. Part One alone of Wicked was a full hour longer. And the only song I can recall is “Defying Gravity.”

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m sitting out Part Two.