REVIEW: Wicked: For Good (2025 Film) - Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Review by Jon Donnis

Wicked: For Good arrives with the weight of expectation on its shoulders, picking up the second act of the stage musical and the story left hanging at the end of the 2024 film. Jon M. Chu once again leans into spectacle, and you can feel the confidence of a director who knows this world inside out. The film looks gorgeous. Every frame seems shaped to draw you deeper into Oz, from the shadowed forests where Elphaba hides to the polished glow of the Emerald City. When the music swells, the production finds its stride. Big show tunes fill the space with energy and feeling, and the film wears its heart on its sleeve with numbers about loyalty, love, and the price of standing firm.

Cynthia Erivo carries the whole thing with remarkable presence. She gives Elphaba real depth, and you can feel every bit of frustration and heartbreak as she fights for the truth and tries to keep hold of whatever hope she has left. Jonathan Bailey gives Fiyero a warmth that helps ground the darker moments, and Jeff Goldblum breezes from charm to menace without ever slipping out of place. The returning ensemble fits neatly into this larger, heavier chapter. Fans of the first film will probably sink straight back into it, pleased to find much of the original tone still intact.

That said, the cracks show. The film sits at 2 hours and 18 minutes, and you feel every minute of it. For all the time it spends lingering on detail, the ending somehow rushes by in a blur. It leaves you wondering why the pacing could not have been tightened in the earlier acts. Ariana Grande's Glinda never quite settles either. Her performance feels oddly muted in a story that demands a far stronger emotional punch from her character. The film tries to recapture the magic of its predecessor, although the first one was not exactly beloved across the board. That comparison ends up highlighting the weaker moments here. There is spectacle, yes, but that spark that lifts a musical into something truly memorable never fully appears.

There is a sense throughout that the studio wanted lightning to strike twice. The first film drew huge attention thanks to relentless promotion. This one feels like an attempt to follow that momentum rather than create something that stands on its own. Whether that pays off remains to be seen. It could settle comfortably into fan favourite territory, or it could fade beneath the inevitable chatter about sequel fatigue.

Wicked: For Good will please viewers who already loved the first film, and they may even find it adds emotional weight to moments they already cared about. Beyond that crowd, it may struggle to justify its length or its timing. Even so, I would still give it a generous 7 out of 10.

In Cinemas Now!

COMPETITION: Win The Ballad of Wallis Island on Blu-ray

One of the most heart-warming films of the year, The Ballad of Wallis Island, comes home on stunning 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD. Own it from 17th November!

And to celebrate we have a copy on Bluray to give away!

Synopsis:

This sweet, funny and uplifting story follows Charles (Tim Key, The Paper, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island. Dreaming of getting his favourite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden, After Life, Here We Go and Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman, Maestro), back together, his fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

Following premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW and Glasgow Film Festival, and acclaim from fans and critics all over the world, The Ballad of Wallis Island has captured hearts as one of the best films of the year.

Dazzler Media presents The Ballad of Wallis Island on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD from 17th November

Pre-Order from https://amzn.to/3WWVFkd

Enter now for a chance to win.

Who plays Charles in The Ballad of Wallis Island?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here

1. Closing date 01-12-25

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win Boston Kickout on 4K Limited Edition

It’s time to kick out the jams as seminal ‘90s British classic Boston Kickout celebrates its 30th Anniversary. The film is back in a brand-new stunning 4K edition.

And to celebrate we have a copy on 4K UHD to give away and a copy on DVD to a runner up!

Synopsis:

A new 4K restoration 30-year anniversary edition of the British Classic, originally premiered in October 1995 and released worldwide in 1996 with a soundtrack featuring The Stones Roses, Primal Scream and Oasis. 

In the 80’s Phil’s father moves the family from an inner-city slum to build a bright new life in Stevenage. But it’s now the early 90’s and the dream has crumbled. After leaving school Phil (John Simm) and his friends find themselves in the bewildering world of unemployment, violence and drug abuse. 

Ted (Andrew Lincoln) disappears, Steve (Richard Hanson) tries to come to conform to his parents’ expectations and Matt (Nathan Valente) becomes engaged. Feeling alienated from his friends and dissatisfied with his existence, Phil becomes involved with Steve’s brother Robert (Marc Warren), a dangerously incompetent villain who is ever planning the ‘big job’. Now trapped between two world, the criminal and the banal, it is the arrival of his cousin Shona (Emer McCourt) that acts as the catalyst for Phil to expand his horizons. But on that horizon are momentous decisions.

Pre-Order from https://amzn.to/4o1SO4x

Enter now for a chance to win.

Name the four actors who appear on the Boston Kickout poster?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here

1. Closing date 01-12-25

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

REVIEW: Frankenstein (2025 film)- Starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz

Review by Jon Donnis

Guillermo del Toro's 2025 take on Frankenstein feels like a filmmaker pouring his heart into a story he has cherished for years. It shows from the opening moments on the icebound Horisont Navy Ship. The film settles into a confident stride straight away, using the familiar framing of Victor recounting his sins while the shadow of his creation closes in. It taps into the soul of Mary Shelley's novel with a level of devotion that never feels stiff. Instead it feels lived in, tender in places, and achingly sad in others.

Oscar Isaac gives Victor a cold brilliance that suits the character's inflated sense of purpose. His fall from promising surgeon to broken fugitive has real weight, helped by the film's astonishing design work at every stage. Del Toro fills each frame with towering sets, rich colour, and the sort of textured detail that makes even the bleakest landscape feel strangely inviting. The world around Victor and the Creature has an almost painterly glow. It feels crafted by someone who understands the gothic tone down to its bone marrow. When the story shifts to the Creature's memories, the change in mood is gentle but striking. The forest scenes, the warmth of the blind man's home, the eerie calm of the Arctic. Everything is lit and staged with a confidence that reminds you why del Toro has long been considered a master of monsters.

Jacob Elordi's version of the Creature is one of the film's strongest elements. He captures the pain, confusion, and flickers of fragile hope that define the character. His scenes of learning and companionship are some of the film's most affecting. The only drawback is physical. Elordi plays the emotional notes beautifully, yet he never quite looks as imposing as the classic image of Frankenstein's creation. It is a small gripe, though it does stand out when the story leans into the Creature's terrifying strength.

The length will also test some viewers. At around two and a half hours the film never feels slow, yet it is still a solid commitment. The emotional heft piles up steadily. By the time Victor and the Creature meet again in the present, you can feel the journey in your chest. Their final moment together is quiet, painful, and beautifully earned.

What impresses most is how del Toro reshapes a tale we all know without distorting its essence. This is still a story about life, death, grief, and responsibility. It simply tilts the focus a little more toward forgiveness. Personally, I found myself missing a touch more of the Creature's rage, something closer to the fury of Shelley's original. Even so, it is hard not to admire the sincerity behind this version. It is crafted with love and it shows.

In the wider landscape of adaptations, this may be the finest screen telling so far. It looks extraordinary, it feels deeply human, and it marks a strong return to form for del Toro. I walked away convinced he was born to make this film.

A confident and resonant triumph, and an easy 9 out of 10.

Out Now on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81507921

And in Select Cinemas

REVIEW: Roofman (2025 Film) - Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple and Peter Dinklage

Review by Jon Donnis

"Roofman" is one of those stories that almost sounds too bizarre to be true. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, it tells the tale of Jeffrey Manchester, an ex-soldier turned roof-climbing burglar who once hid inside a Toys "R" Us for half a year without anyone noticing. On paper, it sounds like a madcap heist comedy, but what unfolds on screen is far more complex, sitting somewhere between tragedy, absurdity and a strangely touching love story.

Channing Tatum gives one of his most grounded performances to date as Manchester, a man whose crimes seem less driven by greed than by desperation and loneliness. Cianfrance, known for intimate dramas like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, brings that same raw emotional style here. His camera lingers on quiet, mundane details, making even the sight of Tatum brushing his teeth in a toy store feel oddly human. It's funny, yes, but never cartoonish.

The film's strongest stretch comes during the Toys "R" Us sequence. Manchester's life among dolls, bicycles and baby monitors becomes a sort of twisted domestic fantasy, half survival story, half suburban dream. His relationship with Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst, is handled with tenderness. She brings warmth to what could have been a throwaway role, grounding the film's stranger moments in something recognisably real. When the romance blossoms, it's oddly sweet, even though the audience knows it's built on lies.

There's also excellent support from LaKeith Stanfield as Steve, Manchester's pragmatic old army mate, and Peter Dinklage as the weary store manager Mitch. Dinklage, in particular, adds a dry sense of humour that cuts through the film's more sentimental edges.

The problem is that once Manchester's life outside the store takes over, the story begins to sag. The pace slows, the tone darkens, and the tension that once made the film so compelling slips away. The final act feels heavier, more procedural, and less inspired than the early scenes. Cianfrance's interest in emotional fallout overtakes the playfulness that made the premise so unique.

And despite the film being sold as a crime comedy, the laughs are rare. It's more melancholy than madcap, often reflecting on isolation, regret and the longing to belong. That's not a flaw so much as a mismatch of tone between marketing and reality, but some viewers might be caught off guard.

Still, "Roofman" is an engaging, original take on the true-crime genre. It's stylish, well-acted, and deeply human. Tatum's performance captures both the absurdity and sadness of a man trying to rebuild his life inside a toy shop, while Dunst provides the heart that keeps it from collapsing under its own weirdness.

It loses some magic once the fluorescent lights of the store fade, but as a character study, it lingers. "Roofman" may not be the laugh-out-loud caper its trailers promise, yet it offers something better: a bittersweet glimpse at a man trapped between redemption and self-destruction.

A flawed but fascinating piece of storytelling. I'd give Roofman a solid 7 out of 10.

Out now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/49j0ITw