Sincerely, Saskia

I don’t know how many times a critic needs to hear this, but something liked by the masses doesn’t instantly make it bad.

Franchises with die-hard fan bases fund the lives of those involved for years after said franchise has stopped releasing projects. Friends, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, I’m assuming – and even when they don’t generate an income that could last a lifetime, they propel actors into stellar careers that keep them on our screens for years to come.

Critics of the industry are the first to talk about how cinema is dying, streaming is the enemy etc etc. but contrarian film and TV critics are actually adding to that and ruining our collective cinematic experience with their continuous negative reviews of fan-forward productions, just because they can.  

Call me biased all you like, considering I went as Elphaba for Halloween – with my niece in tow as Glinda – but I am a fan of the franchise.

Be it the exceedingly dark and traumatic book that started it all, the light, feel-good pioneering musical or the deliciously done film adaptation, I’m here for all things Wicked and the world of Oz.

With Wicked coming out last year – having been in the works for over a decade – its success was agreed upon worldwide. Once the racists got over there being a Black Elphaba and the rest of us stopped being distracted by the weirdness of that press tour, Wicked shone through as one of the biggest movie events of the year.

This unsavoury pattern that has emerged is simply weakening the already crumbling reputation of critics.

Ending the film where the play’s intermission comes in was a bold choice from John M. Chu and left fans wondering what changes Chu would make to flesh out the second half and make it feel like a separate cinematic event – not just a poorly put together collection of the play’s least favourable bits.

I speak for myself and every other fan out there when I say we knew Wicked: For Good was not going to disappoint – and it didn’t.

A cinematic triumph, Wicked: For Good was every bit authentic. The director, cast and crew know these characters so well that you wouldn’t know the changes made weren’t there all along. The original songs felt like I heard them 100 times before, the ‘filler’ was engaging and moved the story along perfectly and the improvisation from the Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that gave us that scene, was nothing short of heartbreaking – in the best way, of course.

For fans of Wicked – heavy on the fans – this film was made for us.

But like with anything in this life, cue the detractors and contrarians who are hellbent on making anything popular (hehe), especially when it’s female-led, a thing to be mocked on the world’s media platforms.

This unsavoury pattern that has emerged is simply weakening the already crumbling reputation of critics, diminishing the reliance on their word to determine our next cinematic experience.

The build-up of constant negative reviews before the film has even made it to cinemas is an unpleasant start to any movie experience, but especially one I – and many others – had waited a whole year for and especially when it’s not true.

This isn’t an attack on opinion, we’re all allowed to have our feelings about art and entertainment, and critics livelihoods depend on it. But, when you see the same behaviour repeating itself, you have to question their intentions.

When fans of a show or franchise see that critics have panned it, it’s got to the point where that’s when they know they’re going to love it.

With a headline like ‘Wicked: For Good is Very, Very Bad’ – a little on the nose if you ask me – is just another day in the office for these critics, who it feels like are being paid to put a negative spin on any joy the mass populous feels about an upcoming release.

IndieWire, once a go to for all things film, has clearly had someone p*ss in their cornflakes because I – and a lot of people in the comments – cannot remember the last time they had a nice thing to say about anything, but in particular a film loved by many. Perhaps it’s just the reviews they choose to promote on their Instagram, but IndieWire is getting a reputation for being that grumpy uncle at Christmas who never has anything nice to say.

Just this morning, coming down from the high of my third rewatch of Stranger Things 5 since its release on Thursday – yes, I stayed up for the 1am debut – scrolling on Instagram to see IndieWire, trashing what we all know is going to be the only TV event of 2025 worth remembering. I said what I said.

Stranger Things – another universally loved show (minus the Zionism, Free Palestine!) – came out swinging with Volume 1 of season 5. I, personally, was gagged and was delighted to go online and see every other person feel the same way. Another show that relies on its fan base, decided not to pull a Game of Thrones and stay true to everything that made us love it in the first place.

Cue the critics, with headlines complaining about how long it is, the CGI and everything in between – it’s getting tired. In defence of Stranger Things, aware of how long fans have had to wait in between seasons, the Duffer Brothers are leaving absolutely no stone unturned.

Every question we’ve ever had, we Will (iykyk) get the answer. Characters who decorate the set are getting their moment in the spotlight and the CGI elements are inoffensive when you consider the story they are trying to tell.

When fans of a show or franchise see that critics have panned it, it’s got to the point where that’s when they know they’re going to love it. And even if they don’t, it won’t be because some journalist from the Independent said it lacked ‘magic’.  It’s hard with franchises and long-running shows to hold any critics opinion to a high esteem because what we’re looking for as fans and what they’re looking for as critics, simply doesn’t align.

You can’t tell critics to stop critiquing, and you can’t tell people not to like something simply because the critics don’t.

Circle back to 2019 when Avengers: Endgame came out, critics were sick of the Marvelisation of cinema with headlines about ‘Superhero fatigue’ and the like. And I get it, I’m much less invested in Marvel than I was six years ago, but having been on that ride for all those years, no critic was going to stop me from going to the cinema at midnight and experiencing that *snap* alongside a roaring crowd of enthusiastic fans – making the experience better than I could have hoped for.

Critical acclaim has its place, it does. Movies that are stand alone, trying to relay an important message or comment on a moment in time – I would go out of my way to see what the critics have to say for a film or TV show that was more than just entertainment. And although mass favourites have undertones of societal messaging – usually portrayed in a more palatable way – it’s not the reason you watch these films, but an added bonus.

Circling back to Wicked: For Good, it’s no surprise that a lot of the negative reviews came from male critics. As a journalist myself, I’m aware of how male-dominated the industry is, so you could argue that it’s just an occupational hazard but let me not gaslight us. It’s been quite boldly said that there is no money in or want for female-driven films and then you have movies like Barbie, Wicked and Wicked: For Good breaking records, making it onto lists and still not being taken seriously. We all remember that even though Barbie made it to the Oscars it was Ryan Gosling who was nominated, right?

These reviews are more than just an outlier opinion; they have agendas which diminish the relevance that they once held. As sick as critics are of Marvel is as sick as fans are of critics. The funny thing is, there is no solution to this. You can’t tell critics to stop critiquing, and you can’t tell people not to like something simply because the critics don’t.

This is a dance fans and critics are bound to dance until film and TV becomes flooded with artificial actors like Tilly Norwood and then we both collectively hang up our swords and shields and go our separate ways. Why? Well, because no self-respecting critic, nor no fan worth their salt, is going to support such an outrageous use for AI in the arts that insults the careers of those who make every rewatch feel like the first time.

Image Credit: Disney/Pixar