To get this out of the way, Cynthia and Ariana were fantastic, bringing emotion, range, and expression to a movie that asks a tall order. I listened to the soundtrack (spec Defying Gravity) and it made me cry in the car. No notes!!!

The story needed the extra time to fully explore the relationships and the back story for the lead character Elphaba

You are probably in a very small minority of those who have watched it, like congrats if you like being in tiny clubs, this movie is the best film version of any Broadway musical ever created

I think the extra material was unnecessary and didn’t improve on anything. But it also didn’t worsen anything for me EXCEPT Defying Gravity, which really suffered from the cuts. John Chu has a maximalist approach, and I think you just have to accept that and enjoy it for what it is. I really loved it. Was I blown away? Not really. My expectations were high already, and it met them. So like, I wouldn’t call that being blown away. But of course you aren’t the only one.

For me the additional time really allowed the friendship to develop very naturally between Galinda and Elephaba whereas in the play it just happens. The dance sequence between the two was incredibly moving.

I thought we already established why it was split into 2…

One of the luxuries of putting a stage show on film is to close in on the nuances - expressions, set/staging, side characters. Moments that need more details and effects that are often done abstractly on a live stage can get fleshed out on screen.

There are those who love long love letters and those who are not in love. You are the latter. World building and fully fleshed out characters take time. Unfortunately folks nowadays expect quickies rather than a fully immersive experience.