I used to watch Fr. Robert Barron's film reviews when I was an Atheist film student because he had a depth to his reviews that my course didn't. Now I'm a Catholic and he's a Bishop.
This opens up something really significant in the modern world. Good and evil DOES exist and it’s a deception from the devil for us to think that evil is excusable under the right perspective.
You are spot on! All of the mainstream entertainment industry, has been desensitizing us for years to perceive things in a way that blurs the distinction between good and evil. It wasn’t long ago when I first recognized it, and now I can’t unsee it. 😮
I agree! Re-defining other authors’ characters and re-writing their stories seems to be a common practice now. Fr. Mike, you put into words better than I what has been bothering me about movies and TV series of the relatively recent past that have darkened and fractured well-known fairy tales and children’s stories. Thank you for calling out the problem with all of them.
They did the same with sleeping beauty in the movie Maléfica. I sense its very dangerous how they twist the original characters. Thanks father for your review.
Truth. Because for those who do not know that the protagonists in the Wicked story are actually from the Wizard of Oz just like me, and just happened to know the Wicked first, would possibly have biases against the original story, the Wizard of Oz. I would probably think that the villain's character could be might as well justified or I could really view the original story differently.
I saw 'Wicked' live in London and loved it, and want to see the film because I love fairy tale and fantasy. However, I do agree with your points. They did the same thing with 'Maleficent', putting a spin on the wicked fairy from 'Sleeping Beauty' and making it that she's just misunderstood, or rejected, or mistreated. That's why I can't get myself to watch it. It makes it seem like, "You know all that bad stuff they did/do, well, it's not that bad because they were hurt in life." There is definitely a place for knowing someone's story and having compassion for people and the things they've been through, but not so that it can be made into an excuse to harm others or live a narcissistic existence, but rather so they can be redeemed and turn their pain into a good purpose. Many of us have been deeply wounded, but don't use it as an excuse for evil actions. Good and evil do exist, no matter how much the world wants to erase that truth. And yes, please do more movie reviews! 🎬
I think you are 100% right, and I'm glad you called it out. Making a backstory to a character that belongs to a different author, is called making a fan fiction, and it shouldn't be considered the real story. It's just something a fan did to re-write the universe the way they see it.
Fr Mike, it's wonderful that you're pointing that out. For many years now, a variety of art, e.g. tv/movies, fashion & songs have been used to blur or have caused blurring of the line between good & evil.😢 We have to guard our minds & those of the little ones. ✝️🙏❤️
@ruru-g7u I tell you, it's scary & concerning the subtle way they can do these things but we have faith & hope in the One who has already won the war. ✝️ We just have to do our part in these battles.
@@lguevara586Exactly. I can see kids picking up on "but I was angry because...", "but I had a rough upbringing," etc. Our society has a huge victimhood problem and I can see this leading to explaining away all kinds of bad behavior. It's good to understand why someone is having a hard time and acting the way they are, but part of understanding why is so they learn how to do better and for others to support them in doing better.
I agree with you, too, Fr. Mike, on all counts. It's too easy to make excuses for people and give them license to do whatever they want instead of changing for the better. God bless you.
I agree Fr Mike, our world lately blurs the line between good and evil to the point of making us believe it doesn’t matter and everything is fine because everything “goes”.. and that’s simply not okay!
My sister, very religious, went and saw it with my wife. They loved it. They showed it to my daughters, I assumed it was ok. NOW, I have to watch it, then watch this with them, and have a discussion. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I try to do the best I can for my kids. It's really all that will be left of me in this world (or most of it anyway).
Are you suggesting that your wife’s opinion doesn’t matter and that you will have to correct her? Please remember this is only part one of a two part movie.
@@patrickholifield9399Sounds like he is saying that they should consider Father Mike's take on this and discuss it. It's definitely something to think about!
Yes, we must not be too complacent in what we allow others to expose our children to. Sometimes even mothers are mistaken about what is appropriate clothing for girls to wear in public.
As a mother, I'm confident in saying I make mistakes too! Sometimes my husband has a second take that is very eye opening and I love that we can respectfully disagree and or learn from each other while still honoring each other. It's great that you are taking the extra step of sharing your insights with your children, never stop doing so, it'll equip them for the world and life that lies ahead.
Beautifully put. We should seek to understand causes for the way we are, not seek to justify them. There is a lot of ‘oh I’m not bad, just misunderstood’ about. My friend, a devoted carer for my elderly aunt, had an awful childhood. Her mother was so vile to her and her siblings (10 in all) that when the mother died, only one of them went to the funeral, and that was to make sure the mother really was dead. My friend and her siblings had been burnt with an iron, starved, locked in dark cupboards - the lot. Yet my friend is a most kind, caring lady who vowed to treat her own children with love… there is still a choice!
Well said, Fr. Michael. I want to have compassion and I need mercy, yet also, I want to be corrected when I am wrong, and to help others be healed of the damage that sin is causing them. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Thank you father Mike for pointing out how easily people especially our children can through popular movies become confused about the perspective of the actions of good and evil. Films like this invert the truth about how what right verses wrong actions should be viewed. Making excuses for being bad or allowances to justify wrong actions is not what our Lord teaches us.
Total agreement with you, Father! Thank you so much for doing this movie review. I pray it opens the eyes of young women to see the truth beyond the enchanting music.
I haven't watched it but the commercials always made me feel icky. You confirmed what my bad feeling was, that it blurs the line of good and evil. The commercials reeked of it to me. Other stuff that went on behind the scenes that I've discovered also confirmed that it's not really a movie I want to pay to see. Anyways, thanks for the review! Most people I know or know of only have good things to say so I'm happy to see the other sides too. God bless ✝️
Fr I think this is very important. Everything Christopher West has been saying for decades about art and beauty is that it has been lost and what little we have left must be protected. This is especially important with stories that form young children. I think it’s sad what they have done to Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and so much more. Keep up the great work!
One hundred percent! All this. This is exactly why I didn't like "Wicked." All of the above. I was almost worried I was just being a crank...I feel vindicated now. I also think there's something disturbing about how it's easy to get distracted from the moral issues by all the glitz and glam and high production values (the voices, the visuals). Thank you, Fr. Mike!
Father, i agree with you 100%. that's my main gripe. moral relativism. saying there is not a good and evil, when there really is. Very dangerous. as an aside, you got me and my family through COVID, attending your online Masses. greetings from LA, California
i think it's good that you put this take out there, fr. mike. we need more catholic voices because even when there are more rave posts, i believe the truth will pierce through. in the catechism, i remember learning that, we cannot force people to believe but we can preach the truth and allow people to decide for themselves which view to subscribe to. with Grace they will be led to the right conclusions. keep preaching. i'm praying for you. ❤
Love this !!! We need to be aware of the reality of evil and Good in this world. There is true evil in this world and a “bad child hood” is not an excuse for bring evil.
Thank you so much for putting the time you do into these videos and sharing with us different perspectives. I appreciate it so much because my mind doesn’t always think about these things in this way.
I have always wondered what it was about Wicked that felt off (I've only seen the stage production) - like Fr. Mike, I had always appreciated the music, the clever spin on things and lyrics that were winks and nods to the original - but it wasn't until Fr Mike explained that it is a mis-appropriation of someone else's story and characters that it finally clicked for me saying "that's it...that's what's been what's bothered me all along." Thanks as always for your thoughtfulness and reason Fr Mike.
You hit the nail on the head. Marvel and DC have built empires "reimagining" almost everything via alternate universes/timelines about their characters/intellectual property. We've also seen this in faith based movies as well - ie: Netflix's retelling of the Blessed Mother's life. I'll admit on one level it is interesting to check out these interpretations, but on the other it seems to create a lot of gray area that ultimately fosters dissension, arguments, angst, controversy and other less than pleasant reactions. Can you imagine the retelling of "It's a Wonderful Life"? I shudder to think of what they would do to George Bailey in today's world. As a writer, my stories are my stories to tell. I'm sure many, many people have their own stories as well. They should tell them instead of reimagining someone else's work. God Bless.
My mom said when she was a teenager in the late 60s/70s it seemed all the movies had the bad guys as the heroes. Movies like Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and others. She said nobody wanted to be the good guys, the bad ones were so attractive. The lines were starting to blur. Edited to say thank you for the good perspective on the movie!
As a homeschool mom one of my fondest memories is reading Wizard of Oz with my then 7 year olds. They loved it so much that now, almost five years later, when they saw that the movie came out, they told me they didn’t want to see it because they didn’t want it to ruin their memories of the original book. I love that. In my house we will stick to the classics where the lines of good and evil are not blurred.
Fr. Mike, you did a phenomenal job in pointing out what the musical/movie did well, and where it went wrong. The criticism was very moderate and reasonable. God bless Father. I’ll pray for you, please pray for me. I sound like you haha
I like your point of erasing good & evil. I also like that you added its not really the back story of the original. Father mike, thank you! You're adorable & we like listening to you talk about anything! Much love. God's blessings always!
Fr Mike, you are SOOO insightful! I have been a fan of musicals, both on stage and screen. But something unknown kept me away from ever seeing the Wicked musical. I never saw it on stage nor have I seen the movie. You nailed the reasoning for me: Wicked is a “stolen” re-telling of someone else’s character. I don’t believe that is fair. An author builds a backstory for the characters they create - for THEIR story. Just so. Is it appropriate to say ‘The backstory of your character is wrong?’ May Frodo’s “backstory” never get re-written!
You're 100% RIGHT! I love the original book. The fantasy and the the grim. Amidst the unreality, the truth like the good and evil and virtue the story tells. L Frank Baum created this after the Grims Fairy Tale to speak to children of his day and its so cool that this precedes Lewis and Tolkiens fantasy. We as Christians love Narnia and Lord of the RIngs but this came long before it!
Thanks for sharing! I think it’s so commendable that you’re standing up for Baum. Maybe it’s wrong, but I’m just taking the movie as it is-entertainment. Thanks for your insight!
Thank you Fr Mike for reviewing the movie and giving faithful Christians a heads-up on how Hollywood blurs the line btw evil and good. Erasing the lines!!! We need our children guided and taught the difference. Ive started to beware of supposed "faith" based movies like Conclave pretend to be " faith" based ...so please continue your reviews on all these movies!!❤❤❤
I agree with you Father Mike 💯 not to mention these younger generations are going to grow up even more confused about the story and probably not even hear about the original one 😅😅 it's like someone making a whole new version of our Lord Jesus Christs life just so it can fit in with the brokeness of this world and excusing every bad behavior. Thanks for the review! Love you! God bless you!
Father Mike - this is AMAZING! I hope this brings me closer to evangelizing my musical theatre kid to the Church! I love how you have connected with me and also to the kids!
I felt this way from the first. Yes… there’s a big difference between “explaining and explaining away” People just want to believe there is no real right or wrong in anything. And if emotions are brought into the discussion, well, then there can be no right or wrong. It’s misguided compassion as the late, great Mother Angelica used to say.
What caught my attention immediately was Father Mike saying that twisting the characters is something the Author of the original story could do, but since we aren’t that guy we can’t. I treasured the Oz books as a kid and l enjoyed the novel “Wicked”, but l think Father has a valid point.
HUGE point you made which makes so much sense: it's not the original story. It's literally a fan fiction LOL. It has some great points but it is a great reflection of our culture today, we tend to excuse or make gray what used to be clearly black and white.
Always great listening to you Father Mike. You bring light into my life by your excitement about all things. I haven’t seen the movie, but I get what you are saying. I need more of your comments. You make me laugh.
I think you draw a valid and significant distinction. It reminds of an instance in my own life when a church's women's committtee started altering the language of all the hymns to be inclusive. The church was about to sponsor a performance of Brahms' Requiem and this committee began protesting that the language (which was German) was not inclusive. They demanded that the text (which only a couple of them understood) had to be altered to make it inclusive. That was all I could take. I wrote a letter to the committee pointing out that making artworks of the past unrecognizable in order to fit the ideologies of the current day was fraudulent, destructive and ill-considered (given that barely anyone even spoke German and no one in the church was competent to alter the text as required by the Women's Committee). Ideologues hardly ever know how to respect the boundaries of others. Your arguments about Wicked are right on point.
“ You know what else is wrong Fr. Mike, listening to you for the last 12 minutes…” that gave me a good chuckle. 😆 Just keep being yourself Fr. Mike, and don’t lose that sense of humor. I’ll be tuning in as long as you’re around.
I don't like erasing good and evil (and I think the book is better at recognizing good and evil, and was written as Gregory Maguire's exploration about what causes evil (sidenote: he says he's a practicing Catholic)), but we've been retelling stories since we've been TELLING stories! So many people have reimagined fairy tales in different settings, and retold classic stories for new generations, or examined elements of stories from different angles, and I think that can be a very positive thing.
I really appreciate this review Father. Based on other reviews and trailers, what you described is what I had believed to be the case with this movie, the blurring of good and evil.
@ For me, I think it’s dangerous to say good and evil are not cut and dry. We may have circumstances or situations that affect us negatively, but we have to take responsibility for our actions, it’s a slippery slope to making excuses for evil behavior.
Thank you for doing this video as this helped me to explain what I have been trying to express for so long why I am not a fan of “back history” retellings of characters that have already have been told. Thank you for your honesty!
Thankyou so much. Love it. So glad you said it. Absolutely agree with everything. Feel like you pinpointed the two most important points everyone always faces in understanding every story / narrative /viewpoint : [1] does the person telling the story have a right to tell it, meaning do they have ownership or collaborative input on the creation, or other legally and spiritually important moral rights such as living it, and if so, to what extent -- and [2] is the story in any way gaslighting us to believe something is not what it is? Is the story deliberately omitting, obfuscating, sidestepping, whitewashing, greenwashing, money laundering, hall-of-mirroring, ,this-is-not-the-droid-you-are-looking-for-ing or any version of the above, to make something into something else, especially something we know from our own experience and moral rights is not so.
To be honest, I never got a chance to see the play, but I did see this movie… Part 1 (Act 1 of 2). I did not think that it blurred the line between good and evil, but instead shifted the evil to other characters in the movie. However, I do believe that you are spot on about explaining and over explaining, and I can say that I never thought of that until hearing your thoughts on this. I will still go to see the 2nd part when it comes out as I enjoy it for what it is: entertainment, and I will definitely look into reading the whole (original) series (which I did purchase after seeing the movie, just never read). P.S. - You should definitely do more of these, Fr. Mike.
Don't really care about the movie, but really like hearing argue or talk about something that gets you going. Much respect 🙏 padre. This is your🎉 platform. You can talk about anything you want.
I have not seen the movie; but I have seen the musical twice on Broadway. As an argument for retelling the Wizard of Oz characters in this way is like a parallel to how in real life history how the victors will always portray themselves as the good guys and the losers as the villains when more often then not they're shades of gray on both side. Like the saying goes "History is written by the winners". I think the author of 'Wicked' intended to use these iconic fictional characters as examples of that; because of how iconic they are. From what I remember of seeing the musical; it does discuses some elements of being shades of gray but there is also very much a concept of good vs evil with the evil characters using propaganda and gossip to make the hero look like the villain and Glinda's character being conflicted and trapped between both worlds. Also the whole thing with good and evil just being someone's perspective is told to us in the second act by the Wizard in the song 'Wonderful' which we know by that point in the story is not a good guy; so we shouldn't be taking his word on it. Again I have not seen the movie so I don't know how much they've change from the musical and this is what I remember and have taken from seeing the musical; although it's been a long time since I last saw it.
I agree. I did not see the film, but even seeing the preview gave me that indication. There was a problem in my heart with the blurring of good and evil . It seemed to have been done with other villains in other movies with a similar slant. Thank you for this review. I appreciate it. I also appreciate the point that about another writer attempting to write a back story off of another. That is a good point.
Fr Mike, I loved Wicked and couldn’t stop singing the music in my head. It is good to check oneself in judging someone - not knowing where they’re coming from and what their situation is …. But there was something in me that felt there’s something not quite right. I am so glad I heard your review! It now makes sense why I wasn’t feeling quite 100% about the story. Thank you for your deep insights. You help us be a little bit holier. ❤
Fr Mike.... you are amazing. I didn't want to watch the movie anyway for the " wrong" message it was sending but noone mentioned what you said. Please keep doing this and guiding the flock down the right path. God bless
Thank you for articulating this. I saw the musical on Broadway and enjoyed it. Now my teen girls want to see the movie. I’/ll probably let them see if, but I’ll also show them this video and we’ll talk about it.
This is such a thoughtful and succinct critique of postmodernism and the current state of storytelling. No small task and very well done! More, please!
THANK YOU, FR MIKE!!! I am so grateful that you did this post! I do agree with you. My grandmother knew L Frank Baum and even when the musical came out, I didn’t like it but could not articulate my reasoning like you just did. Very appreciative of you and all you do! YAHWEH be Praised for you!
Do people have thought on how this fits with the original textual source material.... which I now have to go read... thanks for the homework Mike... I am not sure you are on the mark here, but deeply thought provoking....
Catholic priest reviews films is a genre I need more of in my life. Bishop Barron used to do it.
I loved Bishop Barron's reviews.
Father Roderick is always making reviews on different parts of the Star Wars Franchise, lord of the rings, and some anime (rarely)
I used to watch Fr. Robert Barron's film reviews when I was an Atheist film student because he had a depth to his reviews that my course didn't. Now I'm a Catholic and he's a Bishop.
@alsmith5031one of the first Catholic channels I ever watched when I started getting deeper into the faith was Upon Friar Review.
Fr. Eric Mah, TH-cam channel Catholic Latte, has done several movie reviews.
This opens up something really significant in the modern world. Good and evil DOES exist and it’s a deception from the devil for us to think that evil is excusable under the right perspective.
YESSSSSS!!!! So scarily right!
This!!
SAY IT LOUDER! I’m over this era of “villian hero movies”
You are spot on! All of the mainstream entertainment industry, has been desensitizing us for years to perceive things in a way that blurs the distinction between good and evil. It wasn’t long ago when I first recognized it, and now I can’t unsee it. 😮
Totally agree with you Father Mike!
Father Mike, please keep being you. Your videos are the best.
Fricken love this guy 😂 Glory to God.
I agree! Re-defining other authors’ characters and re-writing their stories seems to be a common practice now. Fr. Mike, you put into words better than I what has been bothering me about movies and TV series of the relatively recent past that have darkened and fractured well-known fairy tales and children’s stories. Thank you for calling out the problem with all of them.
It's the same; Woke has taken over, now EVERYBODY gets to define historical facts and values!🤮🤮🤮😡
They did the same with sleeping beauty in the movie Maléfica. I sense its very dangerous how they twist the original characters. Thanks father for your review.
Truth. Because for those who do not know that the protagonists in the Wicked story are actually from the Wizard of Oz just like me, and just happened to know the Wicked first, would possibly have biases against the original story, the Wizard of Oz. I would probably think that the villain's character could be might as well justified or I could really view the original story differently.
@@olenkaarias567 Yes. I think the story about the Joker and his companions.
I saw 'Wicked' live in London and loved it, and want to see the film because I love fairy tale and fantasy. However, I do agree with your points. They did the same thing with 'Maleficent', putting a spin on the wicked fairy from 'Sleeping Beauty' and making it that she's just misunderstood, or rejected, or mistreated. That's why I can't get myself to watch it. It makes it seem like, "You know all that bad stuff they did/do, well, it's not that bad because they were hurt in life."
There is definitely a place for knowing someone's story and having compassion for people and the things they've been through, but not so that it can be made into an excuse to harm others or live a narcissistic existence, but rather so they can be redeemed and turn their pain into a good purpose. Many of us have been deeply wounded, but don't use it as an excuse for evil actions. Good and evil do exist, no matter how much the world wants to erase that truth.
And yes, please do more movie reviews! 🎬
I think you are 100% right, and I'm glad you called it out. Making a backstory to a character that belongs to a different author, is called making a fan fiction, and it shouldn't be considered the real story. It's just something a fan did to re-write the universe the way they see it.
Not just backstorys, but when they get a character completely wrong too. It's why I hated the new Disney Star wars movies.
yes I agree but is that so bad?
its always been known to be fanfiction
ϟ 𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 ϟ
@deidredonovan3864 Ask yourself that question if you were the original author of the story.
Fr Mike, it's wonderful that you're pointing that out. For many years now, a variety of art, e.g. tv/movies, fashion & songs have been used to blur or have caused blurring of the line between good & evil.😢 We have to guard our minds & those of the little ones. ✝️🙏❤️
Very true, especially children
@ruru-g7u I tell you, it's scary & concerning the subtle way they can do these things but we have faith & hope in the One who has already won the war. ✝️ We just have to do our part in these battles.
@lguevara586 Amen
@@lguevara586Exactly. I can see kids picking up on "but I was angry because...", "but I had a rough upbringing," etc. Our society has a huge victimhood problem and I can see this leading to explaining away all kinds of bad behavior. It's good to understand why someone is having a hard time and acting the way they are, but part of understanding why is so they learn how to do better and for others to support them in doing better.
I agree with you, too, Fr. Mike, on all counts. It's too easy to make excuses for people and give them license to do whatever they want instead of changing for the better. God bless you.
I agree Fr Mike, our world lately blurs the line between good and evil to the point of making us believe it doesn’t matter and everything is fine because everything “goes”.. and that’s simply not okay!
100%
Fully agree!
I fully agree, too!
I agree!
You are spot on with your assessment. As always a voice of reason and wisdom.
Bless you for your continued guidance in this life.
What a precious gift from God: Fr. Mike. 🎉❤
My sister, very religious, went and saw it with my wife. They loved it. They showed it to my daughters, I assumed it was ok. NOW, I have to watch it, then watch this with them, and have a discussion. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I try to do the best I can for my kids. It's really all that will be left of me in this world (or most of it anyway).
Are you suggesting that your wife’s opinion doesn’t matter and that you will have to correct her?
Please remember this is only part one of a two part movie.
@@patrickholifield9399Sounds like he is saying that they should consider Father Mike's take on this and discuss it. It's definitely something to think about!
Yes, we must not be too complacent in what we allow others to expose our children to. Sometimes even mothers are mistaken about what is appropriate clothing for girls to wear in public.
As a mother, I'm confident in saying I make mistakes too! Sometimes my husband has a second take that is very eye opening and I love that we can respectfully disagree and or learn from each other while still honoring each other. It's great that you are taking the extra step of sharing your insights with your children, never stop doing so, it'll equip them for the world and life that lies ahead.
Beautifully put. We should seek to understand causes for the way we are, not seek to justify them. There is a lot of ‘oh I’m not bad, just misunderstood’ about. My friend, a devoted carer for my elderly aunt, had an awful childhood. Her mother was so vile to her and her siblings (10 in all) that when the mother died, only one of them went to the funeral, and that was to make sure the mother really was dead. My friend and her siblings had been burnt with an iron, starved, locked in dark cupboards - the lot. Yet my friend is a most kind, caring lady who vowed to treat her own children with love… there is still a choice!
Well said, Fr. Michael. I want to have compassion and I need mercy, yet also, I want to be corrected when I am wrong, and to help others be healed of the damage that sin is causing them. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Thank you father Mike for pointing out how easily people especially our children can through popular movies become confused about the perspective of the actions of good and evil. Films like this invert the truth about how what right verses wrong actions should be viewed. Making excuses for being bad or allowances to justify wrong actions is not what our Lord teaches us.
Total agreement with you, Father! Thank you so much for doing this movie review. I pray it opens the eyes of young women to see the truth beyond the enchanting music.
I haven't watched it but the commercials always made me feel icky. You confirmed what my bad feeling was, that it blurs the line of good and evil. The commercials reeked of it to me. Other stuff that went on behind the scenes that I've discovered also confirmed that it's not really a movie I want to pay to see. Anyways, thanks for the review! Most people I know or know of only have good things to say so I'm happy to see the other sides too. God bless ✝️
I haven't seen anything that went on behind the scenes, but I agree with you on feeling yucky from the commercials
That’s exactly how I would describe it. It’s icky.
Fr I think this is very important. Everything Christopher West has been saying for decades about art and beauty is that it has been lost and what little we have left must be protected. This is especially important with stories that form young children. I think it’s sad what they have done to Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and so much more. Keep up the great work!
One hundred percent! All this. This is exactly why I didn't like "Wicked." All of the above. I was almost worried I was just being a crank...I feel vindicated now. I also think there's something disturbing about how it's easy to get distracted from the moral issues by all the glitz and glam and high production values (the voices, the visuals). Thank you, Fr. Mike!
I felt the same way... had I watched a different "Wicked" than the movie everyone seemed to rave about? 😅
the story described is not really the story being told though
I love you fr. Mike more and more every day! I hope you to get to meet you one day
The stories we tell matter-thank you Fr Mike!
Father, i agree with you 100%. that's my main gripe. moral relativism. saying there is not a good and evil, when there really is. Very dangerous. as an aside, you got me and my family through COVID, attending your online Masses. greetings from LA, California
i think it's good that you put this take out there, fr. mike. we need more catholic voices because even when there are more rave posts, i believe the truth will pierce through. in the catechism, i remember learning that, we cannot force people to believe but we can preach the truth and allow people to decide for themselves which view to subscribe to. with Grace they will be led to the right conclusions. keep preaching. i'm praying for you. ❤
Love this !!! We need to be aware of the reality of evil and Good in this world. There is true evil in this world and a “bad child hood” is not an excuse for bring evil.
You are never annoying to listen to Father Mike! 😊
Really appreciate your take on this. This is exactly what I felt. Thank you
You explained exactly what I was feeling. Thanks for putting words to my rambled thoughts!
Thank you so much for putting the time you do into these videos and sharing with us different perspectives. I appreciate it so much because my mind doesn’t always think about these things in this way.
The Bible says “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil”
Spot on Fr. Mike!
I have always wondered what it was about Wicked that felt off (I've only seen the stage production) - like Fr. Mike, I had always appreciated the music, the clever spin on things and lyrics that were winks and nods to the original - but it wasn't until Fr Mike explained that it is a mis-appropriation of someone else's story and characters that it finally clicked for me saying "that's it...that's what's been what's bothered me all along." Thanks as always for your thoughtfulness and reason Fr Mike.
You hit the nail on the head. Marvel and DC have built empires "reimagining" almost everything via alternate universes/timelines about their characters/intellectual property. We've also seen this in faith based movies as well - ie: Netflix's retelling of the Blessed Mother's life. I'll admit on one level it is interesting to check out these interpretations, but on the other it seems to create a lot of gray area that ultimately fosters dissension, arguments, angst, controversy and other less than pleasant reactions. Can you imagine the retelling of "It's a Wonderful Life"? I shudder to think of what they would do to George Bailey in today's world.
As a writer, my stories are my stories to tell. I'm sure many, many people have their own stories as well. They should tell them instead of reimagining someone else's work. God Bless.
My mom said when she was a teenager in the late 60s/70s it seemed all the movies had the bad guys as the heroes. Movies like Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and others. She said nobody wanted to be the good guys, the bad ones were so attractive. The lines were starting to blur. Edited to say thank you for the good perspective on the movie!
As a homeschool mom one of my fondest memories is reading Wizard of Oz with my then 7 year olds. They loved it so much that now, almost five years later, when they saw that the movie came out, they told me they didn’t want to see it because they didn’t want it to ruin their memories of the original book. I love that.
In my house we will stick to the classics where the lines of good and evil are not blurred.
What a wise decision.
The Wizard of Oz is full of Franc-maçon symbols.
You should be proud, Mama. Your kids are smart. Keep up the good work with the homeschooling.
Fr. Mike, you did a phenomenal job in pointing out what the musical/movie did well, and where it went wrong. The criticism was very moderate and reasonable. God bless Father. I’ll pray for you, please pray for me. I sound like you haha
I like your point of erasing good & evil. I also like that you added its not really the back story of the original. Father mike, thank you! You're adorable & we like listening to you talk about anything! Much love. God's blessings always!
Nice one Padre as always, thanks for sharing your view, gave a great week ahead
The editing 10/10 give them a raise.
Wonderful talk as always slay 💅✨
Fr Mike, you are SOOO insightful!
I have been a fan of musicals, both on stage and screen.
But something unknown kept me away from ever seeing the Wicked musical.
I never saw it on stage nor have I seen the movie.
You nailed the reasoning for me:
Wicked is a “stolen” re-telling of someone else’s character.
I don’t believe that is fair.
An author builds a backstory for the characters they create - for THEIR story. Just so.
Is it appropriate to say ‘The backstory of your character is wrong?’
May Frodo’s “backstory” never get re-written!
"POPular..... POPular" Editor was spot on
And the emojis 👨🍳💋
Fr.Mike, You are the best. Thankyou for sharing.
You're 100% RIGHT! I love the original book. The fantasy and the the grim. Amidst the unreality, the truth like the good and evil and virtue the story tells. L Frank Baum created this after the Grims Fairy Tale to speak to children of his day and its so cool that this precedes Lewis and Tolkiens fantasy. We as Christians love Narnia and Lord of the RIngs but this came long before it!
Thanks for sharing! I think it’s so commendable that you’re standing up for Baum. Maybe it’s wrong, but I’m just taking the movie as it is-entertainment. Thanks for your insight!
Thank you Fr Mike for reviewing the movie and giving faithful Christians a heads-up on how Hollywood blurs the line btw evil and good. Erasing the lines!!! We need our children guided and taught the difference. Ive started to beware of supposed "faith" based movies like Conclave pretend to be " faith" based ...so please continue your reviews on all these movies!!❤❤❤
I agree with you Father Mike 💯 not to mention these younger generations are going to grow up even more confused about the story and probably not even hear about the original one 😅😅 it's like someone making a whole new version of our Lord Jesus Christs life just so it can fit in with the brokeness of this world and excusing every bad behavior. Thanks for the review! Love you! God bless you!
wizard of Oz is my favorite movie..... I wouldn't compare messing with it to messing with Jesus Christ
Father Mike - this is AMAZING! I hope this brings me closer to evangelizing my musical theatre kid to the Church! I love how you have connected with me and also to the kids!
I felt this way from the first. Yes… there’s a big difference between “explaining and explaining away”
People just want to believe there is no real right or wrong in anything. And if emotions are brought into the discussion, well, then there can be no right or wrong. It’s misguided compassion as the late, great Mother Angelica used to say.
What caught my attention immediately was Father Mike saying that twisting the characters is something the Author of the original story could do, but since we aren’t that guy we can’t. I treasured the Oz books as a kid and l enjoyed the novel “Wicked”, but l think Father has a valid point.
Father Mike you always make so much sense ☺️
HUGE point you made which makes so much sense: it's not the original story. It's literally a fan fiction LOL. It has some great points but it is a great reflection of our culture today, we tend to excuse or make gray what used to be clearly black and white.
Now that you mentioned your take on the movie, it makes sense.
Yes , we need more like this, Father Mike. The meaning imbedded in the message is a true gift.
Love you, Fr. Mike Schmitz! 🕊️
So glad you are bringing this out
Always put faith in the forefront of life. I celebrate this father’s perspective. He has the right to express his personal and professional opinion. ❤
Thank you Father Mike!! People need to hear this, how changing the narrative to please the masses does not make wrong right or right wrong! Blessings
Always great listening to you Father Mike. You bring light into my life by your excitement about all things. I haven’t seen the movie, but I get what you are saying. I need more of your comments. You make me laugh.
Thank you Father Mike. I loved this explanation! I agree with you
We need more of this, Fr. Mike. There is SO much trash coming out of Hollywood. Your wisdom is very much appreciated! (on ANY subject!)
I think you draw a valid and significant distinction. It reminds of an instance in my own life when a church's women's committtee started altering the language of all the hymns to be inclusive. The church was about to sponsor a performance of Brahms' Requiem and this committee began protesting that the language (which was German) was not inclusive. They demanded that the text (which only a couple of them understood) had to be altered to make it inclusive. That was all I could take. I wrote a letter to the committee pointing out that making artworks of the past unrecognizable in order to fit the ideologies of the current day was fraudulent, destructive and ill-considered (given that barely anyone even spoke German and no one in the church was competent to alter the text as required by the Women's Committee).
Ideologues hardly ever know how to respect the boundaries of others. Your arguments about Wicked are right on point.
well said, Father, couldnt have said it better myself. My thoughts exactly!
Fr. Mike, you have spoken truth and expressed well what is ever-present in the collective moral conscience of humanity.
I agree with everything mentioned above regarding the fact that we do need more of such videos, about films or books
So they can *think* for you?
@maruchagajowy no
You are awesome Father Mike ! Thank you and God Bless
“ You know what else is wrong Fr. Mike, listening to you for the last 12 minutes…” that gave me a good chuckle. 😆 Just keep being yourself Fr. Mike, and don’t lose that sense of humor. I’ll be tuning in as long as you’re around.
Better understanding now. Father you are awesome may God continue guiding you 🙏💙
The thing is, rewriting someone's story happens all the time...aka: gossip, assuming, etc. Great homily!
120 % agree with you & I thank you for bringing it out to light!
I don't like erasing good and evil (and I think the book is better at recognizing good and evil, and was written as Gregory Maguire's exploration about what causes evil (sidenote: he says he's a practicing Catholic)), but we've been retelling stories since we've been TELLING stories! So many people have reimagined fairy tales in different settings, and retold classic stories for new generations, or examined elements of stories from different angles, and I think that can be a very positive thing.
These are actually some good arguments against the widespread retconning going on in everything.
I really appreciate this review Father. Based on other reviews and trailers, what you described is what I had believed to be the case with this movie, the blurring of good and evil.
it isnt though, its showing how in the real world it ISNT always a clear cut and dry good/evil
@ For me, I think it’s dangerous to say good and evil are not cut and dry. We may have circumstances or situations that affect us negatively, but we have to take responsibility for our actions, it’s a slippery slope to making excuses for evil behavior.
Thank you for doing this video as this helped me to explain what I have been trying to express for so long why I am not a fan of “back history” retellings of characters that have already have been told. Thank you for your honesty!
Nailed it! We all still have free will.....................
Total agree, Fr. Mike! Thank you so much for reviewing and sharing. I love all your videos. God bless you!
God bless you Fr. Mike. Always grateful for you in this generation
Thankyou so much. Love it. So glad you said it. Absolutely agree with everything. Feel like you pinpointed the two most important points everyone always faces in understanding every story / narrative /viewpoint : [1] does the person telling the story have a right to tell it, meaning do they have ownership or collaborative input on the creation, or other legally and spiritually important moral rights such as living it, and if so, to what extent -- and [2] is the story in any way gaslighting us to believe something is not what it is? Is the story deliberately omitting, obfuscating, sidestepping, whitewashing, greenwashing, money laundering, hall-of-mirroring, ,this-is-not-the-droid-you-are-looking-for-ing or any version of the above, to make something into something else, especially something we know from our own experience and moral rights is not so.
To be honest, I never got a chance to see the play, but I did see this movie… Part 1 (Act 1 of 2). I did not think that it blurred the line between good and evil, but instead shifted the evil to other characters in the movie. However, I do believe that you are spot on about explaining and over explaining, and I can say that I never thought of that until hearing your thoughts on this. I will still go to see the 2nd part when it comes out as I enjoy it for what it is: entertainment, and I will definitely look into reading the whole (original) series (which I did purchase after seeing the movie, just never read).
P.S. - You should definitely do more of these, Fr. Mike.
Don't really care about the movie, but really like hearing argue or talk about something that gets you going. Much respect 🙏 padre. This is your🎉 platform. You can talk about anything you want.
Thank you Father. I totally agree
I have not seen the movie; but I have seen the musical twice on Broadway. As an argument for retelling the Wizard of Oz characters in this way is like a parallel to how in real life history how the victors will always portray themselves as the good guys and the losers as the villains when more often then not they're shades of gray on both side. Like the saying goes "History is written by the winners". I think the author of 'Wicked' intended to use these iconic fictional characters as examples of that; because of how iconic they are.
From what I remember of seeing the musical; it does discuses some elements of being shades of gray but there is also very much a concept of good vs evil with the evil characters using propaganda and gossip to make the hero look like the villain and Glinda's character being conflicted and trapped between both worlds. Also the whole thing with good and evil just being someone's perspective is told to us in the second act by the Wizard in the song 'Wonderful' which we know by that point in the story is not a good guy; so we shouldn't be taking his word on it.
Again I have not seen the movie so I don't know how much they've change from the musical and this is what I remember and have taken from seeing the musical; although it's been a long time since I last saw it.
I completely agree with what you're saying!!!
Wicked criticizes the blurring of good and evil and i think a lot of viewers got lost in that
I think you have a great perspective. And I agree with you!
I agree. I did not see the film, but even seeing the preview gave me that indication. There was a problem in my heart with the blurring of good and evil . It seemed to have been done with other villains in other movies with a similar slant. Thank you for this review. I appreciate it. I also appreciate the point that about another writer attempting to write a back story off of another. That is a good point.
Wrong Sequence, it should be: "I did not see the film, (but) I agree" LOL
Father I agree! There is a clear goal by contemporary secularism to erode objective morality and this movie is another example of it.
Fr Mike, I loved Wicked and couldn’t stop singing the music in my head. It is good to check oneself in judging someone - not knowing where they’re coming from and what their situation is …. But there was something in me that felt there’s something not quite right. I am so glad I heard your review! It now makes sense why I wasn’t feeling quite 100% about the story. Thank you for your deep insights. You help us be a little bit holier. ❤
Fr Mike.... you are amazing. I didn't want to watch the movie anyway for the " wrong" message it was sending but noone mentioned what you said. Please keep doing this and guiding the flock down the right path. God bless
Thank you for articulating this. I saw the musical on Broadway and enjoyed it. Now my teen girls want to see the movie. I’/ll probably let them see if, but I’ll also show them this video and we’ll talk about it.
This is such a thoughtful and succinct critique of postmodernism and the current state of storytelling. No small task and very well done! More, please!
Thank you for explaining this play. For years I’ve thought something was off about it. You’ve analyzed it perfectly.
I support and totally agree with you Fr Mike
Totally agree with you Fr. Mike.
Love all you said, you put into words what I was thinking! And now I've GOT to go.find the true origins and back stories to The Wizard of Oz!
Well now I feel like I need to see it again with your comments in mind! Thank you Fr Mike!
Father Mike for the W fr❤️🔥
Loving this channel Fr. Mike. Love from Ireland 🇮🇪
THANK YOU, FR MIKE!!! I am so grateful that you did this post! I do agree with you. My grandmother knew L Frank Baum and even when the musical came out, I didn’t like it but could not articulate my reasoning like you just did. Very appreciative of you and all you do! YAHWEH be Praised for you!
Bravo! I will see it when it’s online or Prime video or wherever . I like your take on it…a lot.
Not bravo…where’s the beard?
Thank you Father! I would love to hear more movie reviews from you!
Thank you Fr. Mike!!
This is the best review, Thank you Father
Do people have thought on how this fits with the original textual source material.... which I now have to go read... thanks for the homework Mike... I am not sure you are on the mark here, but deeply thought provoking....