Films of 2025 Part 3: A Wicked Part 1, A Biopic That will Entertain You & The Origin of The Real Lion King!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, and my final one of 2025. In this blog I will be taking you through my third instalment of films I saw in 2025. These include part one of a film based on a musical about the legendary witches of Oz, a Biopic based on the life of the singer from Stoke-On-Trent, and a prequel to the story of how Simba's father came to be. So without further ado, here are my thoughts of the films I saw in 2025!

Wicked:

The first film I’m going to talk about is Wicked: Part 1, starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Eyrivo and Johnathan Bailey.

Set before the events of The Wizard of Oz, this adaptation of the iconic musical tells the story of the early days of the origins of Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of The West.

Ariana really suited her role as Glinda. Like her role of Cat Valentine in Victorious, she added that cheeky quirky personality that Glinda has like in the stage adaptation. And you know when someone is really nice, when they try hard not to be not nice if you know what I mean? But her friendship with Elphaba was beautiful to watch. And I haven’t even heard of Cynthia before wicked, and I wish I had now. Her voice is spectacular, and I can see why it’s led her to the success following the film, with her most recent success being the first woman to play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar! And she definitely brought the essence of Elphaba which I can relate to, where after trying to fight for what’s right, she has no choice but to turn to the dark side. And the appearance of Fiyero only made things more complicated, with Glinda and Elphaba falling in love with him. And Jonathan Bailey did a brilliant job at bringing the heartthrob of Oz to life, and his singing was just spectacular! 

There have been other characters who like in the musical had an impact on Elphaba and Glinda story. These included Elphaba's sister Nessarosse played by Marissa Bode. I didn’t understand why she got the negativity she got as if it’s mainly to do with the fact that in real life she was disabled, it’s abit of a bad attitude to have. But none the less she smashed it out of the park as this role, showing her sister that she is willing to be independent on her own terms. I also loved her chemistry with Boq (Ethan Slater) especially in the number “Dancing Through Life” but it was obvious he was still infatuated with Glinda, and after seeing the show, I’d be interested to see the screen adaptation in part 2 when it comes out (or is out depending on when you’re reading this). But the character of Boq himself was a cheeky quirky guy who seems like a sweetheart, but I have a feeling he is someone who does things the wrong way. Peter Dingle took on the role of voicing the last animal lecturer Dr Dillamund. And I love the chemistry he had with Elphaba, who was keen to help in any way possible when he and his exit for Shiz university. There was also Oscar winning Michelle Yeoh who took on the role of Madame Morrible, and I can imagine the betrayal Elphaba must’ve felt when she found out her true intention for her to see the wizard (Jeff Goldblum) who is quite an eccentric guy. The ensemble also did a cracking job in the film, and without them like in the show, the film wouldn’t have come to take place. 

The songs in the film like in the musical were so catchy! These included “Popular” but a more extended version, and Cynthia’s beautiful version of “I’m not that Girl”. I also loved “Dancing Through Life”, showing Fieyro's carefree side, and the ending song which was “Defying Gravity” a really showed why Cynthia got the role of Elphaba. There were also some differences between the film and the stage show. I won’t reveal all in fear of spoilers, but two of them include a character in Elphaba's early years who isn’t included in the stage show, and Elphaba's journey into Shiz university was slightly different than in the stage show. But for those wicked enthusiasts reading this, I’ll let you see for yourself what the other differences between the film and the stage show were! 

I wouldn’t say I have any downsides as I love a musical film, but it’s more of an observation I noticed. I do get why they split it into two pets to resemble act one and act two of a show, but it’s the length of the film I’ve noticed. As even though it’s a family film, I do feel like when it comes to younger audiences, parents need to be mindful of when to take them, particularly if it’s a school night. That was just something I noticed. 

Overall I would give the film a 4.90. It was energetic, nostalgic and it brought back memories of when I went I see it back in February 2023. And I can’t wait to watch Part 2 in the form of “Wicked: For Good” in the new year. 

Better Man:

The next film I’m going to talk about is Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic starring Joni Davies, directed by Michael Gracey and featuring vocals and narration from Robbie Williams himself.

This biopic tells the story of the legend from stoke on Trent, the trials and tribulations he faced and how it’s made him the person he is today. A little bit like with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (which you can view here: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/tina-turner-the-musical-that-was-simply-the-best), I’m going to be reviewing each character as research from Robbie’s life and what I think it’s impacted Robbie’s journey. Even though I did some research into the historical moments, I didn’t know much about it until the film.

Jonno Davies took on the huge responsibility of portraying Robbie himself. And he did Robbie proud that’s all I can say. His charm, cheeky and swagger really shone through, and I could tell that Robbie was a person who certainly didn’t play by the rules. And Carter J. Murphy took on the role of the child version of himself, and even back then he was abit of a showman. It’s just a shame that his dad Peter Conway, portrayed by Steve Pemberton, didn’t give him the love and support he so desperately wanted, and that in turn played a big part in his abuse to drugs, alcohol and depression. But the support from his mum Janet (Kate Mulvany) and his nan Betty (Alice Steadman) helped him break his bad habits to get on the straight and narrow.

During the film I also got to know other iconic people and got a more deeper understanding into Robbie’s relationship with them. These included Take That, specifically Gary Barlow, who was portrayed by Jake Simmance. Even though now they seem on good terms, watching the film made me see that they didn’t always see eye to eye, and seeing the scene of their concert performing “Relight my Fire”, something tells me that this was when the feud really began. Him along with band manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman), even though he took a chance on him, I felt bad that he had to make him feel like the odd one out, so I don’t really blame Robbie for leaving the band when he did. I also got to see a glimpse in his relationship with Nicola Appleton from All Saints, where even though they loved each other, his demons took over and Nicole’s decision made by her manager to secure the number one was hard to see, which in turn made their relationship go downhill. But I’m glad that they made up when they did, and I hope now they’re on good terms. But the chemistry between Jonno & Raechelle Banno, who played Nicole was beautiful to watch especially in “She’s The One”. Now I don’t know if the character of Nate, played by Frazer Hadfield, was his real life friend, but he played a crucial part of the story. As I’m one scene he scolds Robbie for not appreciating what he’s got and not thinking about his best friend, but it's also moments like this for me where yes I’m not where I want to be now and still work in day job whilst developing my acting career, I need to be grateful for the littlest things, otherwise chasing purely the big stuff will not make me happy. Finally a bit shoutout to Milijana Cancar who played a Rehab Therapist, as without people like her, Robbie wouldn’t have gotten the support needed to fight his addiction. 

The songs and musical numbers were very creative on the directors half. “Rock DJ” in particular was wicked to see, and it felt like a proper party watching it. “Angels” made me cry, knowing that it was my mum’s favourite song, and the ending and his version of “My Way” with his dad (where in that scene was voiced by Robbie himself and not Jonno), got me going, knowing how years of neglect was made into a positive. It was also the song that sums up his whole life really and a perfect end to the film. 

I don’t have any downsides to the film per say, but more about the harsh reality of what he had to go through. Whilst performing at the gigs he did (which were the real life gigs he had as well), he was going through heartbreak, depression and the pressure of being in the limelight. And it was hard to see his past versions of himself bringing him down (which again was a good creative choice to show the demons he was facing) and it really does show that you never know what someone is going through. 

Overall I would give it a 4.95. It was funny, whitty, and heartfelt all in one sitting. Whether you’re a Robbie Williams fan or not, this one will definitely give you food for thought. 

Mufasa: The Lion King

The final film I’m going to talk about is Mufasa: The Lion King, dedicated to the late James Earl Jones, and starring the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogan, John Kani and Tiffany Boone.

This prequel tells the story of how Simba's father Mufasa became the original king of Melile, now known as Pride Rock.

Aaron Pierre fully embraced the role of Mufasa. From an orphan to being the brave lion he was at the end of the film, his journey showed the true meaning of bravery and the true meaning to be king. If James were still here, he’d be very proud of the role he once played. Kelvin Harrison Jr also took on the role of Taka, who was the name of Scar before the events of the original Lion King. You can tell he was a cheeky chap who wanted to help Mufasa fit in. But after some nasty tactical ways from his father, and seeing Sarabi preferring Mufasa instead of him (who I’ll get onto both of those characters in a moment), his hunger for power definitely changed. And it’s moments like this why villains often become villains, by most of the time not getting what they’re want. This was Al told by the perspective of Rafiki (John Kani), where without encouragement from Timon and Pumba (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan) and curiously from Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the story wouldn’t have been told. 

There were other characters who shapes Mufasa into being the iconic role we all know. These include his birth parents Aria and Masego (Anika Noni Rose and Keith David) who tell him of a place called Melile (which we now know as pride rock), and convince him to find it. There was also his adoptive mother Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), who accepted him as her own, and also made him realise how females should be treated, despite reservations from her mate and king Obasi (Lennie James), who made it clear he does not accept strangers. But he is also the reason why a villain becomes who they are known for, as the tactics he placed on Taka definitely stuck with him for sure. There was also the villain Kiro's (Mads Mikkelsen), where after his son died at the hands of Mufasa, was out for revenge. And even though it was CGI, I was actually quite scared of him. We also got to see how he encountered Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), accompanied by her scout Zazu (Preston Nyman). Sarabi is quite a rebellious Lioness, and knows how to keep both Mufasa and Taka on her toes. And I can see why she fell in love with him in the first place, as despite letting Taka making a move, she knew he saved her from danger on their journey to Melile, which obviously got scars blood boiling. We also got to see Rafiki past and how he joined the gang, with his tribe thinking he was being delusional. But he knew his destiny was with Mufasa, and without him, there would be no lion king after Mufasa. Then of course there's Simba and Nala (Donald Glover and Beyonce) who had a surprise at the end of the film which let's just say it's adorable.

The songs in the film very catchy. "Tell Me It's You" was the first romantic song that didn’t make me cry (as can you feel the love tonight and live will find a way from the previous films had me balling), and “I’ve always wanted a brother” is definitely an earworm song that will stick with me for a while. Kiros’ song "Bye Bye", like the previous films, was quite possibly my favourite out of all of them. And that’s something I’ve noticed with the lion king franchise, as when you prefer the villains songs over the hero’s, you know it’s going to be a good one. 

I don’t think I have any downsides to it, but more observations. The main one being how Takas introduction may have been abit rushed for me. But kind you this is a film aimed at primarily children, and because they don’t have a huge attention span, they wanted to keep things brief. And because the story of the film centers around Mufasa himself, they wanted snippets of each of the characters he met. 

Overall I would give the film a 4.85. It had catchy songs, moments of comedy, and a lesson on how we channel our hate, and how it impacts everything around us, showing that not all villains are born evil. And James earl would be looking down, proud of the whole team for making a prequel of Simba's father.

And that is it for my third instalment of films I see in 2025. Let me know if you’ve seen any of these films. And keep an eye out in the new year for my fourth and final instalment of films I saw in the new year in style.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)