On a grim and gusty October day in Green Town, Illinois, two young boys encounter a terrified man who foretells of dangers blowing their way. Soon they realize that frustrated and greedy people are vanishing in town and the evil Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch make their dreams come true.
Bradbury's tale connects fear and dread to concupiscent desire and disordered regret — fantasies of wealth or women, preoccupation with lost beauty or physical ability.
Even amidst readily apparent imperfections, "Wicked" still holds a melancholy grip. That's because its supernatural elements are really but a grace note to the symphony of its everyday drama, whose elegant, elegiac qualities have diminished little.
Two or three chilling scenes make up for the periodic patches of dead air.
rec.arts.movies.reviews
August 04, 2008
WICKED needs to be viewed as a different kind of film
Variety
March 10, 2009
Possibilities for a dark, child's view fantasy set in rural America of yore are visible throughout the $20 million production but various elements have not entirely congealed into a unified achievement.
