After a decade of delays, controversies, and development hell, the “Wicked” movie is finally upon us! Based on the Broadway musical, this movie follows the story of “The Wizard of Oz” Wicked Witch Elphaba before she became a villain, and her friendship with Glinda the Good Witch.
As a lifelong fan of the Broadway musical, I can say this adaptation is everything fans can want and more. From the opening chords of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” I felt astounded. The performances, sets, costumes, and choreography all came together to create a spectacle that might just save movie musicals.
So, let’s get into my spoiler-free thoughts!
The Creative Choices
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Did this story really need to be two movies? Maybe not, but they utilize the extra time well. I won’t lie; I was worried they would pad the runtime with extra Oscar-bait music. And while a few shots linger longer than they need to, the movie mainly uses that time to build out the world and focus on character moments.
The movie stays very faithful to the original musical. In fact, I can’t think of a single notable moment that wasn’t present in the film. However, they made a few additions and changes to further the story, especially regarding Elphaba’s animal rights activism, which always felt glossed over in the musical.
There was also great creativity in each musical number’s staging and choreography. After the “In the Heights” movie musical, I had high expectations for Jon M. Chu’s direction, and he did not disappoint. The movie stands out visually from the source material but still pays homage both to the original “Wicked” production and “The Wizard of Oz.”
The Performances
The two leads, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, truly give it their all, and it shows. I usually worry when movie actors choose to sing live in musicals, but it was the perfect choice here, as it allowed them to pack all the more emotion into their performances.
Cynthia is stunning as Elphaba. She plays the progression from obedient daughter to rebellious activist so well, and her vocal choices only further highlight that journey. Her singing was so killer that she got applause at the screening I went to, as if she had sung live in front of us.
I was initially worried that I wouldn’t buy Ariana Grande as Glinda. Looking at her and seeing anyone other than Ariana was hard, but she sold the role. From her manic flouncing about in “Popular” to holding back immense grief in “No One Mourns the Wicked,” Glinda has a huge emotional range, and Ariana proved she has the acting chops to carry that out.
Jonathan Bailey also gave an awe-inspiring performance as Fiyero, especially in “Dancing Through Life.” Honestly, I’m not sure I loved Michelle Yeoh’s performance, as it felt much more subdued than other Madame Morrible actresses. However, I’m hoping she’ll let loose more in the sequel.
I also want to highlight Marissa Bode as Nessarose. She plays Nessa’s hopeful and loving nature very well, so I’m excited to see the darker turn it takes in the sequel.
The Visuals
Besides the music and performances, “Wicked” also looks incredible. Shiz University looks nothing like how I imagined but in a good way. It’s Oz, so it shouldn’t look like a university in our world. The canals, caves, and fields in and around the school felt so whimsical and helped make the world feel lived-in.
The costumes were also fabulous. With the two leads, the production was mostly limited to pink and black outfits, but they figured out how to make each stand out. The school uniforms were also fun to look at (I wanted some of them in my closet).
I appreciate how all-out the set and costume designers went with the Emerald City scenes. You could rewatch this movie ten times and still find fun little details in the “One Short Day” sequence and even in the Wizard’s Palace.
Overall, this movie was an unapologetically big, campy, fun time while maintaining its emotional core. If we can get more movie musicals made with this much love and joy, we’d enter another movie musical golden age. And I can’t wait!
What did you think of the “Wicked” movie? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image via “Wicked” Trailer screengrab on YouTube
