Wicked is the biggest example of IYKYK of the past 20 years. Anyone who has devoted time to the novel, Broadway musical, or soundtrack has a connection to this material. And that connection is solid. The story provides a unique look at a classic story that highlights the feelings of being an outcast, acceptance, and sisterhood.
While Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth launched the stage production and made it a near-household name, it has been in cinematic development for 14 years. Several directors and writers have all wanted to capitalize on its popularity. And now finally, here we are.
Wicked Part One (Yes, part one!) tells the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a young green-skinned woman who is socially shunned as she attends to her sister at Shiz University. She is immediately thrown into the mix with the most popular student, Glinda (Ariana Grande). Elphaba, having special magic abilities, seeks the Wizard to find out her true potential.
Full transparency here, I know most every lyric in Wicked. This knowledge came to me begrudgingly on road trips, but soon enough I found myself happily and lousily belting Defying Gravity.
I have no faith in modern adaptations, nor really felt like a Wicked movie was entirely necessary, so expectations were low for this holiday release. Yet, I’m almost surprised to say that Wicked is actually quite good.
Just as with the stage musical, there are 3 aspects that work so well for Wicked – The leads, the music, and the world-building.
Just as Menzel and Chenoweth carried the production when it launched, Grande and Erivo are more than worthy to carry the torch/wand/broom. I can’t say I’ve ever caught the vision of Ariana Grande and her star power, but she was born to play Glinda. She’s flighty, cunning, and vain in all the right ways. While her character isn’t written with as much depth as Elphaba, her performance is the aspect I come back to well after the movie. Cynthia Erivo is also impressive as she plays Elphaba with so much class and under-the-surface earned rage.
Most of this movie seems to narratively go nowhere other than establishing the tension and eventual friendship of these two, but it’s never dull because they are genuinely interesting to watch.
Fans of the musical should not worry about their favorite songs being cut. This movie keeps it all, even the middling songs. Fans will be humming along with the movie, while newcomers will find themselves enjoying memorable broadway bangers. The filmmakers claim that the actors sang live (ala Les Mis), which slightly affects the bigger songs, taking away some emotional resonance. Though, it’s hard to compare any singer to Menzel.
I don’t think anyone has ever asked to see an cliched adaptation where the original villain was actually misunderstood, but the novel came out at a time when that wasn’t a common trope. Revisiting Oz should feel like movie blasphemy, but the story feels independent enough to stand on its own. It builds out Oz and familiar characters. It might actually be the best example of fan fiction becoming art.
Now, it can’t all be for good. There must be some bad. The vision and visuals of Wicked seem so off. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) is quite reliable and proves himself to make an entertaining movie. Yet, this property feels like it needs iconic and visual flair. The practical sets and costume design will surely get Academy Awards, but they’re also washed out by either sloppy CG, grey overlays, or horrible backlighting. This movie has all of the ingredients for a musical masterpiece, but no Michelin chef to cook it.
Wicked is only part one of two. And this first part is 2 hours and 40 minutes alone. (The musical itself is that long in total). For devout fans, they’ll be eating up every piece and asking for seconds. But, the uninitiated boyfriends/husbands of the world may need a bathroom break or two to get their bearings.
Wicked Part One knows its audience and delivers exactly what they’ve been wanting. It’s indulgent in every way. It ends in a way that will have them anticipating Part Two like it’s Avengers: Endgame. For regular audiences, this may be a bit long, with a wandering plot, but the performances and songs will keep them entertained. B
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