Among the many other fandoms I made part of my personality in my life, I definitely had a strong Wicked phase during the first few years of its release on Broadway (2003). I mean, I was a prime candidate to be an obsessed fan. The original Wizard of Oz was my first comfort film as a child, as a teen, I had read the (very not appropriate for minors) novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. On top of that, I was majoring in theater when it debuted. Needless to say, I’ve been waiting a couple of decades for someone to finally make a film version of Wicked. And my expectations were higher than Idina Menzel’s vocal range (which is quite high.)
Finally, director Jon M. Chu has bravely taken on the challenge of adapting the musical for the big screen. In case you need a brief synopsis, Wicked is a prequel/retelling of the story of The Wizard of Oz, but from Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view. In this part (the musical is split into two separate films), the focus is on the circumstances surrounding Elphaba’s birth, as well as her college days at Shiz University, where she becomes unwilling roommates with Galinda, the future Good Witch (Ariana Grande.) Elphaba is used to being an outcast because of the unusual green color of her skin, but that doesn’t deter her from her dreams to make a positive impact for Oz, as well as even work side by side with the mysterious Wizard himself. She learns, however, that something bad is happening with the talking animals throughout Oz, as they are being denied their citizenhood and even their ability to speak. This further strengthens Elphaba’s resolve to put every effort into the study of her natural magic abilities and help those in need.
Let me just say, Wicked is one of the best adaptations of a stage to film musical I’ve ever seen. And I went into the theater with a healthy bit of skepticism. First of all, the stage production runs for about three hours, and yet the film is split in two parts, the first part pushing three hours in itself!? I definitely had worries that they may try to pull a Hobbit and extend just a bit too much extra story for run time to the film’s detriment. I can happily say this isn’t the case at all. Instead of adding extra story content, each scene in the musical was slowed down just enough, elaborated upon if you will, to flesh them out better than they were originally on stage. I love when a film really allows for an event or character exchange to set in just a bit more for it to really set in with the audience. Splitting the musical in two parts may seem like a greedy studio cash grab move (as it often is) but instead it allowed Wicked to do something that so few of musicals get to do in film: breath a bit.
Of course, something I actually did fully expect Jon M. Chu to deliver on based on his past work was amazing visuals. All of my expectations were blown out of the water. This film isn’t just standard big budget pretty. It’s astoundingly gorgeous. Every set, every scene is a treasure to look upon. Chu combined the classic fantasy art deco aesthetic from the original Wizard of Oz with the unique set design of the Wicked stage musical, and somehow came out with a result that gives most contemporary fantasy films a run for their money. Many of the sets are practical (as opposed to CGI) and it really shows. Despite being gorgeously whimsical, the land of Oz portrayed here still somehow feels like a place people can actually live in.
Being the snooty theater major that I am, the biggest thing I was worried about was the performances. I knew Cynthia Erivo was going to be an excellent choice for Ephaba right away when I heard her sing. On top of being an amazing singer, she really displayed a strength and vulnerability to the role in a completely different way than Idina Menzel did when she originated it. I’ll admit, I’m not exactly a fan of Ariana Grande’s. But I will give her this, she is an excellent Galinda. She hit the notes beautifully, had wonderful comedic timing and great chemistry with the rest of the cast. I also want to sing the praise of Jonathan Bailey who plays the carefree Prince Fiyero. He was already one of my favorite parts of the Bridgerton series, but the singing talent and energy he put into this role took me by surprise.
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with how Wicked turned out. Despite its significant length, it was very rare that I felt restless while watching. While I’m not exactly certain if newcomers to the musical would appreciate it as much as the diehard fans, I really think this movie does well to appease them both. It was absolutely worth waiting the 20 years to watch. I hope I can patiently wait the extra year for part two to come out.
