Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu, is a highly anticipated movie from musical theater lovers to normal movie enjoyers. Starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the two had big shoes to fill due to the success of the original musical. I think it’s safe to say they did more than enough to prove themselves to the theater community.
Wicked: Part 1 is the first act of the popular musical Wicked. The movie does not leave anything out from the first act but was able to add more due to not having the limitations that come with performing live. The sets were more able to have more detail, the dialogue was changed to fit a movie setting, and the actors were able to have more creative liberty when it came to portraying their characters.
Musical adaptations are hard to do. There is something about the presence of a stage and an actor’s raw vocals that is increasingly hard to recreate in movies. There is something very personal in performing live. However, Grande and Erivo were complete vocal powerhouses who brought so much to the film. Having the prior knowledge that they sang every song live, adds an enchanting and whimsical feel while watching the movie. The power in their voices and the way they blend creates an unforgettable experience in the theater. Grande’s performance seemed especially meaningful, as this is her first major musical theater work since her time on 13: the Musical when she was a teenager. I think her performance in the musical was really able to prove her vocal ability to the world. Ervio also continued proving why she has gotten so far on Broadway and in the theater community. Both were incredible, and again it is insane to think that they sung live for the film.
Another actor standout for me was Michelle Yeoh who portrayed Madame Morrible. Madame Morrible is a very complex character and Yeoh did the perfect job encapsulating that complexity.
The set design was another stand-out for me. Movies tend to use a lot of green screens and CGI to make the world seem more interesting, but the backgrounds for Wicked were all so incredibly detailed, it was hard to take it all in at once. You could tell in every scene that there was so much thought and consideration taken.
One small complaint was the lack of build-up in the side characters. Without spoiling, those who are familiar with the play, know the importance of characters like Fiyero (Jonathon Bailey), Boq (Ethan Slater), and Nessa Rose (Marissa Bode) for the second act which will ultimately be the second part of the movie. I think it would have been beneficial to build up those relationships now, and really set up their importance for the second movie. The relationships between these characters to Glinda and Elphaba were slightly overlooked. However, if you have no prior knowledge of the musical this will not hinder your experience of the movie.
The length of the movie, being almost three hours, I thought was perfect for the film. Anytime I began to think that the movie was going a little slow, something immediately happened that regained my interest. The pacing of the film was really well done and also balanced the song-dialogue ratio very well. A lot of movie musicals can mess up how they approach the singing in the film, but Wicked found a fantastic balance of those two elements. Some songs got added dialogue compared to the original play, but they just helped the movie flow and made it more entertaining to sit down and watch.
Overall, I would give Wicked a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The movie encapsulated the whimsical nature of the Wicked play and also tied back to why The Wizard of Oz is popular childhood film. The vibrant colors, the powerful songs, and the passionate acting allowed for a truly incredible experience for theater and non-theater lovers alike. I cannot wait for the second part to release next year.
