TL;DR – One of the most faithful musical adaptations that I have ever seen, but that brings all the musical’s strengths and weaknesses.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Wicked Review –

Today, we are looking at what might be the most convoluted production history in this site’s history. We are reviewing a Movie [Wicked] adaptation of a Musical [Wicked], which is an adaptation of a Novel [Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West], which is a reinterpretation of another Novel [The Wonderful Wizard of Oz], which in itself is most well known for its Movie Adaptation [The Wizard of Oz] whose design legacy can be seen our feature today. There have even been several more attempts to work in this space in recent years, with Oz the Great and Powerful and even Agatha All Along earlier this year. It could be a crowded or iconic market position, but does it make the most of its situation? That is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) has not had an easy life ever since she came into this world covered in a dark shade of green. She was thought of as some kind of curse by her own family and lived almost in isolation with Midwife (Sharon D. Clarke), her bear nurse. Growing up, she always had these moments where she acted out with magic, but she could never control the bursts. But her life is changed when one of those magical bursts happens as she is escorting her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to Shiz University, and she is spotted by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) expert in all things magic. The only problem is that there are no rooms for her at the university unless Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) shares her private suite.  

Now, before we dive into this review, I should probably take a moment to explain where I am coming from in relation to this movie. I am not someone with a strong musical theatre background, and I am at an age where, like most people of that time, I discovered Wicked through the medium of a Glee cover. While I was able to see the stage musical live earlier this year thanks to a good friend [and if you can catch the tour around Australia at the moment, I would recommend it], I am not someone who knows every song from the show, every staging, or version of the costuming. I say this because at my screening, I was surrounded by people in the later, and I think we had a slightly different experience watching the film.

From my understanding, this is one of the most faithful musical adaptations that I have seen in a very long time. They absolutely nail the vibes and feel of the musical in every facet of the film. It is that understanding of what makes that iconography work that sets this apart from a lot of the others in this space. You could feel the joy of the audience swell when they hit all those pivotal moments, and while I might not know the lyrics to every song, I was reliably informed by a very boisterous couple behind me that they hit every note perfectly.   

It helps that I think that this might be one of the best cast films I have seen in a while. There are absolutely no weak links in the entire proceedings. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera both perfectly capture the duality of their roles: the passion, the anger, the energy. Watching them play off against each other was the highlight of the film, and you could tell from the audience that this was a widely held view. Of the supporting cast, I enjoyed everyone’s performance, even Bowen Yang, who seemed to be there more for vibes than anything else. It is hard to go past Michelle Yeoh, who radiates elegance in the frame, and it is clear that Jonathan Bailey is having a blast.

The production behind the film also excels, especially in the staging, which made the most of the adaptation to do things that you can’t do on stage. When they go big, they commit to it and take up every inch of the screen. It looks like most of the sets were practical with digital extensions, which gives you something tactical to work with, but the scope to make it huge. I think my favourite was the Munchkin village because it also got a little macabre. The costumes are on point, the choreography is a delight, and the music soared.  

However, for all its strengths, there were also some real frustrations. The first is that it is a slog of a film to get through, especially once they leave for the Emerald City. This first half is nearly as long as the whole musical, and I am sorry, but it feels like it in places. Ironically, it could have really could have used an intermission. This is something that Indian Cinema gets right, and I don’t know why we can’t get on board. Everyone knows how that first film is going to end, and you could tell people were waiting for that moment. Also, the original musical is very much a product of its time, and given this is a faithful adaptation, a lot of the political analogies they are exploring do feel dated and a bit naïve in places.   
 
In the end, do we recommend Wicked? I would be wrong to say there were no frustrations here because there were. However, you must give it to them; when it worked, it was on fire. The cast was amazing, the songs work just as well on the big screen, and it might be worth it for the production alone. If you can, I would recommend seeing this in a crowd, because there are moments, one especially, where I have not felt an audience surge more since maybe Endgame. If you liked Wicked, we would recommend to you In the Heights.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Wicked?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Wicked
Directed by – Jon M. Chu
Screenplay by – Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox
Based on – Wicked by Stephen Schwartz & Winnie Holzman, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire & The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Music by – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz
Cinematography by – Alice Brooks
Edited by – Myron Kerstein
Production/Distribution Companies – Marc Platt Productions & Universal Pictures
Starring – Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Sharon D. Clarke, Karis Musongole, Cesily Collette Taylor, Aaron Teoh, Grecia de la Paz, Colin Michael Carmichael, Adam James, Alice Fearn, Andy Nyman & Courtney-Mae Briggs with Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: na; New Zealand: PG; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG