I am not the biggest fan of musicals and it is the one genre in movies I rarely watch. I knew of the popularity of the Broadway show “Wicked” but I never brought myself to ever watch it. Now, there is finally a movie adaptation of the show. I did enjoy the legendary 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and a prequel about the Witch is an interesting idea hence why I gave it a shot. Does this movie defy gravity or is it wickedly bad?
Firstly, the production of this film is phenomenal. The song and dance numbers are all incredibly choreographed. It is impressively visually seeing close to 100 people all dancing in unison. The songs and dance feel very flamboyant and campy but it works in the film. In terms of the actual songs, I liked a fair amount of them, especially “Defying Gravity” at the end. I also appreciate how this movie uses lots of actual practical set design. It makes the world of Oz feel more real and believable. There are some genuinely huge-looking sets in this film that make it feel grand in scope. CGI is used a fair amount but they aren’t awful or distracting. One of the best parts of the original Wizard of Oz was its use of colours. This is still the case in Wicked and the whole magic academy is very vibrant and colourful.
In terms of story, I think Wicked is an interesting prequel. It gives a lot of depth and nuance to the characters you thought you knew and changes a lot of how you perceive the original Wizard of Oz story. For example, Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch, is very sympathetic while Galinda, the future Glinda the Good Witch, is kind of selfish and arrogant in this prequel story. They both can’t tolerate each other at first but eventually both grow to care for each other and become true friends. It is very sweet and heart-warming to see. What makes this work is the great chemistry that both actresses have. Cynthia Erivo does a great job of showing a more vulnerable side to Elphaba and selling on the misunderstood aspect of the character. Ariana Grande was a surprising standout as Galinda. I am not particularly fond of singers who go into acting but Ariana delivers a wonderful performance. She delivers on the initial self-absorbed nature of the character but can deliver nuance to the performance during more emotional moments. In terms of supporting characters, Jonathan Bailey steals the show in his small screen time as Prince Fiyero with his very charming and charismatic performance. No wonder the characters were falling for him! The story delves into some slightly dark themes such as racism and even corruption which surprised me.
Nevertheless, there were some issues I had. The most easily noticeable flaw was the incredibly slow pacing. Many scenes feel like padding with how long it overstays. There are also a couple of “nothing” songs that are expanding what could be a 10-30 second scene into a 1-2 minute song while not being a memorable song. Not exactly the fault of the director if this was in the Broadway show but it was implemented in a way that made the scenes feel incredibly long. The movie is just too long, at 2 hours 40 minutes, for what is half the complete story considering this is part 1. This is equal in length to the Broadway show which told the complete story. It is a very unsatisfying ending as it ends right when the plot is starting to get interesting. It feels like you watched a nearly 3-hour setup movie.
Nonetheless, I surprisingly enjoyed Wicked despite my gripes with musicals. If you detest musicals, I doubt this movie will change your mind. However, if you like it or at least open to it like me, this movie is quite an enjoyable spectacle. I am interested in what direction part 2 will go in as the plot is about to go into high gear. If it is remotely as enjoyable as part 1, I have no doubt I will enjoy part 2 immensely.
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