Jay Rohr
Wicked is a wonderful return to Oz. Even those unenthused by musicals may find themselves swept up in this vibrant adaptation of the Broadway hit. Though they’ll likely be the first to succumb to the film’s exhausting runtime, enthusiastic high-caliber performances keep the movie moving.
Now, a xerox of a xerox is not necessarily the best thing. As such, an adaptation of an adaptation may make audiences hesitant. Wicked the film is based on a Broadway musical of the same name which is itself loosely adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witched of the West. It all amalgamates into a revisionist take on L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, familiarity with that children’s book or the 1939 Judy Garland classic would only mean a sense of the broad strokes.
Wicked dives into the life of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a green skinned misfit with a sharp mind and defensive disposition. Accidentally displaying signs of magical prowess earns her a chance to study at the prestigious Shiz University. There she encounters social climber extraordinaire Galinda (Ariana Grande). The living embodiment of entitlement, her envy of Elphaba’s potential initially has them butting heads. However, as the two start to realize they may have more in common than they suspect, the sinister shadowy side of Oz rears its ugly head.
Wicked is frequently about seeing the humanity in others. There’s a prevalent subtext as well as subplot about scapegoats and ostracizing others for wrongfully demonized oddities. Despite being a dazzling bit of musical escapism, the film is curiously enough about how distractions steer people from more important concerns. It’s clear condemnation of propaganda combines with a message about learning not to follow the crowd which never feels preachy. However, the film is also about people hiding behind personas to shield themselves. Ultimately, kindness and connection make for a better world not popularity and panache.
The surprisingly layered central characters have a relatability heightened by the outstanding performances of Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha) and Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up). Each portrays their respective role with a subtle skill that conveys a spectrum of emotions. Erivo is amazing at displaying vulnerable strength, while Grande is comedically vapid in a charming way. Neither is ever simply one thing as they bring to life these impressive, yet imperfect individuals.
Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) is similarly complex as Fiyero, a prince charming of sorts determined to seem uninterested in anything except a good time. He brings the enchanting charisma of someone who floats easily into the heights of popularity. Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) is wonderfully oily as the conman Oscar Diggs, who has assumed the title Wizard of Oz. His recognizable mannerisms are equally disarming and slimy. Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) plays Madame Morrible, a headmistress and educator at Shiz. She brings a potent grace to the part few could.
However, she’s the last of the roles with any real depth. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) does some solid voice-acting as Doctor Dillamond, a talking goat teaching history. Marissa Bode makes her feature film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba’s paraplegic sister, and though her acting never subtracts from Wicked, the character isn’t exactly fleshed out. As with other peripheral parts—Bowen Yang (SNL) as Pfannee, Ethan Slater (Fosse/Verdon) as Boq, or Bronwyn James (Harlots) as ShenShen—the movie gets by with them minimally detailed at best, one-dimensional at worst.
Reading Gregory Maguire’s book can add details the musical is missing, but it isn’t necessarily critical. Wicked wisely focuses on its most central characters giving them facets that feed the drama. And the unelaborated roles serve their purpose helping push plot points without feeling contrived or poorly acted. The only downside being it doesn’t always seem to matter who’s playing them.
There’re incommensurable qualities which make translating the stage to the screen tricky. What works in one medium doesn’t always make sense to reproduce in the other. Fortunately, director Jon M. Chu makes the wise decision to play towards cinema’s strengths rather than trying to replicate the essence of a live show. This can be seen in numerous musical moments.
For example, the opening song “No One Mourns the Wicked” features fantastic wide shots capturing the joyous crowd in celebration yet cuts to closeups revealing Glinda’s contrasting expression. During “What is This Feeling?”, the film takes advantage of montage to give a sense of Shiz University without sacrificing the flow or adding minutes to an already lengthy movie. “One Short Day” does the same for the Emerald City. As such, Wicked rarely sets up dance numbers reminiscent of the stage, preferring instead to showcase the surrounding environment, enlivened by choreography, to better build an inhabited world.
Chu composes a fantastical version of Oz full of vibrant colors and superb sets enhanced by stellar CGI. Excellent editing keeps the pace energetic for dance numbers, yet never so quickly clipped viewers can’t look around. Then during more melodramatic scenes, audiences are allowed to linger in emotional moments. Yet, though Wicked never stops moving, the weight of its 160-minute runtime starts to get tiring. Fortunately, it concludes with a rousing musical number.
Grande makes impressive use of her four-octave vocal range, but Erivo is no slouch. It’s easy to understand why she won awards for her role in the musical adaptation of The Color Purple. Both singers excel at not only expressing through song but performance as well the emotional intention of the tune. Fortunately, that quality doesn’t diminish when they cease singing. They may very well become the new standard for these particular parts. And the rest of the cast is musical excellence as well.
As it nears the end, Wicked drags a tad, but seemingly aware of that, the film comes to a soaring conclusion. Cinematically engaging, raised high by a stellar cast, and marvelous production design, this musical living storybook is captivating. Perhaps best seen in theaters, Wicked is a winner.
