Wicked: Film Review
Musical theatre fans rejoice! The long-running stage musical Wicked, which is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, has finally been adapted for the screen.
The first half of the two-part adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu, is essentially an origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West told by her former friend Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande). The tale begins when the green-skinned powerful witch Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) is made to share a room with the popular and privileged Galinda Upland at Shiz University.
First of all: Grande needs to be doing more comedic acting. That girl is really funny and I’m glad that she has been given a big platform to prove that to people who may not have seen her comedy skills on Nickelodeon and Saturday Night Live. There was some criticism about her casting but she is perfectly cast and the star of the show. She made me laugh so much at her line deliveries, physical comedy, timing and silly hair swoosh. Her physical comedy reminded me of Old Hollywood actress-comedians with a touch of Disney princesses. Plus, she obviously looks the part and has the pipes to sing live on set (like Erivo).
Then there is the stunning production design, costume design, hair and makeup. There is some iffy CGI here, especially towards the end, but the practical sets are extraordinary and I adored all the dresses. The overall production value of some scenes blew me away such as the introduction to Emerald City, the arrival of Glinda in Munchkinland and Shiz University.
Admittedly, I don’t care a great deal about the story, to the point where I completely forgot about it soon after seeing the stage show. It is very loyal to the production though, so it baffles me how the first half of the movie is significantly longer than the entire stage version. It drags in a few places and there could have been some cuts to trim it down but it thankfully doesn’t feel like it’s two hours and 40 minutes.
What I remember best from the show is two songs – Popular and Defying Gravity – and the staging of these did not disappoint. Popular is Grande’s big comedy number and she is fabulous and Defying Gravity (which I have loved for years and know word for word) is beautiful musically. I know there’s lots of storytelling around the singing but I wish it wasn’t so stop-start. I don’t remember What Is This Feeling? and Dancing Through Life from the show but I thoroughly enjoyed those musical sequences.
Erivo has a terrific singing voice and really drives home the emotion of Elphaba, a misunderstood outsider who has always been ridiculed for her skin. She brings the drama while Grande delivers the comedy (and a touch of drama too) and they form a solid partnership. Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh are good, but the standout supporting star is Jonathan Bailey, who oozes charm and sex appeal as Fiyero.
Wicked is a loyal adaptation that should satisfy fans of the stage musical (keep an eye out for some references). The performances are incredible and it is impressive to look at but I didn’t connect with the story on an emotional level.
In cinemas on Friday 22nd November