Directed by Jon M. Chu and based on the stage musical and novel of the same name, Wicked tells the untold story of the witches of Oz: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a young woman misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power; and Glinda (Ariana Grande), a popular young woman gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. But when they have an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.
When I was growing up my mother introduced me to many of her favorite musicals in film form. We were also lucky enough to see some live stage versions of these musicals that we both highly enjoyed together. One of our all-time favorites was Wicked so when news of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical came out it became a hugely anticipated film to watch for both of us as well as for the many other Wicked fans around the world. With her being gone I was initially reluctant to go see this film without her but I know she would have wanted me to see it still so I went ahead to see it at an early screening last night.
Wicked Part I is wickedly marvelous in every possible way. This adaptation of the first act of the beloved stage musical perfectly captures the spirit, tone, characters, and aesthetic of the musical, and doesn’t miss a beat from it story-wise. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a musical adaptation done right and I am so happy that this one was in the hands of Jon M. Chu and his crew, who put forth immense passion and effort to bring this wonderful story to life.
One of the most important elements that they needed to nail down for this adaptation was the casting for all of the major characters. Thankfully they chose a fantastic cast who fit their roles perfectly and gave it their all. I had some initial doubts about Ariana Grande being cast as Glinda Upland but I’m happy to say those doubts got squashed when I saw her fully embrace and wonderfully portray the character as if she was pulled straight from the musical. It’s clear that Grande was very passionate about this role, not only for the singing aspects but for everything about her from her ambitious pride to her incredibly hilarious comedic qualities, both verbal and physical. She brought the perfect amount of energy and emotion for Glinda showing that this is the role that she was indeed born to play despite initial doubts.
Fiercely competing with Grande as Glinda for the best performance of the entire film is Cynthia Erivo, who absolutely dominates this film with her beautiful and phenomenal performance as Elphaba. The very moment she steps on screen and even before she speaks or sings she immediately radiates with everything about the character from the musical, giving a perfect portrayal of such a tragic character. Even with wearing all that amazing makeup she delivers amazing emotional expressions that tell you exactly what she is feeling even without saying a word, and when she sings you feel her powerful emotions leap off the screen and hit you straight in the heart like an arrow. It was a truly powerful performance from an extremely talented actress who didn’t deserve any of the hate she received upon her casting announcement.
Jonathan Bailey proved to be a major surprise star with his performance as Fiyero Tigelaar, the Winkie prince who meets and bonds with Elphaba and Glinda respectively at Shiz University. He’s always been a talented actor in all of the other productions I’ve seen him in but here he got to really showcase what he can do, not only through immense charm and mischievous charisma but also through song and dance. The physicality of this man in this film is absolutely insane: when it comes to all of the dance sequences it’s as if he was an animated character free of the restrictions of live action. I expected him to do a great job portraying the character from the musical, which he certainly does, but I didn’t expect this much incredible energy and it was a wonderful surprise. On top of that he shows himself to have great chemistry with Grande and Erivo, which was such a crucial element to nail down given the relationship the three characters share together in the musical.
When it comes to Madame Morrible, the Dean of Sorcery at Shiz University, Michelle Yeoh comes in strong once again, delivering another fantastic performance that she can add to her streak of perfect performances that shows no signs of stopping. She perfectly captures the balanced nature of the character, from her initial warm and welcoming exterior to her cold demeanor and true nature underneath. She creates such an intimidating presence the moment she is on screen, making for a perfect portrayal of Madame Morrible.
Then there is Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin in love with Glinda, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Elphaba’s paraplegic younger sister, who I both found to be very underrated supporting performances that shined in this film. They both played their roles wonderfully, really capturing the charm as well as the personalities of both characters from the musical, and they both deserve just as much praise as the main cast.
Peter Dinklage also delivers a great supporting performance as the voice of Doctor Dillamond, the Goat History professor at Shiz University. He may not be in the film that long but he has provided an emotional voice performance as this character, making you feel immediate sympathy for him, and he shares some great scenes with Erivo’s Elphaba.
And finally, there is The Wizard of Oz played by none other than the national treasure himself, Jeff Goldblum. On the surface, some people may think this is an odd casting choice for the Wizard, but the truth is that he ends up being a perfect choice given the character’s nature from the musical. The Wizard is an ordinary con artist with no real magical power but is incredibly smart as well as manipulative, and Jeff Goldblum perfectly portrays all these elements of the Wizard in his performance. It was also shocking to discover that Jeff Goldblum has a really good singing voice that I don’t think I’ve ever really heard before in his previous work.
Since the original story of Wicked is a large one, full of many narrative threads and themes, the film adaptation had to be split into two parts, hence why this film only adapts the first act of the musical. But even when it adapts only the first half of the story it adapts it incredibly well, not missing a single beat from the original plot-wise, especially when it comes to the tone, the emotional elements, and the many powerful and highly relevant themes the musical had. It manages to tackle everything from Goodness vs. Wickedness, to Power and Propaganda, to Dehumanization, to Privilege and Apathy, to Popularity vs. Belonging, and many more themes, all within this first part without ever feeling overstuffed or overwhelming. It’s all told in a natural flow alongside the musical narrative elements that never drags once and leaves an impact on audiences.
And while there is obviously much more story left for the second part to adapt I do love everything that Jon M. Chu and his team were able to accomplish in this first part and how he manages to end the film on a very powerful note that is guaranteed to satisfy both longtime fans of the musical as well as new ones too.
When it comes to the technical elements of this film a majority of it looks magnificent as it beautifully captures the vibrant and colorful aesthetic of the Land of Oz not seen since 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. From the moment the film begins we are immediately transported to this fantastical world through gorgeous cinematography and stunning visuals that put the visual disaster that was Oz the Great and Powerful to complete shame. We also get to see a high usage of practical effects, costumes, and sets on display that were clearly crafted with great passion and artistic effort, making the film feel like a Broadway musical come to life on screen. By far the most impressive practical effect of the film was the Wizard’s giant mechanical head that you may think is CGI upon first watching it in the trailers but it turns out to be a fully practical animatronic that looks absolutely amazing.
In regards to the CGI that is present in the film, I’ll say that it looks good for the majority of the film until it reaches the third act. In one of the film’s most crucial sequences in the third act, the CGI hugely dips in quality, looking rather rushed and unfinished in a lot of areas that unfortunately causes a visual distraction in what I and many others would consider to be the most emotional parts of the film. The narrative and powerful performances in this segment are what saves it but had the CGI effects in the third act been worked on a little more I would have given this film a perfect score.
But now of course we come to the most important part of the film, which is the musical side of it. All of it is perfect, from the score to the songs, all under the guidance of passionate composers John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, the original composer and lyricist of the Wicked musical. Every song from the first act of the musical is accounted for and done justice on screen thanks to phenomenal performances by the cast and the truly talented work by the production crew. I loved every single song that was done in this film and I was extremely happy how my two favorite songs, Popular and Defying Gravity, were done incredibly well and translated so well to the big screen.
Wicked Part I is a wonderfully adapted first half of the musical and I honestly can’t wait to see the second half next year now knowing it is in extremely good hands. I only wish I could have been able to watch this with my mother because I know she would have loved it too. Fans of the musical are guaranteed to absolutely adore this adaptation and I have a feeling that even non-musical fans will also end up loving it too for everything it has to offer, especially with a story that is highly relevant now more than ever. Be sure to catch this magnificent film on the big screen whenever possible. I’m going to give Wicked Part I an A = 97.
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