Wicked and all the images you see in this review are owned by Universal Pictures
Directed by Jon M Chu
Adapting a stage musical to the big screen is no easy task, and if you ask me, I’d much prefer if all these big Broadway shows go the Hamilton route and just record the darn thing for everyone to see, but if this is the only way that most people will have a chance to experience this show, then so be it. I’ve certainly been eagerly anticipating it as I can finally learn what all the hubbub is about, but the track record for stage adaptations has been far from sterling in the past few years, and not all the blame can be put on Tom Hooper. Will this be one of the better examples of such a tricky genre, or will it succumb to the same problems that plague so many of these movie musicals? Let’s find out!!
Many years before Dorthy freed the Land of Oz from the Wicked Witch’s tyranny and the incompetent rule of the Wizard, there was another story about two very different magic users who went to Shiz University with big ambitions and a lot to prove. Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), who would one day become the Wicked Witch of the West, had a challenging childhood what with her green skin and magical outbursts, while Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera), who would one day become the Good Witch Glinda, had everything laid out for her on a silver platter except the one thing she desired most which was to be recognized as the greatest magic user in the land. The two clash constantly with Galinda being preppy and upbeat while Elphaba is more measured and guarded, but their fighting only intertwines their destinies further as Elphaba’s unique abilities and unusual skin tone set her apart from everyone while gaining the attention of others, such as her magic professor Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and even the Wizard himself (Jeff Goldblum). Can Elphaba finally find her place in a world that had rejected her for so long, or will her lived experiences open her eyes to the injustices that are going on around her? Will Galinda rest on her Popular Girl laurels, or will her rivalry with Elphaba drive her to succeed? Seriously, is the whole reason these two despised each other in The Wizard of Oz because of some high school drama!?
When it comes to reviewing movies, you want to try and approach your subject on its own terms and determine how well it succeeds at the goals it set out for itself. I suppose the heart of the matter, and the puzzle I’ve been toiling away for days trying to solve, is how the filmmakers wanted me to experience this movie, and what I’m supposed to anticipate for part 2. The answer to the latter question, at least, can easily be solved by looking up a plot summary of the musical, but I’m coming at this from an enthusiastic layperson; someone who is aware of the show’s existence but hasn’t had the opportunity to experience it until Universal conjured up enough glamorous stars and cold hard cash to bring it to the masses. From that perspective, and whatever issues I may have to nitpick about, the movie is a triumph and one of the more entertaining cinematic experiences of the year. The songs are solid across the board, the production value is magnificent and puts other higher budgeted movies like Joker 2 to shame, and the casting is inspired as our two leads turning in brilliant performances. Few movie musicals can capture the jubilation of breaking out into song the way this one does with gigantic show stopping numbers which manage to capture the magic of The Wizard of Oz while still having its own unique and wonderful identity. I’m no expert on musicals or show tunes, and honestly I’m more of a Hairspray and Producers kind of guy, but they were entertaining across the board and I can’t imagine a fan of the show feeling anything less than ecstatic with the work they put into this.
Where I start to find myself feeling conflicted is with the plot itself and the way that the medium of film seems to be ill-suited for such a faithful adaptation. I see this movie as two big ideas that are unable to truly mesh together, and the grinding of the gears is what hampered my experience the most. The thrust of the story is about Elphaba, but is it also about Oz itself? There’s a plot winding through the narrative about the Land of Oz and an escalation of authoritarian policies, but I didn’t find it a significant enough presence to stand on its own, and seems to mostly stick around as a means to inspire Elphaba and shape her missing the forest for the trees to try and make this a rousing adventure when it was anything but. When the movie has to deal more directly with it as we enter the third act, it never feels as coherent as it should be and left me rather unsatisfied when the credits started to role. It’s possible that part 2 ties everything together in a satisfying way, but this is the risk of splitting your movie up and sending us home without a conclusion. I also get the sense that this disconnect between the plot and story is not as conspicuous in the stage show, and this is a problem you run into with a lot of musical adaptations. There’s a certain tangibility to scenes that are filmed instead of performed on a stage, and with that comes a certain amount of reality that needs to be maintained in order for audience members to suspend their disbelief and go with the narrative as it unfolds. The movie never quite squared that circle, and everything involving the Wizard as well as the master scheme behind everything feels like we’re but leading up to it.
Fortunately, the story is much stronger than the plot with Elphaba’s struggle to find her place in the world and the challenges in doing so from both enemies and friends; dovetailing brilliantly with Galinda’s struggle to face her own limitations and realize the world is much bigger than her own little bubble within it. Ariana Grande steals the show, as her role more or less demands, Cynthia Erivo creates a very real and relatable character that has to carry the soul of this movie whenever Grande isn’t bouncing off the walls. You can feel just how much every moment of sadness, joy, despair, and relief sticks to her like Prozac to an anxious Millennial. I suppose if I had any issues with it, it does feel a little low-key and derivative, and while the Magical School thing may not have been as played out when Gregory Maguire wrote the book and when Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman adapted it to a stage show, the Mean Girl High School drama doesn’t do a lot to separate itself from other examples of the well-trodden genre. The only real distinctive quality to it is The Wizard of Oz setting, but as I said earlier, that aspect feels a little anemic in this part of the story.
The more of these two-parter movies we get, the more convinced I am that we should just bring back the Intermission and tell audiences to sit through all five hours in one go if it’s so important for these to be five hours long. Imagine if Peter Jackson made the Fellowship of the Ring into two movies; cutting right at the formation of the Fellowship. If you put the two halves together, which would essentially make the extended cut, then it’s still one of the best adaptations of all time. Split apart, however, how do you even consider the first half to be its own movie when there are so many things left unresolved? I can’t know if this is going to be the same situation as I haven’t seen the second half or even know what it’s going to be about, so I’m stuck reviewing a movie that’s outright telling me it’s not done yet. For now, I’d say that as far as villain revisionist movies go, it’s not quite up there with Maleficent as it has a stronger narrative, one that’s also complete, but there’s so much more fun to be had watching this movie, and it manages to tug at your heartstrings whenever Elphaba has the spotlight. Even in its current state, I’d recommend going out to see it at the theater, though I wouldn’t blame you if you waited until Part 2 came out and your local theater did a double feature. A lot of us have been waiting eleven years to see this; what’s another eleven months?
The Reviewers Unite 