“Wicked” - Film Review
The journey of Wicked to the silver screen was 124 years in the making. Wicked is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, which is in turn based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. Wicked premiered on Broadway in 2003 and quickly became an international sensation. Now the musical is finally getting the Hollywood treatment from director Jon M. Chu. Despite the long (some may say yellow brick) road it took to get here, Wicked does not recapture its Broadway magic on the big screen.
Set in the Land of Oz years before the arrival of Dorothy, Wicked gives a backstory to the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba), and the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande as Glinda). Elphaba and Glinda are classmates and roommates at Shiz University. Glinda dreams of being a sorcerer and studying under the tutelage of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), but it’s Elphaba who catches Morrible’s eye. Elphaba’s father (Andy Nyman) has insisted that Elphaba oversee her sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), as she transitions to student life away from home. Elphaba and Glinda quarrel over everything, but a tentative friendship emerges as they realize the wizard (Jeff Goldblum) might not be so wonderful after all.
courtesy of universal pictures
Musicals are notoriously difficult to take from stage to screen. It’s difficult to capture the thrill of seeing something performed live, in front of an audience, and condense it into two dimensions for the screen. This transition to the movie theater can easily flatten the performances and minimize the spectacle. It brings me no joy to say that there’s a lifelessness Wicked cannot escape. Part of this sensation comes from the muted colors of the film. This is Oz we’re talking about, a land that’s bursting with saturated, in-your-face colors. There’s a reason the 1939 film made such a lasting impression on audiences, beyond the acting and the story. In a way, the 1939 film redefined how audiences see color. The yellow brick road leapt off the screen almost 90 years ago, and today, with more technology than filmmakers know what to do with, the Emerald City barely glistens. The stunning practical sets are washed out by an ever-present sunshine-y background glare. Wicked makes a beautiful world that will hopefully encourage more big budget films to rely on practical sets, but it’s without the bright, bold colors the story cries out for.
Wicked misses the spontaneous sensation that musicals of this type should provide. Yes, the choreography and camera movements have to be rehearsed over and over again, but they need to give the impression that they’re spur-of-the-moment. It’s an exceptionally difficult task, but take a moment to watch someone like Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain. It’s completely at odds with the choreography in Wicked. There’s a naturalness that’s sorely lacking in the film, almost as if everyone is so concerned with hitting their marks that they forget to be in the moment. Of course there are exceptions to this, glimmers where the love that went into the film comes through, but they can’t sustain the behemoth runtime that’s longer than the entire two-act Broadway version.
courtesy of universal pictures
It’s no secret that Grande has been vying for the role of Glinda for years, but it’s a surprise that she loses herself so deeply in this performance. For much of Wicked, she acts as a comedic relief to Elphaba’s steely exterior, and others may have played Glinda as more one-note. Grande is Wicked’s heart. Beneath her pretty “Popular” exterior is someone who deeply wants to find a real friendship and be loved. Grande is marvelous as she lets the facade of Glinda waver in the quest to do the right thing.
If Grande is the heart of Wicked, Erivo is the soul. There’s strength in the vulnerability of her Elphaba, and the vocal run in “Defying Gravity” has, dare I say, never sounded so good. Grande and Erivo found themselves with the impossible task of living up to the decades-long expectations of die-hard fans. They not only matched them, but went beyond. The two have likely been singing these songs for over two decades. Wicked is entwined in the DNA of theater kids of a certain age, and it’s clear they’re thrilled to be given this opportunity.
The story of Wicked doesn’t end here, but it’s difficult to see how one might follow “Defying Gravity” a whole year later. Perhaps that’s the benefit of the stage version. The two acts are only separated by a fifteen-minute intermission, and the audience can’t rewatch Act One as many times as they’d like before the curtain rises again. Wicked Part Two faces an uphill climb, one made difficult by the shortcomings of the first film. Wicked had the opportunity to bring back the days of the classic Hollywood musical, but it gets a little lost without the yellow brick road.
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