Long before Sony made a mediocre Spider-Man spin-off universe with movies about misunderstood villains, there was Wicked. The novel was quickly turned into a musical, which is still running on Broadway. Now, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo lead Jon M. Chu’s latest movie adaptation of a popular musical.
The result is mixed. Despite Universal’s best efforts to suddenly hide it, removing “Part One” from the title, Wicked is the first of a two-part adaptation. That is to its detriment, as the first part manages to cover the same amount of ground in two hours and 40 minutes as the entire musical does in the same amount of time. Grande even falsely promises that she will tell you the whole story within minutes of Wicked starting.
Still, Grande and Erivo fill the large shoes, or ruby slippers, left by the other actors who have played their iconic roles. Wicked does not live up to the OG Broadway musical, which still holds up 20+ years into its run, but it does effectively bring it to life on the big screen.
Wicked review
The movie takes place long before Dorothy and her friends take down the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a girl born with green skin who has been bullied for it, has had a rough life. Her father still blames her for the death of her mother and favors her sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode).
I suppose one addition to the movie adaptation of Wicked is the flashbacks to Elphaba’s childhood. An early flashback shows her being conceived by her mother, which differs from the novel.
Nessarose is anxious to get a new start, enrolling at Shiz University. Before she can move in, her father assigns Elphaba to watch over her. She quickly impresses Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the Headmistress who takes Elphaba under her wing.
It is at Shiz where Elphaba also meets Galinda (Ariana Grande), a popular student later known as the Good Witch of the North. The two start as rivals, but their relationship evolves throughout the movie.
Again, somehow, Wicked manages to be as long as the entire Broadway musical. Perhaps there are more exterior shots and some expansion of plot lines; regardless, it is hard to recall what specifically was expanded, making it hard to justify a two-part adaptation without bringing up the fiscal aspect.
The mixed visuals
Chu somewhat impressively brings the Land of Oz to life. Granted, there are not a lot of recent examples to go off of besides Oz the Great and Powerful. Still, the large scope of Wicked is captured with vibrancy (it is maybe too bright in some sequences).
Of course, Wicked is not as intimate as In the Heights or Crazy Rich Asians. But both of those had distinct visual language that Wicked lacks.
A CGI-heavy movie like Wicked has its moments of good and bad visuals. When the sets feel practical, like certain parts of Shiz, it looks great. When it looks like a soundstage mixed with CGI, it feels like any scene in Avengers Tower in the first Avengers movie.
There are some instances of good blocking, but so much of Wicked looks how most Hollywood blockbusters do. Twisters is a great example of a blockbuster that looks and feels tactile despite the clear use of CGI. Wicked mostly falls in line with any of the risk-averse comic book slog that comes out.
It was always going to be hard, though. The beauty of stage musicals is having to use your imagination. Sure, Doctor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage) may look more like something out of Greek mythology on Broadway, but a CGI goat is not necessarily the solution, either.
Do Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo defy gravity?
Wicked stars Grande and Erivo both seem natural for their respective roles. Even if Grande somewhat leans into her Victorious and Sam & Cat roots, she nails the narcissistic Galinda, hair flips and all.
Other actresses probably could have played the part as well — heck, Rachel McAdams practically did in Mean Girls — but Grande’s voice probably helped her seal the deal. She does not have the belting power of Erivo, but she hits the right notes in “Popular,” and their rendition of “Defying Gravity” is epic.
Erivo, on the other hand, has portrayed her vocal prowess in her previous movie roles, like Bad Times at the El Royale. Her powerful voice makes her a perfect Elphaba.
Even if Grande is good, Erivo constantly one-ups her with her numbers. Granted, the character of Elphaba has to be more fun to play since she has an arc. She also gets the best numbers to showcase her ability.
The rest of the cast is good, though the standout is Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. His performance toes the line of his Apartments.com ads, but it works for the impotent wizard.
Should you watch Wicked?
Still, I’m not convinced Wicked needs to be a two-part movie adaptation. The second act of the musical is a lot shorter than the first — how will they expand it to a presumably two-and-a-half-hour movie? In all honesty, I would have sat through another hour if it meant the whole story was told.
The door is open for Chu to experiment and make Wicked: Part Two a revisionist iteration of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is briefly seen at the beginning of Wicked — will she be shown more in Part Two?
And that is what is necessary for this two-part Wicked adaptation to work. The first part is a bloated but faithful adaptation of the musical. Part Two has the chance to take swings when it expands the story, more so than adding in an unnecessary new character.
Wicked is better than the first trailer would have implied. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are the obvious highlights, and the movie is at its best when they are paired on screen.
I’m just not sure where the time was allocated. How can it possibly be as long as the entire Broadway musical and still only cover half?
Grade: C+
Wicked will be released on November 22.
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