Wicked, 2024.
Directed by Jon M. Chu.
Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Peter Dinklage, Aaron Teoh, Grecia De la Paz, Colin Michael Carmichael, Adam James, Alice Fearn, Andy Nyman, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Sharon D. Clarke, Skylar Blu Copeland, Cesily Collette Taylor, Jenna Boyd, Karis Musongole, Marvin Montoute, James Dryden, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Stephen Schwartz, Kerry Ellis, Luke Bayer, Georgina Onuorah, and Dianne Pilkington.
SYNOPSIS:
Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
The Wicked Witch of the West is dead. Only, she wasn’t always wicked. “Weren’t you two friends at one point?” a citizen of Oz shouts from the crowd at Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande-Butera) after a musical number ruthlessly celebrating that infamous melting death (yes, she got carried away threatening to kill Dorothy and her little dog too, but these residents are about as bloodthirsty as and deeply concerning.) Nevertheless, Glinda answers honestly, saying yes, which begins the story of how these two became friends and fell out, Jon M. Chu’s nearly three-hour Part 1 adaptation of Wicked, a stage play based on a book by Winnie Holzman with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, all based on beloved characters from The Wizard of Oz.
That running time might make this magical fantasy epic that mostly comes across as Harry Potter (without the anti-Semitic undertones) transposed onto the world of Oz seem like a fans-only feature, but it’s not, rarely drags, fleshes out each character to their possible extent for a Part 1, and then ends on a pivotal, spectacular and emotionally-charged musical number that takes advantage of the voices of not one, but two modern-day outstanding singers in Cynthia Erivo and the previously mentioned Ariana Grande-Butera.
Director Jon M. Chu (already having adapted Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, which disappointingly didn’t get anywhere near the amount of attention it deserved for a variety of factors working against its release and reach) directs the hell out of it, while also aware that sometimes less is more and that all he has to do is put the stars in the same frame with the camera rotating, putting to good use the mantra that singing is for when there is no other way for characters to belt out defiant lyrics. One feels this emotion for the compelling storytelling, but also partially because the character transformation that is taking place isn’t merely a satisfying reveal of how something happened but a metaphor for how that character is evolving and strengthening a sense of identity.
Wicked tells that story while also expanding Oz with dazzling wonderment, setting the bulk of the film at Shiz University where Elphaba (yes, the naturally green-skinned future wicked witch has a name), accompanying her paraplegic yet insistently independent sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) around campus, but not before becoming the center of attention for more than her “offputting” skin color (a heavy-handed allegory for racism, that mostly works because of some complexity in that she outwardly doesn’t allow their openly rude disgust to get to her while also hurting and caring what people think on the inside), but her inability to control and harness destructive sorcery powers whenever pushed too far. This catches the attention of Headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who immediately offers her a personal training course and a potential meeting with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum.)
Such special treatment makes Elphaba more unlikable to Galinda (yes, it explained how the “a” gets dropped), played with self-absorbed ditzyness and surprisingly impeccable comedic timing from Ariana Grande-Butera, whether it’s uttering something outlandishly selfish, saying something straight up dumb (she has a habit of amusingly pronouncing words wrong), or leaning into physical humor. She’s far from a potential candidate to become a “good witch,” feeling more at home within the Mean Girls popular clique.
Nevertheless, she instantly begins crushing on the carefree Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), who also happens to have a soft spot for Elphaba due to her kindness and affection toward the talking animals of Oz (Peter Dinklage is pleasantly welcome as a history professor facing harsh prejudices), well-meaning creatures that have become a scapegoat for certain reasons and are having their rights stripped away, including their ability to talk. While most of the visuals are striking, the CGI for these animals also leaves something to be desired.
That might sound like a lot of plot, but Wicked: Part 1 is in no rush to burn through the setup, often stopping to give supporting characters lovely moments just as much as its leads; there is a marvelous ballroom dance sequence (except seemingly in an underground cave) that puts some focus on disabled Nessarose, who no one has asked to take to the event yet. Where that goes also sets up some potentially intriguing fallout (I’ve never seen the stage play and don’t plan on spoiling myself), especially since I’m also aware of who she becomes.
The production design team also took the time to craft some fancy wheelchair rims, let alone the extravagant locales bursting with clashing greens and pinks. Likewise, the costumes are exceptional and an extension of personality, although sometimes the colors look a bit washed out (especially on the blue University uniforms), which has been a disappointing trend in recent Hollywood blockbusters. However, the real attraction is obviously the musical numbers (no song has been skipped or removed), which are a mixture of increasingly elaborate (a dance number seemingly inside the inner machinations of a giant clock, arresting to watch unfold and listen to) and, as previously mentioned, letting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera sing their hearts out without going overboard on stylistic flourishes.
Forget defying gravity; the fact that Wicked: Part 1 rarely has a dull moment and puts almost every minute of its 160 into something majestically arresting and character-forward while concluding on an emotionally rich, natural stopping point more than justifying splitting the adaptation up into two parts is an act of defiance itself. What’s wicked is that we have to wait for Part 2.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at [email protected]