Introduction

If 2014’s movie adaptation of Into the Woods was your introduction to the actual musical, you were likely disappointed. For some reason Disney thought it would be great for their brand to have a musical that uses fairy tales as a metaphor for the hard parts of growing up and parenting. They also left out what I consider to be the best song in the musical. Maybe they should have done with Universal has done with Wicked and split it in two parts. Then we could actually get an adaptation that doesn’t compromise. And my goodness, Wicked not only doesn’t compromise, it completely exceeds its source material.

Synopsis

Wicked is a twisted retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz tale. It asks the question: What if the morally simplistic tale is a facade for something…wicked? At the beginning we learn that the wicked witch has been killed and there is a celebration of her death. Glinda, the good witch (Ariana Grande), then proceeds to tell the story of their time at school together.

The person we know as the wicked witch of the east is Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). She is actually a magically talented girl who was simply born with green skin. Her complexion causes everyone around her to either hate or mock her. Eventually when at school her talent is discovered, and she is promised to get her “heart’s desire” from the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Review

The film certainly expands upon the musical. I suppose you’d have to if you wanted to have a two hour and forty-minute first half of a story. The themes of otherness and outright racism/antisemitism are much more pronounced in the movie, and I certainly felt Elphaba’s struggle much more. John M Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) is master of bringing the authentic emotions of his characters out. I found myself in tears more than once, which is something that didn’t happen with the musical adaptation.

Grande and Erivo are nearly flawless in their roles. I was worried when Grande was cast. However, I was less so for Erivo because I knew she had the talent and the pipes. But somehow Ariana Grande steals almost every scene she’s in. She has the looks, the voice, and the comedic chops to co-lead the film. They are just so great together.

The rest of the cast is also stellar. I’m not sure that there has ever been more perfect casting than Jeff Goldblum as the wizard. And I had no idea that Michelle Yeoh, who plays Elphaba’s music teacher, could sing that well. They both are just incredible.

The sets and the effects are just delicious. I predict Wicked will win Best Production Design at this year’s Oscars. Combining that with amazing supporting cast and stupendous dancing and you have a recipe for a great time at the cinema.

The most surprising part was actually the score. Stephen Schwartz, who is the writer of the original musical, teamed with John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon) to use the songs’ themes as leitmotifs. This is one of the best scores of the year and I just couldn’t believe how effective it was.

Oddly, the film’s only weakness is having to rely on the source material. It’s a bit uneven in parts, but I honestly don’t know how they could make it better than they did.

The Bottom Line

Wicked outdoes its source material by leaps and bounds, making a film that does indeed defy gravity. It’s not perfect, but it’s close.

 

Check out our review of West Side Story.