Wicked the musical is one of the most beloved and iconic musicals of all time. Since it began its Broadway run in 2003, fans of musical theater and countless casual audiences alike have enjoyed the stunning production and timeless story, and the show is still going strong today, both in New York and touring across the country.
Attempting to adapt any theater production into a feature film is always fraught, and frankly, the track record of such efforts is quite poor. It is within this context that Universal Pictures and Jon M. Chu decided to tackle bringing Wicked to the big screen.
Fans of the musical, many who have seen the production numerous times over the years, are so passionate that getting this adaptation wrong would draw ire well beyond the typical fandom angst. And even when this project was initially announced, the response was mixed at best. Fortunately, Chu put together one of the most talented casts ever, and assembled an outstanding production team behind the camera as well.
The result is one of the most outstanding films of the year that will delight both life-long musical theater fans, and even appeal to the increasingly small number of uninitiated viewers.
Wicked is a cinematic and musical triumph that sets the bar so high that it defies gravity.
Wicked premieres Friday, November 22, 2024 in theaters
Review – The Film That Defies Gravity
Back in 2021 when Universal Pictures and Jon M. Chu announced that they were making Wicked into a feature film, the prevailing reaction amongst fans of the musical was mostly concern and anxiety. There are many who feel that some stories should never be adapted and should remain untouched (putting aside of course the fact that the musical is itself an adaptation of a book). It’s hard to blame that thinking, when Wicked is widely considered to be one of the best musicals ever and one that isn’t easily adaptable to another medium. One of the elements that makes musical theater such a unique and powerful storytelling device is the ability to feel the intense passion that can be communicated through live music. There’s something about the added layer of detachment on screen that typically neuters the emotional potency of experiencing it in person.
Of course, if there is any director with the artistic vision and musical dexterity to successfully harness that energy and bring it to a feature film, it’s Chu, who made his career directing music videos (remember those?) for the music industry’s top talents, and directed several under-appreciated music infused films.
As much as I enjoy Chu’s past projects, his most recent film, the feature length adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s In the Heights, left me wanting more. That film had strong visuals and music, but failed to fully translate the emotional weight of the musical. In short, there was just that little something that was missing.
It’s one thing to fall short of capturing the essence of In the Heights, which itself is a hugely successful Broadway production that won Tony Awards. However, Wicked is on another level completely. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that at least a part of Chu’s reputation as a director and musical storyteller was on the line with Wicked. Chu is obviously a talented director, but the question remained as to whether he had that rarified level of magic to successfully pull this off.
The answer is a resounding, yes.
Wicked the movie is simply spectacular. It’s the rare adaptation that properly translates all of the elements that make the musical so enchanting, while also adding aspects that enhance the story and offer a uniquely different experience.
First and foremost, the cast was impeccably chosen. The story’s two protagonists, Elphaba and Galinda Glinda, are such unique characters that they are near impossible to properly cast. Yet somehow, Chu and casting director Bernie Telsey managed to find quite possibly the only two people in the world who could play these roles on screen.
Ariana Grande‘s Glinda is unabashedly effervescent with healthy doses of wry narcissism. She glimmers on screen (literally) with such enthusiasm and yet doesn’t hide her elitism or ambitiousness. Grande somehow handles it all with such sincerity that Glinda is a joy to watch. Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo is a musical powerhouse, whose presence and charisma can not be denied. Erivo’s ability to belt with the best of them is well known, but her ability to communicate so much emotion from subtle facial expressions or her posture is equally as rich. This is one area where the film actually surpasses the musical – the close-up shots of the characters allow them to express the emotional weight of the story in a more intimate way. From their respective musical talents to their electric chemistry with each other, Erivo and Grande are fully committed to their roles from the opening number to the roll of credits. They are breathtaking to watch.
Erivo and Grande are spectacular, but do not have to carry the film alone. They are surrounded by an incredible cast that includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz. Bailey is charmingly magnetic and is able to properly exhibit Fiyero’s dueling personas of superficial hunk and conscientious objector. It would have been easy to go too far in either direction and render the character unlikable. But much like his crowd-pleasing performance of “Dancing Through Life,” Bailey proves to be adept at balancing the important aspects of his character and ultimately showing the audience that there is a lot more depth to Fiyero than one might expect.
Yeoh and Goldblum add weight and depth, as the two film veterans anchor the whimsical story and play characters who represent the uneasy darkness that is burgeoning. Madame Morrible and the Wizard our characters who offer stark and insidious contrasts to the bright and wonderful world around them. It’s almost unexpected to see Yeoh and Goldblum in these roles because the pair are such charismatic and beloved actors. But that’s the genius of the casting. You want to believe in and follow both Morrible and the Wizard, and that blind faith is the essence of this cautionary tale that many of us still need to learn from today.
It’s not all bleak from Yeoh and Goldblum however, as each play their roles with a hint of delight and amusement that audiences will enjoy. Yeoh’s Madame Morrible is more distinct and memorable than her musical counterpart. Maybe it’s just the fact that Morrible, who felt more like a small hench-person in the musical, is played by the always regal Yeoh, but the character certainly feels more notable in the film. It’s also fun to see a rare musical number from Yeoh, who apparently had some reservations about singing before joining the cast.
Chu and the rest of the filmmaking team surrounded the fantastic cast with a magical world, full of stunning visuals, beautiful costumes, and some of the most eye-popping and innovative set pieces ever seen. The world of Oz, which could easily stumble into the absurd, is instead wondrous and joyful, proving that you don’t need to add grittiness to bring a fantastical world to life. Oz is full of bright colors and fantastical looking characters and creatures, and yet feels very tangible and real. The library set piece in Bailey’s “Dancing Through Life” alone is one of the most creative sets I’ve ever seen.
At 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film is long and at times during the second act, it feels long. Chu takes full advantage of the runtime by adding small but meaningful additions to the story, including a greater emphasis on the plot of the animal creatures in Oz that I’ve often felt is given short shift in the musical. It’s a welcome addition from the book that I think will pay off even more so in the sequel next year. While the film does slow down in the second act, once the third act begins, the film soars to the end. The final number, the iconic “Defying Gravity,” is jaw-dropping, spine-tingling and every other effusive description possible.
One element that is easier to accept in a musical than on film is the fact that this story takes place in a fantastical school, Shiz University, where all of the students are full grown adults acting like children. In a musical, where there is a physical distance between the performers and the audience, it’s easy to ignore. But with the up-close camera work on film, it’s hard to overlook the cognitive dissonance of a teenage story performed by grown-ups. It’s not an unexpected element, of course, but there are moments where I couldn’t help but take a step back and notice the discrepancy.
Beyond that, Wicked is a cinematic marvel. Chu and his team accomplished the near impossible and created a film that fans will want to watch as many times as they have watched the musical. Next year, when the longest intermission in theater history ends and Wicked Part 2 releases, their biggest challenge will be matching their own success.
Rating – 5/5 Pocky
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
