A movie adaptation of the famous musical, Wicked has long been beset by the weight of expectations: clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes while covering just the first act of the Broadway show, trailers that looked bland, and truncated musical clips to name a few.
But like its most viral song, the finished product is able to defy gravity and deliver maybe the most crowd-pleasing hit of 2024 that is charming critics and audiences alike.
I myself had been wary of the film, having never seen the Broadway show and judging entirely from the trailers, but glowing reviews had me hopeful going into my early access screening Wednesday night.
To be fair, some of the issues in the trailer do carry over into the finished product—there are consistent lighting issues that unfortunately detract from gorgeous practical sets and otherwise vibrant colors. That’s not to say that it is all bad though, I still found the film to be generally colorful and have that sense of magic throughout, it simply fell short of the potential if it hadn’t been so bizarrely lit at times. Many people are likely not to notice at all.
One issue that is entirely inconsequential to anyone else is that our early access screening happened to be in 3D in a small town theater notorious (at least to us) for having an issue with 3D. It is not as bad as it once was, but the 3D left background characters and sets fuzzy at times and we are looking forward to a rewatch without the 3D to better appreciate the look of the film. In a working 3D theater, the film seems to have a few sequences that would benefit the medium, and there are plenty of close-ups that look nice in 3D, so this is not necessarily a knock on the 3D version of the film at large.
None of that really mattered too much though as the lead performances from Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda carry you through the story with fantastic directions and choreography from Jon M. Chu. This is the best-directed move musical since Spielberg’s West Side Story. Where Chu and his performers really shine is in transitioning into the songs—unlike so many movie musicals, there is never a moment that the songs feel awkwardly inserted into the midst of dramatic acting. Rather, the scenes flow seamlessly into the music and back out, which I think makes or breaks a musical.
Erivo is powerful as the outcast Elphaba and Grande brings impeccable comedic timing; those worried about whether the singers could bring the acting chops to match the vocals can worry no longer.
The songs are obviously iconic (if you haven’t seen the show, the two most popular songs “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” are both in the first act of the musical and therefore also in this movie) and performed to perfection by Erivo and Grande. Jonathan Bailey also holds his own as the handsome prince Fiyero, both in acting and singing performance.
Fiyero’s song “Dancing Through Life” actually features maybe my favorite choreography of the entire film, which I won’t spoil here.
I also enjoyed a bit of plot brought in, apparently, from the books that are not present in the musical regarding talking animals. There are moments that we get to peek behind the curtain at the fascism running amok in Oz and it is at times spookily resonant.
Really the only semi-sour note in the whole shebang is Jeff Goldblum, who kind of just does a Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard. While that makes sense for the character of the Wizard, it still comes off as Goldblum playing himself and not a distinct character with similarities to himself.
Some have criticized Wicked as being “half a movie,” but as “part one” films go, this is about as complete a movie as you could ever hope for. While it certainly sets the stage for another piece of the story to come, it felt to me like it completed its narrative arc.
The movie sets up the potential for an intriguing second act, one that I personally can’t wait to see put to screen. The only way from here is up.
