**SPOILERS AHEAD**
This Thanksgiving season, the Broadway musical Wicked premiered on the big screen. Starring Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda), the highly anticipated movie was well-received, surpassing several other movie musicals in the box office.
The movie tells the story of Elphaba Thropp, following her journey to being known as the worst villain in the Wizard of Oz Cinematic Universe. Elphaba is a teenager gifted with magical powers, leading to her unexpected acceptance to Shiz University. The first half of the movie mainly follows her relationship with her bubbly and charismatic roommate Glinda. In contrast to Glinda, Elphaba is ostracized due to her bright green skin and powers. The second half of the film follows her journey of self discovery, culminating in her meeting with the Wizard of Oz—a mystical and all-powerful figure that can grant her whatever she wishes.
Wicked premiered as the first part of two movies, with Wicked Part 2 set to be released in November of next year. Wicked is Act 1 of the Broadway musical, covering content up until the original musical’s intermission. It ends with Elphaba singing “Defying Gravity” after she meets the Wizard of Oz.
The length of the movie (two hours and 40 minutes) is about as long as the entire musical. This allowed the movie to expand upon multiple aspects of the plot, like internal conflict and relationships, that the Broadway version wouldn’t have been able to cover.
One of the biggest highlights of Wicked was the vocal performances. Erivo, a Broadway veteran and accomplished singer, delivered a stunning and emotional execution of many of Elphaba’s solos. “Defying Gravity” was one of the most moving parts of the movie and really developed Elphaba’s character. Her duets with other cast members were also balanced and delivered well. Grande similarly shined in her solo songs, with her iconic number “Popular” being one of the most memorable parts of the movie—partly because of the fun visuals and her crafty comedic timing.
However, some numbers weren’t as strong vocally. Grande’s singing sometimes embodied her own personal pop style instead of sounding like Glinda. This was particularly noticeable in “Popular” when compared to her higher and more operatic numbers. It was difficult to separate Glinda’s personality from Grande’s personality. While Grande’s acting was generally outstanding, some songs could have been sung without the typical “Grande twist.”
The visuals also stood out as one of Wicked’s strengths. Director Jon M. Chu mentioned in interviews that he wanted to minimize the amount of CGI used in sets and backgrounds. This led to fantastical yet realistic scenery, particularly in the opening sequence of the movie. In numbers such as “What is This Feeling?” and “Dancing Through Life,” the actors’ interactions with their environment added to the liveliness of the scene. The choreography was also equally as impressive as it did not detract from the vocals, but rather added to the magic of Oz.
The movie also had its shortcomings—with one being the animal subplot. In the expanded Oz Cinematic Universe, animals are free to take part in society, having the ability to speak in human voices. Over the course of the movie, Elphaba and other students at Shiz University are slowly exposed to the discrimination animals face. Notably, the goat professor Doctor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage) is threatened with the loss of his job. The movie also shows some animals facing the risk of losing the ability to talk. The reason why is unclear. This concept is introduced with minimal explanation, especially since the persecution of these animals doesn’t necessarily mean they would be forced to give up their voices.
Elphaba gets invested with the animals’ plight and she ultimately asks the wizard to help the animals instead of giving her normal skin. Despite this, no clear resolution is given at the end. This subplot was introduced and then brushed over very quickly. Although there will be a sequel, Doctor Dillamond is not followed up on, with the main focus of Part Two being Elphaba finding herself (again). Overall, not enough time is devoted to this subplot to make a meaningful impact.
While Wicked is meant to be a two-part movie, proper exposition for both movies should have been laid out throughout the film. For many viewers, Wicked was the first taste of the expanded Oz Cinematic Universe. Many relationships were introduced, like the one between Nessarose (Elphaba’s little sister) and Boq (a student from Munchkinland). However, not much basis for this relationship was given. To the unknowing viewer, it seems like a random side plot that wouldn’t affect the main plot. This relationship will be important in Wicked Part Two, but a regular viewer wouldn’t know that. More exposition should have been laid out to foreshadow the importance of certain relationships in coming movies. Also, with Part Two coming out a year later, it’s important to lay these foundations so they stick in the audience’s minds.
A significant amount of time in the first half of the movie was devoted to the relationship between Boq and Nessarose. However, both characters were rather one-note and lacked any true personality. Nessarose is simply sad and insecure, lacking much passion or comedy. Time would have been better spent fleshing out the complexities of Nessarose, especially due to her importance in the sequel. Boq is similarly boring. He originally takes an interest in Glinda (seemingly for no reason) but is rejected, leading to a generally insecure little man of a character. He also exaggerates his shortness as a munchkin, yet the actor Ethan Slater was a normal height compared to the rest of the cast. These factors led to a subplot that prolonged the length of the film but was uninteresting to viewers.
Additionally, the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba could have been hashed out more. They become friends a good way into the movie after passionately hating each other. They go straight from enemies to friends, completely skipping past the “friendly” stage. Little time is dedicated to showing the complexities of their relationship. At first, it’s jarring to see the support Glinda has for Elphaba since little is shown or explained about their relationship.
Overall, Wicked is worth the watch. It’s a fun, goofy movie-musical with stellar performances from its cast. The vocal performances and visuals were very well done, contributing to a convincing fantastical universe. Despite certain plotlines falling flat, they are minor flaws in an overall outstanding movie. 9/10, would recommend a watch!