FILM REVIEW: "Wicked" is a classic, unapologetic musical that thrives on screen
It is hard to think of modern musicals without thinking of Wicked, the immensely popular 2003 show based on The Wizard of Oz that went on to win a massive amount of theatre awards and sell out record numbers of shows worldwide. Now, after almost 20 years, the smash Broadway hit dances its way to the big screen in two parts, the first part releasing in Australia Wednesday 20th November 2024 with Part Two to follow in November 2025.
The stage musical is full of big sets, costumes, performances and characters, and the musical’s army of fans were hyped by every shred of information they could get before this release.
Director John M. Chu had the unenviable task of converting the already complex stage production with a massive cultural influence to the big screen, not to mention having to overcome the lukewarm responses towards recent big-budget musical films like Mean Girls and Joker: Folie a Deux.
From the very first shot of the film, we are transported to Oz, filled with familiar Munchkin faces, a yellow brick road and Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande). We quickly flash back to her time in school with Elphaba, a green-skinned girl with magical powers who begins as a social outcast, and then famously becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
The sets are huge, the costumes, scenery and choreography are inch-perfect, and a snappy script and edit mean that there is not a moment wasted as we jump from scene to scene. While Wicked is about the friendship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda, we also get to explore romance, family dramas, racial tensions and the dynamics of power without ever losing its pace.
Wicked is also just relentlessly funny. Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey are in their element as Galinda/Glinda and Fiyero respectively, each with impeccable comedic timing. Their bevy of improvisational-feeling asides and idiosyncrasies are a joy to watch. While sceptics may have doubted Grande’s blockbuster ability, they were hopefully impressed by her Saturday Night Live appearance and will definitely be converted by her sheer charm in this role. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba is the beating heart at the core of the film though, and even through the massive amounts of green paint her expressions and emotions shine through brilliantly.
While we love the script and the laughs, a musical is nothing without its songs, and luckily the best bit of the film is in the execution of these. I was incredibly moved by the sweeping grandeur of Erivo singing The Wizard and I, with her final note ringing from the cliffs being the main thing I’m looking forward to on a rewatch. I’m also not sure there has been a better character introduction than Fiyero’s Dancing through Life sequence, complete with Inception/High School Musical 3-inspired moving cylindrical library. The addition of pre-recorded vocals mixed in with live performances really captures the giddy headiness of seeing a musical live, with Elphaba and Glinda’s duet in Defying Gravity being another standout moment.
That said, it would be hard for Wicked to be any more of a musical musical. Characters sing their emotions, the choreograph, even between songs, is non-stop, and the melodrama is rampant. This may not be for everyone, but I love them, and the adaptation is one of the best, and captures the Broadway musical magic while expanding it to thrive on the big screen.
