Wicked - Review: Casting a Spell

 

Few works in the entire world of entertainment have taken the world by storm like “Wicked” did in its original Broadway run and the years since. Not only has the music become iconic, but the show has also wormed its way into pop culture, parodied and tributed in various works across the entertainment medium. When a (relatively) new show manages to make the kind of impact it has (it is the second highest grossing stage musical of all time), a film adaptation is inevitable. Thus, we have John M. Chu’s (“In the Heights,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) two-hour-and-forty-one-minute first part of this epic film adaptation of “Wicked.” 

The film stars Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet,” “Bad Times at the El Royale”) as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande-Butera (“Victorious,” “Don’t Look Up”) as Galinda Upland, and follows the pair’s unlikely friendship at Shiz University, years before they would eventually become known throughout the land of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, respectively. The film also stars Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) as the head of Shiz, Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton,” “Broadchurch”) as the troublesome Fiyero, Marissa Bode, in her feature film debut, as Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) as Dr. Dillamond, a goat professor at Shiz, and Jeff Goldblum (“Jurassic Park,” “The Fly (1986)”) as the Wizard of Oz. 

Given virtually monumental expectations of a project like this, it’s a good thing that Chu and his team have almost perfectly stuck the landing in bringing this monumental story to the big screen. From the sets to the costumes to the effects and choreography, it’s a musical adaptation that’s completely unafraid to be a musical. Not only that, but it’s also a film that revels in all the gorgeous details that the cinematic landscape can afford it. It’s an example of the best of both entertainment worlds, straddling the line between a thrilling example of the filmmaking medium when it’s firing on all cylinders, without losing the showmanship at its heart. 

Because let’s face it, one of the biggest potential pitfalls of an adaptation like this is letting the craft outshine the character, and Erivo and Grande-Butera absolutely shine as bright as can be. The pair get to show off their singing skills while also excelling in the smaller character moments. One scene in particular towards the middle of the film has the pair wordlessly exchanging a moment of emotion, and it’s one of the film’s best moments because of the talent of their emotional expression. Erivo might get the bigger moments and Grande-Butera might have a bit more of a comedic bend to her role, but they never let those elements define their performances, crafting multifaceted portraits of these iconic characters that stand alongside their originators on Broadway. 

As the film goes from the hallways of Shiz to the grander scale of the land of Oz, the true craftsmanship on display becomes clear and beautiful to behold. The film's crew has a heavy emphasis on experienced theatrical talent; from costumes by “Hamilton” costume designer Paul Tazewell (“Harriet,” “West Side Story (2021)”) to cinematography by Alice Brooks (“In the Heights,” “tick, tick... BOOM!”), the film’s technical aspects are exceptional. There’s a large amount of practically crafted sets and environments on display, and it works wonders as a hugely immersive work of staging. Nathan Crowley’s (“Tenet,” “Interstellar”) excellent and towering production design works, whether it’s the small-scale stature of Shiz or the towering green buildings of the Emerald City, it all comes alive and serves as excellent spaces for its performers to shine. 

Given its massive length, another magic trick that “Wicked” manages to pull is its brisk pacing. Whether it’s because of the film’s spliced narrative (more on the in a bit) or just it’s absorbing musical numbers and characters, the entirety of the film moves along at a brisk pace, reaching its conclusion in what feels like a mere hour, let along over two-and-a-half. Chu and his team deserve ample praise for that, especially given the recent trend of films that are basically half the length of this feeling far longer. 

Now, about that spliced narrative. As the film itself proudly declares merely ten minutes in, this is Part 1 of a two-part adaptation in an effort to not shrink or cut too much from the stage show. It’s an admirable goal, especially given the scope of the story and the nature of other musical adaptations cutting material and characters across the board. While there isn’t much, if any, of that here, it does create problems with the supporting cast. 

Yeoh and Goldblum are great here, playing their roles with a larger-than-life attitude, with Goldblum in particular proving himself to be a perfect choice to play the shifty-eyed conman of a wizard. Dinklage makes a great impact as Dillamond, Bode is absolutely fantastic, Bailey is a swoon worthy heartthrob with a heart of gold, and Ethan Slater (“The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!”) pops up as the munchkin student Boq with awkward if underutilized charm. Even for as great as each of them are, they’re fundamentally underserved by the nature of the two-part format. As the film ends, while Elphaba and Galinda feel like they get a significantly thrilling chunk of their story told, the rest feel like background characters, superfluous and unimportant. 

Which is a frustrating conclusion to come to as they clearly are not, but their arcs just aren’t finished yet. They are characters that will clearly come into their own more in part two, but as it stands for this first film, they’re two-dimensional background characters behind Galinda and Elphaba’s larger story. Take it like this: if you were unfamiliar with the stage musical or these characters at all, you’d likely walk out of the movie wondering why so much time was spent with these characters that served very minor storytelling purposes. 

That’s largely a nitpick though, as most will likely watch this first part and then immediately roll into the second in the coming years after its release, much like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Which is fitting, as this is a thrilling, fantastically acted, gorgeous spectacle of a musical. It makes great use of both its cinematic and musical format, creating a truly breathtaking kind of big-screen experience that crescendos just as the curtains fall on its first act. It can easily stand as one of the best musicals of the 21st century. And if they can nail the second act, possibly in all of film. 4.5/5