‘Wicked’ review: Jon M. Chu’s vision has made this film worth the wait
5/5 Shiz acceptance letters
Musical adaptations are never easy but Jon M. Chu’s Wicked is magic in the making. The Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande led film honors the love of the stage musical with its own beautiful take on Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship.
Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) are forced together at Shiz University after Elphaba reveals her powers in an effort to help Nessarose (Marissa Bode). Watching every musical number come to life under Chu’s direction made the wait for this film worth it.
As many have pointed out, this is just part one in Elphaba and Glind’s story. It is very much the first act of the musical and it was a perfect choice. We got to spend time with these two women and see the change in their relationship from enemies to best friends so when we do get to Elphaba and Glinda on a journey together, we believe that their friendship is that important to the other.
That mixed with the moments we get between Elphaba and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and him and Glinda make the split that much more important. With a runtime nearly at the entire musical, we get to see growth between these characters and Chu has filled in the world of Oz with his own unique vision as well as making sure these characters and their motivations were clear to us as the audience.
Still, I did not think that a movie split between Act One and Act Two would work as brilliantly as Wicked does. We could have easily seen a film that was too long or overstuffed but Chu finds a perfect balance between the musical numbers in Act One as well as adding in new information from the book by Gregory Maguire for fans.
Having two theatre women at the core was a perfect choice
The casting of this film is beautiful because Erivo and Grande are both theatre women. Bailey was in Company on the West End. Ethan Slater, who plays Boq, came from theatre. The point I’m making is that because they have MANY theatre people in the cast, it carries the other characters played by movie stars versus musical theatre actors. It is why I found Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible so breathtaking because her softer musical moments were contrasted so beautifully with Erivo’s more bombastic moments.
I found myself sobbing over the subtle pain that Grande’s Glinda has in songs like “No One Mourns the Wicked” and Erivo’s “I’m Not That Girl” gave me that same pain I always knew the song would have over me. But for all the beauty of Oz and the glitz of Elphaba’s life at Shiz, Jon M. Chu’s Wicked still honors what this musical has always been about.
This is still a story about friendship
Often we think about Wicked and think of songs like “As Long As You’re Mine” which is a love story between two characters but for me, the real heart of this musical is the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. It is a story about two women who were changed for the better and try to be on each other’s side even when they do not understand their motivations.
In Wicked: Part One, we get to see how these two hated each other but then finally came to terms with what their “loathing” actually meant. Glinda was flippant and self-centered. Elphaba was cold and alone. But together, they cared about each other and Chu’s vision brings their friendship to life in such a beautiful way that I found myself crying at every turn.
As someone who has loved this musical for 20+ years, I did not think I’d be crying again over it. Yet Chu’s vision is so strong and clear that it felt like a new story to me. I discovered facts about the story that have always been there but I missed. Elphaba singing about a “celebration through out Oz that’s all to do with me” being about her death? Fiyero being the one person her poppy trick doesn’t work on? Those moments were NEW to me and I was floored by it. How had I missed those things in the original stage show? What was the difference here that had me aware of what was going on?
The answer is this cast. Erivo’s performance as Elphaba captivated me, Grande’s Glinda broke my heart, and I believed that Bailey’s Fiyero was more than just a brainless prince in nice pants. I loved every second of this movie and I cannot wait to have a double feature between this and Wicked: Part Two.
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