Review - Wicked: Part 1

Lightning in a bottle. That's what the big-screen version of Wicked manages to capture. With deep respect to the world of Oz, the songs, and the characters that audiences have loved for a lifetime, Wicked is that rare commercial film that has heart, warmth, magic, and real stakes. 

Full disclosure: I have been very grumpy about the idea of this movie. It's adapted from the Tony-winning musical theater production, which itself was adapted from the books by Gregory Maguire, who himself was riffing on the works of L. Frank Baum (who was probably chronicling an opium trip, for all I know, but I digress).  I love the musical. I've seen it twice, and the entire live theater version of Wicked is shorter than PART I of the theatrical film, which runs 2 hours and 40 minutes. Because I live in the real world (though not by choice), I was cynical about the whole thing. How many times does a multi-billion dollar corporate conglomerate need to take something beloved and merchandise the ever-loving life right out of it? I'm looking at you, Magical Worlds of Harry Potter. 

So to say that I felt protective of Wicked would be accurate, though it might be closer to say that I was weary of the corporate machine. Had the filmmakers behind this movie even seen the play? These days, you never can tell. I’ve heard stories, gang.

But in some crazy twist of fate, the film version of Wicked is not only slavishly faithful to the live theater version, it somehow manages to actually improve on the stage play in many ways. Because cinema is a far more intimate art form than theater, the film actually gives us more time and more engagement with the characters some of us already know and love. The filmmakers stick to the script with a few flourishes, which is the right call. 

Most importantly, they've left the music mostly unchanged. Some songs last a bit longer now, as they're woven into the visuals in ways that weren’t possible for live theater, but the instrumentation, the cadences, and the overall tone and feeling of those famous songs remains the same, if not slightly embellished in a way die-hard Ozians are sure to love. 

It’s hard to believe that all of this has been ushered to the screen by Jon M. Chu, the man who once gave us Crazy Rich Asians and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It all goes to show where we’re at in terms of these big tentpole films, for better and for worse, as often any sort of authorial tone takes a backseat to someone who can put the pre-assembled pieces together on time and on budget. Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox have delivered a screenplay that is often word-for-word quoting the live theater version, but with enough flexibility to further flesh out certain scenes in a way that adds to the experience in a meaningful way. Most importantly, the music by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell captures everything that makes these songs so powerful. The cinematography by Alice Brooks is wonderful, and even though this movie relies on what probably amounts to thousands of digitally-created shots and scenes filmed against a green screen, there are enough practical sets to keep me anchored and to prevent the film from feeling like a cartoon. 

In a rarity for me, I have no notes. I wouldn't change anything. While I think 2 hours and 40 minutes is awfully long for a film, especially one that only tells half a story, I can't find anything to cut or trim. Ariana Grande inhabits Galinda (the future Glinda, the Good Witch) in a way that I never believed anyone other than Kristin Chenoweth could. Same goes for Cynthia Erivo as Elpheba, aka the so-called Wicked Witch of the West, who matches Idina Menzel's performance--and might actually surpass it with her vocal acrobatics. Even Jeff Goldblum turns in a great performance (not something to take for granted these days) that strikes a balance between eccentric and threatening. Same goes for Michelle Yeoh, who walks a razor’s edge between stern professor and outright villain in a way that would have made Alan Rickman nod in approval.

In case you've been living under a yellow brick road, Wicked is the tale of the rivalry and eventual friendship between Galinda and Elpheba during their time at Shiz University in the land of Oz. It's not a spoiler to say that Elpheba is our heroine and this story follows the well-worn "everything you know is wrong" trope of storytelling. On its own, the story is solid: we get a look at aspects of Oz that we've never seen before, and The Wizard himself is further humanized. As a quirky spin on an old classic, it’s fun and subversive, if not groundbreaking or particularly innovative in form.

But the music changes everything and elevates the narrative to something altogether stunning. I'm a believer that music is actual magic; it shifts the chemistry of our brain. It makes people capable of things they didn't know they could accomplish, and the music of Wicked (both stage and screen) is so emotional, powerful, and transportive that I can hardly stand it. Lord help me, there are parts of the film version that are so overwhelming that I have to close my eyes because my senses can't take any more. I might actually explode, right there in my seat. But I also can’t get enough of it, and as of this writing, Wicked is the only film I’ve seen multiple times in theaters during this calendar year. It gets past my defenses. I am disarmed. 

In some ways, Wicked is a big swing for Universal, who I suspect has big plans for the entire series of novels by Gregory Maguire (there are four of them that continue the story across many years). We've already seen the lengths they've gone to market the movie (their most expensive marketing campaign to date, from what I've heard), and they've got Wicked merchandise wherever it fits--and some places where it doesn't. I have no doubt that Universal would love to have an Oz section in the Universal Studios theme parks. As cynical and jaded as I am by all of this corporate “IP mining,” Wicked has been done so well that not only do I not mind, I thrill at the possibilities. Might I one day be able to visit The Emerald City? To walk the Yellow Brick Road? To meet The Wizard? If Universal has their way, all of these things will be possible, and more. We may have Wicked movies for the next 15 years, just like Disney has done with Marvel. I don't even know if I want that, but the film is doing very well at the box office—one could say it’s “popular” (sorry), and the fate of Elpheba and company seems bright, despite the darker tones around the tale.

But all that lies in a swirling and uncertain future. For now, we have one half of Wicked. And it is very, very good.