To a theater kid, the adaptation of “Wicked” that hit theaters last November has been a long time coming. Universal has had the rights to adapt the original book by Gregory Maguire for ages, and even after they allowed the production of a Broadway show based on the same book, the movie has floated in and out of development for decades. But now, over 20 years after the show started playing in New York, a movie adaptation is finally out. Well, an adaptation of Act 1 of the musical, at least.
For those unfamiliar, “Wicked” tells the story of “The Wizard of Oz’s” green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West named Elphaba. After getting the attention of a sorcery teacher at Shiz University, she’s roped into attending and forced to room with Galinda, who will become Glinda the Good Witch. The troublesome prince of another area of Oz, Fiyero, and Elphaba’s sister Nessarose are also important characters, but the focus is always on Elphaba and Galinda as their friendship grows and develops. By the end of Act 1, she’s on the path to becoming the Wicked Witch. As for what happens in Act 2, that will be its own movie this November, so I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t seen the show.
As someone who has seen the show on Broadway twice, this movie is one of the most faithful adaptations I’ve ever seen. Care has been taken to not cut anything, except for a reprise of “The Wizard and I” that was so negligible that I didn’t even notice it was missing anyway. Everything has been expanded upon in a way that makes sense, unlike many book adaptations that cut things out to the point where you have to read the book anyway to understand what’s really going on. They expand upon Elphaba’s troubled birth and childhood, briefly showing Galinda’s parents-giving light on why she acts the way she does-and making Shiz come alive as an Ozian college campus, among other great changes and additions. Adaptations fail if they can’t stand on their own, and I’m proud to say “Wicked” succeeds in the best ways possible.
Of course, as with any Broadway adaptation, the make or break of the movie is the songs and how they’re performed. “Wicked” has live singing instead of lip-syncing to a prerecorded track, and despite the mixed record live singing has, I’m happy to say it’s another success here. Despite initial criticisms of what was seen in the trailers, most infamously Cynthia Erivo’s popped-up version of the iconic riff at the end of “Defying Gravity,” the songs are quite good. I have to give props to Ariana Grande as Galinda, who sings not as Ariana Grande but more like a combination of herself and Kristen Chenoweth, the original Broadway Galinda. “Popular” was incredibly fun and fun to listen to because of her performance. Everyone is excellent, most surprisingly even Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. He has a particular moment that I won’t go into detail with, because it has major spoilers for the ending of Act 2, but if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll know it when you hear it.
The staging of the songs, and staging in general, is also excellent. Director Jon M. Chu has grown with every musical movie he has directed, seemingly all in preparation to do this story and Oz justice. “Dancing Through Life’s” highs and lows, “Something Bad’s” eerie foreshadowing and “Defying Gravity’s” electrifying finale are all brought to life here incredibly well. Criticism has been drawn, even amongst my own friends, towards how the characters constantly jump from singing to talking, especially in “Defying Gravity,” but considering the need to include everything from the show and expand on it, as well as the live singing, I think it’s a necessary evil. Besides, it never bothered me personally. The director of a musical I was in in high school once told me when words fail, a character sings.
“Wicked” may be 20 years old while the original book is even older, but the success of this movie shows that its story is still as fresh and engaging as ever with its themes of friendship and seizing your own power. The wait for Act 2 feels like the longest intermission ever, and I say that in the best way possible. Before “Wicked: For Good” comes out this November, I highly recommend giving this movie a watch whether you’re a theater kid or not. You may be sick of seeing pink and green everywhere, as well as all of the other marketing mishaps this movie had to endure, but trust me: Despite its almost three-hour run time, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
Rating: Five out of five kernels
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