ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Way back when I was in middle school, there was a concert when my school’s 7th/8th grade band played a medley of songs from the still-recent “Wicked” Broadway musical and fast-forward to October 2013, I finally got the chance to see the show onstage in Kansas City.
Fast-forwarding even more to Thanksgiving weekend 2024, I finally got the chance to see the first part of the show become adapted for the big screen, and the end result was everything I wanted and more. For those who are unaware, “Wicked” explores the friendship between Elphaba (who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz”) and Galinda (who becomes Glinda the Good). Their friendship is tested by contrasting personalities and conflicting viewpoints (to somewhat comedic effect), reactions to the corrupt rule of the Wizard of Oz, and ultimately, Elphaba's tragic fall.
To start, John M. Chu (who also helmed 2021’s “In The Heights” cinematic adaptation) was the absolute perfect choice to helm “Wicked” and clearly legitimately cared about making this movie as good as possible. He’s stated in multiple interviews how much he respect’s the show’s worldwide fanbase, and that care has shown throughout every step of the process, from the initial ‘first look’ photos to the trailers and everything else. He clearly had a vision for how he wanted everything to look and sound, and the end result is absolutely amazing. The Land of Oz absolutely pops with color, particularly in the scenes in the Emerald City, and the cinematography is absolutely stunning from the opening shot until the closing shot. There were multiple times throughout the movie where I was thinking “John M. Chu, you magnificent genius you!” and I feel like he deserves at least some Best Director nods when the next awards season comes up. And given how well he’s done with his musical efforts so far, I feel like Hollywood should just give him all future movie musical projects.
The film’s choreographer, Christopher Scott, also deserves a shoutout for his work. The sequences for the “What Is This Feeling” and “Dancing Through Life” numbers are particularly well done and pure eye candy. The choreography is sharp and precise and everything looks just so, so good.
Now, to move onto the casting. Cynthia Erivo made an absolutely perfect Elphaba, and I feel like she more than shuts down the racist/misogynistic comments she’s received basically since her casting was announced. Her powerful belting voice absolutely soars in each song she’s featured in, and I could tell she was particularly passionate during the film’s “Defying Gravity” finale. Her rendition of “I’m Not That Girl” is also particularly emotional, and I actually had some legitimate tears in my eyes. She also perfectly capture Elphaba’s angst as she tries so, so hard to be seen as good, and she’s also able to perfectly express her frustration and desire to correct the multiple injustices seen throughout the story. Overall, Erivo gives a more than solid performance, and I feel like she deserves some Best Actress nods come the next awards season.
The film’s other leading lady, Ariana Grande-Butera, was also perfectly cast as Galinda. Her charming soprano soars in each song she’s featured in, and her rendition of Galinda’s big number, “Popular,” was sheer perfection. Grande-Butera is able to convey Galinda’s initial snobbishness and evolution to becoming a genuine friend of Elphaba’s, and her comedic timing is off the charts. I fully admit I was apprehensive when I heard she was cast as one of the leads for this movie since I’m not a big fan of hers, but she ended up REALLY surprising me with her performance. When John M. Chu called her on Zoom to tell her she was cast, she sobbed “I’m going to take such good care of her!” and she definitely did so. Like Erivo, I feel like she deserves at least some Best Supporting Actress nods come the next awards season.
The political undertones of the movie also certainly didn’t escape my notice, and I felt like they were done very, very well. Racism and discrimination are evident in the storyline with the animals and their ability/right to speak being taken away, and there are so many parallels with how certain demographics are being treated in modern times, which is EXTREMELY sad and frustrating. The Wizard also has a quote later in the movie that goes “A good way to bring people together is to give them a real good enemy,” and that sentiment has been expressed be dictators and other wannabe despots throughout history, including our president-elect and his incoming “administration” (if you require proof of that, just look at video of any of his rallies or other campaign press appearances). The Wizard being portrayed as a con man ingratiating himself into the psyche of so many people and convincing them all he’s basically “the chosen one” also hits WAY too close to home for modern times. Overall, that messaging doesn’t necessarily hit the audience on the head with an anvil, but if you’re paying attention, it’s definitely there.
The only major complaint I had with the movie was how the handful of animal characters featured almost have the uncanny valley (that unsettling feeling you get when computer-generated characters closely resemble humans in many respects but aren't fully convincingly realistic) effect going on, and there definitely could have been some improvements in that respect.
Overall, I very much enjoyed John M. Chu’s cinematic adaptation of “Wicked” and I would give it a solid “A” grade. The casting is absolutely spot on, especially with the film’s leading ladies, and there multiple other standouts it would take too long to mention in just a regular column, The music and choreography for the movie’s musical numbers are absolutely wonderfully done (with “Defying Gravity” and “Dancing Through Life” being particular standouts for me), and the cinematography from beginning to end is absolutely outstanding. I would expect “Wicked” to take home at least some hardware during awards season, and if you’re a fan at all of the Broadway musical, you will absolutely love “Wicked: Part One.”
