Sofia Bellon | Staff Writer
No matter where you’ve been the past couple months, it seems everything is bathed in pink and green. From dolls, to coffee cups, to Xfinity commercials, “Wicked” is absolutely everywhere.
However, despite the musical-turned-film being one of the most anticipated films of 2024, Jon M. Chu’s iteration felt lackluster and long, proving disenchanting in its adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical.
Adapting a musical over 20 years old is a daunting task and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande both proved up to the feat. Their performances are exceptional despite the movie’s dragging pace.
Erivo and Grande’s magnetism is undeniable and it’s clear to me that they are the heart of this film and the reason some people return to watch it in theaters after a first viewing, but the creative choice to blur the line between a fantasy world and a real world failed to truly captivate me.
Erivo was spectacular as Elphaba Thropp, the intelligent and sensitive young girl with green skin who will eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West. Erivo brings the magic of Elphaba to the screen with ease, shining brightest during the film’s show-stopping, emotional moments. Her rendition of “The Wizard and I” stuck with me long after viewing and her performance of “Defying Gravity”, one of the musical’s most iconic songs, was the ending that saved a rather dull second half.
Grande’s performance as Galinda Upland, a delightfully ditzy and charming student of Shiz University with delusions of grandeur who borders on being unlikable at times, is wonderful. She suits the role well, fitting right into the world of whimsy. Her performance was reminiscent of arguably the most iconic Galinda of all time, Kristin Chenoweth, but Grande’s charm makes the character her own and her technical ability as a singer never falters. Her preparation for the role was evident and it was great to see her expand her acting repertoire with something that suited her so well.
Together Grande and Erivo showed us the magical chemistry expected of an Elphaba and Galinda duo both as scene partners and singing partners.
However, the magic began and ended with them.
“Wicked” is a notoriously fast-paced musical but this 2-hour 40-minute movie adaptation only covers the first act. This film didn’t keep the driving energy that makes the musical so exciting. The second half of the movie fails to keep an engaging pace as the plot drags on tangents with no apparent culmination until the meeting of The Wonderful Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum with all his characteristic eccentricity. Someone unfamiliar with the story as a whole might end up confused or, at worst, disenchanted.
Moulding the first act of “Wicked” the musical to fill an appropriate run time for a blockbuster movie is a tall order, but it could have done with a little less stretching.
The world-building, while objectively intricate and impressive, fell a bit flat for me. “Wicked” invokes memories of technicolor and drama with a feeling that the universe in which the story plays out is much grander than our own.
However, that magic was not captured on screen. This adaptation was as life-like as it could be, with lots of natural (or natural-looking) lighting and apparently realistic sets for places like Shiz University and even Emerald City. While my hat goes off to the creative team for achieving such a feat, this made the movie look dull by comparison to its source material and the glamor of Chu’s previous work (“Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights”).
Despite its downfalls, there are moments where Chu takes full advantage of the function of the camera and captures some standout, detailed shots of things an audience in the Gershwin Theater on Broadway could have never seen in such a perspective.
Much like its source material, the movie also features a great ensemble cast and impressive choreography for large-scale musical numbers like “Dancing Through Life”.
Overall, the movie is light-hearted with funny moments and great performances if you don’t mind the 3-hour run time. Grande and Erivo are enchanting in lead roles and their chemistry does wonders for the film.
Although “Wicked” failed to bewitch me, I believe the true magic is off-screen in the patience it takes to wait for “Wicked Part Two”, slated for release in Fall 2025.
6/10
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