“Wicked” came out in theaters last week, and it has taken over the box offices, the toy sections of all the Targets and Walmarts and every media channel imaginable. Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews of the film and its insane presence on social media, I was hesitant to let myself enjoy the movie. As someone who recently saw “Wicked” on Broadway and was blown away, I did not think a movie could possibly live up to the performance.
Cynthia Erivo, who is cast as Elphaba— more commonly known as the Wicked Witch of the West— had already been involved in disputes with fans before the movie had even been released. Rumors circulated about Erivo’s oddly intimate relationship with her co-lead Ariana Grande, who is cast as Glinda. We had only seen Grande portray ditsy preteens in shows and perform breathy pop music, so I was concerned about her ability to successfully be the Glinda we deserve. In addition to the controversies surrounding Erivo and the seemingly random casting of Grande, film adaptations are nearly never as good as the original performance or literature. I was convinced this film would inevitably tarnish the beautiful musical (cough cough Mean Girls) but it was 100 percent the exception.
The movie “Wicked” was phenomenal and absolutely needed to take up the two hours and 40 minutes of screen time it did. This film executed some of the best world-building I have seen in recent media. Rather than use excessive CGI, they included scenes of hundreds of munchkins, all adorned with colorful and intricate costumes. Within the course of the movie, they successfully established an alternate universe with unique societal norms and systemic issues. It was so magical that ever since leaving the theater I have had the overwhelming urge to pick up a new fantasy series or to just run back in and watch “Wicked” over again.
“Wicked” on Broadway was fun. It was unpredictable, Elphaba was spunky and awkward and Glinda was comically aloof. The movie version of “Wicked” was emotional. Elphaba had deeply real desires and dreams, and she consistently stood up for what she believed in, even to her own demise. Glinda was a good friend and multi-dimensional emotionally, and she even spoke out against the people she idolized for the sake of her friend.
I think the movie was more impactful than the musical because it told a story already decades old. What happens in part two of the movie “Wicked” is already well-known from the musical, so they were able to artfully embed dramatic and emotional foreshadowing.
The incredible opening number “No One Mourns the Wicked” was such a powerful ballad because the audience could see the pain on Glinda’s face as she operatically cried out while the town burned a statue of her best friend. Elphaba’s cry “Someday there’ll be a celebration throughout Oz that’s all to do with me,” in the song “The Wizard and I” carried undertones of sweet bitterness as the audience knew the celebration would actually be a damnation. Knowing the story while watching “Wicked” made it poetic, it made every single choice while producing the film seem calculated and symbolic.
Unusually, Ervio and Grande sang all of their songs live while filming. This is relatively unheard of and extremely impressive since actors typically lip-sing to a previously recorded track. Ervio even did all of her own stunts and Grande made sure all of her songs were executed in the original style in which they were written, not in the style she is known for. Small choices like these made their performances seem incredibly authentic and allow the audience to truly connect with the film.
“Wicked” was the best movie adaptation I have ever seen, and I am eagerly waiting for part two. If I don’t get the same outstandingly crafted three hours of media from the next one, then I might just turn green and pick up the mic myself.
