Wicked
Wicked
Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh
Directed by John M. Chu
After the Wicked Witch of the West died, Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) visits Munchkinland and tells the citizens that she and the Wicked Witch were once friends when they met back at school at Shiz University. Back then, Glinda was known as Galinda and was a mean girl who sought popularity and fame above anything else, and was widely admired by the general student body. Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) was born to a family that didn't want her because she was born green, and was forced to live an ostracized life, going to the University to see her sister off to college, but is encouraged to stay by the Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) after she witnesses Elphaba's magic firsthand. She is placed in Galinda's room, and the two girls butt heads right away - Galinda hates having a roommate and is jealous Elphaba got into Morrible's magic program, and Elphaba is jealous of Galinda's attention and admiration.
Soon Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) arrives on campus, and both girls are smitten by him, and then it comes to light that the talking animals are being hunted down for being different, including the school's history professor Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), who's a talking goat. Elphaba and Dr. Dillamond form a deep friendship, and when Galinda is nice to her sister she asks Morrible to let Galinda into the program, and the two girls begin forming a deep friendship. Elphaba is soon invited to visit the Wizard of Oz, and brings Galinda (who now goes by Glinda) along with her, hoping to convince the Wizard to rescue the animals. However, the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) has different plans for Elphaba, leading her to challenge his authoritative rule.
There was a few issues I had going into the film that I'll discuss first. As I said earlier, I never saw the play, and knew little to nothing about the overall plot. While I love musicals, this one never really appealed to me, so I wasn't too excited going into it. Maybe it was the low expectations, but I was utterly and completely blown away by the film's spectacular essence. It proved me wrong.
At two hours and forty minutes, I wondered why the film had to be so long, considering it was just the first part of a two-part movie. Why would it need to be so long, and what story could it tell in that time that would warrant another movie to follow? It felt like it would just drag on and be a bore - but again, it proved me wrong. The film is filled with impeccable song and dance numbers with excellent choreography and dazzling set pieces that blend CGI with practical in perfect unison.
I was surprised Ariana Grande was cast as Galinda/Glinda, because I didn't think she had what it takes to co-lead such a massive production. For the third time I was proven wrong, and honestly I haven't been this wrong since I thought Heath Ledger would be a terrible Joker in "The Dark Knight." Ariana Grande deserves an Oscar - words I never thought I'd type, say, or even contemplate - as she far exceeds any expectations placed upon her.
So to the film itself. It's pure movie magic, a prime example as to why movie theaters exist. It's exquisite in every sense of the word. The story it profound and deep, where no character is truly wholly good or evil, which is a question Glinda posts at the start: can someone truly be wicked? The characters are deep, multi-dimensional people who are both good and bad, based either on upbringing, popularity, or prejudices thrust upon them. There's different layers to the story that keeps you engaged: from Elphaba's isolation to Galinda's outwardly perfect life that harbors inner turmoil; from girls fighting for the love of one guy to the plight of the talking animals; from idol worship to evil politics, "Wicked" has it all, and doesn't skimp on any of it.
There's a lot of talk about the performances of the film (which I'll get into soon), but I'd be remissed and neglectful not to mention the excellent behind-the-scenes people who put this dazzling spectacle together. John Chu is no stranger to directing musicals, as the painfully neglected "In the Heights" shows, and he masterfully uses his knowledge and abilities to deliver another top-notch musical. Paul Tazwell's costume designs are absolutely stunning, each dress, costume, and outfit painstakingly designed to "pop" - and pop they do. Nathan Crowley's production design is unmatched, blending CGI and practical effects to bring Shiz University - not to mention the Emerald City and other locations - to vibrant life. Alice Brooks' cinematography dazzles from scene to scene, and the choreography by Christopher Scott is unparalleled. Each musical number is a work of art, and fuels the story as an unstoppable fire.
Now to the performances themselves. Jonathan Bailey is charming and witty as Prince Fiyero, who's number "Dancing Through Life" accentuates his Broadway roots. Peter Dinklage voices the goat professor Dr. Dillamond with power and authority, but also a deep melancholy. Michelle Yeoh is once again goddess level as the malevolent Madame Morrible, who seems nice and sweet but has dark ulterior motives. Jeff Goldblum might not be the best singer (to me, his "A Sentimental Man" is the weakest, but moreso because his charming voice feels like a lullaby), but there's no denying his acting chops as the Wizard of Oz, who we all know isn't all he's cracked up to be.
The film itself rises and falls on Elphaba and Galinda, and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are sheer perfection. Erivo plays Elphaba with a mixture of inner strength and vulnerability, which is most notably shown at the Ozdust Ballroom scene. She has been forced to rely on herself her entire life, and doesn't know what it means to really rely on anyone else. She has a power that she cannot control, and has a deep thirst for justice and truth. Erivo speaks volumes with her eyes alone, not to mention her singing chops, which are unparalleled. The last moments of the film - "Defying Gravity" - is an absolute masterpiece of cinema, and is up there as one of the most impactful moments in any movie I've ever seen. That's the second moment I teared up, and thankfully when I saw the movie it was in the afternoon so it wasn't packed, and I sat alone in the back so as to not be interrupted by singing theater people, because when her battle cry rang out, I stood and pumped my fists in the air almost instinctively, and I knew that I had witnessed something truly magical.
As alluded to earlier, I was so impressed with Ariana Grande's performance as Galinda. She was the typical mean girl at the start of the film, and her character is so nuanced it's hard to decide whether or not she truly became "good." She befriends Elphaba finally at the Ozdust Ballroom after finding out Elphaba stood up for her, giving us a tear-inducing silent dancing moment, but was she doing it because she really was trying to be good, or because she felt bad for being a jerk before? Her character develops more with the wildly popular "Popular" song that's the non-emotional highlight of the film, but even near the end it's hard to tell whether or not she's truly shed her mean girl persona entirely. This is a testament to Grande's performance, and again it's one I feel demands awards recognition.
When they're together, Erivo and Grande are unstoppable. Their chemistry goes far beyond the characters they play, as they truly seem like the best of friends in real life with all the marketing and promotion they've done for the film. Their platonic love for one another oozes out of the screen and seeps into your soul, and as Elphaba says in the film - "think of what we can do together." "Wicked" is what they can do together, and it's pure movie magic.
The Score: A+
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