‘Wicked’ (review)

As the year draws to a close, the obligatory family blockbusters are beginning to be released in a bid to lure in audiences seeking big screen entertainment in the lead-up to the holiday season, and Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the much-loved musical Wicked is one of the first releases vying for the attention of cinemagoers as 2024 nears its end.

Much like the film is based on a hit musical, the stage production was based on a book, which was of course inspired by the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, which was in turn based on one of L. Frank Baum’s multiple books set in the magical land of Oz.

Iconic as ever, The Wizard of Oz retains a devoted fan following to this day, and the stage production of Wicked equally continues to dazzle audiences more than two decades after its inception, but where the 1939 film was released during the golden age of Tinseltown, where movie musicals would continue to enchant audiences with lavish productions for several decades, the Hollywood landscape of today only sees the occasional release of a movie musical, and they are rarely received with much fanfare nowadays.

As such, in a contemporary cinematic landscape where movie musicals are few and far between, and film adaptations as a whole are constantly churned out with often questionable results, the concern that Chu’s Wicked may disappoint is understandable, however, the result of bringing the hit musical to the big screen thankfully proves to be rather delightful.

While the magic of the Hollywood musical is an artform that seems largely relegated to the past, the magic of the world of Oz has long since proven that it transcends time, and the film adaptation of Wicked manages to capture some of this timeless magic as well.

The way the land of Oz is realized not only pays fitting homage to the 1939 film, it also gives Wicked an identity of its own, balancing the original with the contemporary interpretation in a satisfactory manner that creates that all-important sense of magical whimsy, which is sure to amuse and entertain audiences of all ages without corrupting the spirit of the original work Wicked owes its existence to.

For fans of the stage production, the vocal merit of the film cast is impeccable, and it comes as no surprise that leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande both excel with their vocal work, the pair sharing a musical and thespian interplay that works exceedingly well.

As Glinda remarks, “pink goes good with green,” and the two leading ladies’ performances do indeed complement each other well thanks to their contrasting nuances; where Erivo’s more grounded performance makes her Elphaba easy to emotionally invest in, Grande’s hilariously ditzy Glinda ensures the popstar steals scenes throughout the film due the comedic quality of her performance.

In terms of the film being only the first part of a duet of films, the narrative structure is tied together neatly, succeeding at the ever-difficult balancing act of making this first half a satisfying cinematic experience in its own right, while also making the audience look forward to what lies ahead in the second part.

Movie musicals are not to everyone’s liking, and in addition to the genre in itself not being everyone’s cup of tea, others in turn will find the overall tone and style of Wicked too goofy and camp for their tastes, however, this does not detract from the film adaptation being competently made, ensuring it will be a crowd-pleaser for cinemagoers who want to end the year on a bubbly and whimsical note.

Verdict: 8 out of 10.

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Produced by Marc Platt, David Stone
Screenplay by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
Based on Wicked by Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman
and Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera,
Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode,
Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum