It is a rare feeling for me at the end of movie where my first inclination is that I want to watch the film again.
But such is the case with the John Chu film production of the Broadway Musical WICKED…or should I say the FIRST ACT of the Broadway Musical Wicked.
And, darned if it doesn’t work and work well. Chu, wisely, decided to split the telling of this story into 2 movies - to give characters and situations room to breathe and grow and this decision works well for Chu is wise as to where to extend and/or dive deeper into a scene/character and where/when to move on. The resulting film is a faithful adaption of the beloved musical - keeping all songs, storylines and characters in the film while adding some color to a very familiar musical.
Wicked tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch and for anyone who has seen this musical by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin/Godspell), you know that this musical rises and falls on the performance, interaction and chemistry between the two leads.
And…in this film…the 2 leads interact VERY well together. Cynthia Erivo, as expected, excels as Elphaba - the misunderstood, green person who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Erivo’s Elphaba is strong, vulnerable, wise and wounded while also showing off a booming singing voice that commands that you watch her whenever she is on the screen.
She is ably supported by Grande - the biggest surprise of this film. Her Glinda is slight, self-centered and disarmingly funny. She is a bright yang to Erivo’s yin and while you know she has a singing voice, it is a different animal, indeed, for a Pop Singer to sing Broadway tunes and Grande is more than up to the task.
But it is not just the leads that shine, the Supporting Roles are filled with more-than-capable performers both as singers and actors starting with veteran stage actor Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Michelle Yeoh who rounds out the slightly written character of Madame Morrible quite capably (thanks to the extra time this film gives). Oh…and don’t forget the unforgettable Jeff Golblum who is perfectly cast as The Wizard (of Oz).
This film is a visual feast as well as the Costumes, Set Direction and Art Direction are fantastical and Director Chu does a remarkable job of blending the real world (or…as real as it can get) with CGI and then keeping the pace going so one has time to ingest the visuals, but not linger on them (so you cannot see the lines). He strodes that line well and this film is all the more full for it.
As good a time in the Cineplex that I have had in quite some time - do yourself a favor and see WICKED on the biggest screen possible (with the best sound system possible). You’ll be glad you did.
Letter Grade: A+
The rare 10 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
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