“Wicked” has been eagerly anticipated by many, while others have rolled their eyes at the film and its extensive marketing.
Typically, when multiple reporters review the same movie, there are plenty of disagreements to be had, but for once we all agreed: “Wicked” is incredible.
Weston Buhr | Business Manager
4.5/5 stars
If anyone needs a sign to see “Wicked,” consider this a sign. It has an impressive production design, chic costumes, revamped music by Stephen Schwartz and stunning performances. It is worth watching, trust me.
I feel obligated to mention that I am an active artist, a lover of movies and a two-time attendee of the Broadway musical in NYC. I had lofty hopes and expectations for this highly anticipated film adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu.
Chu hit it out of the park, in contrast to another Broadway stage musical turned Warner Bros movie musical “In The Heights,” he directed that flopped at the box office. According to Screen Rant, the opening weekend of “Wicked” beat the record for the highest-grossing Broadway-adapted movie musical.
Here’s why it’s so successful: I have never seen a more impressive production design, especially considering the set and costumes. According to production designer Nathan Crowley, the field of poppies that frames the iconic Emerald City consists of nine million real tulips, as a start.
The magical library at Shiz University houses a giant rotating bookshelf, which is perfect for dance breaks. And in the cavernous emerald throne room of the Wizard, there is a twenty-foot mechanical head.
Paul Tazewell designed the equally impressive costumes. I suspect his innovative use of silhouette, texture and color will earn him an Oscar nomination. Do I dare say that these costumes are better than the originals?
If I had one complaint, which I do, it would be that Fiyero’s (Jonathan Bailey) pants were not tight enough. Sorry, mom.
I knew the music was going to be good, and it is, since higher budget productions can afford a fuller orchestra. However, since the film is just the first act of the stage version, I was expecting a new song. Hey Warner Bros, I expect a new song in Part 2!
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, listed in the credits as Ariana Grande-Butera, sang live for their roles as Elphaba and Galinda, and they crushed it. I am thoroughly impressed. They also have palpable chemistry, dance complex choreography and do their own stunts! If anyone wants to see these queens of the stage defy gravity, get a ticket to see “Wicked.”
Tori Smith | News Editor
4.5/5 stars
“Wicked” is a movie based on a musical based on a book based on a movie based on a book. One may think this world and story have been beaten to death across nearly every storytelling format. I, too, went into this movie skeptical. I was wrong.
I should preface by saying I identify as a former theater kid, emphasis on the former. I started performing in sixth grade and continued all throughout high school and into college, where I fell out of love with the art form.
That said, I know my stuff when it comes to “Wicked.” I played the role of Glinda in a theatrical show in middle school, I know nearly every word to every song and I saw the show live at the Buell Theatre in Denver several years ago.
I did not think I was going to like this movie. There is something about the magic of “Wicked” on stage that I did not imagine would translate well to the screen. I was skeptical of two things in particular: the length and the stunt casting.
This movie has a run time of two hours and 40 minutes, and it only covers the first act of the musical which typically runs an hour and a half and is almost all context and world building. The real journey doesn’t begin until act two. How on earth did they squeeze over an hour of extra content out of this story?
I was sure the length was going to hinder this movie, but it does not feel like a nearly three-hour movie. The extra time was used to build upon Elphaba’s backstory and to give the audience time to marvel at the INCREDIBLE costuming and world building. This movie is truly beautiful and sucks you into what I believe to be the best depiction of the legendary world of Oz ever seen.
My second concern going into this movie was the stunt casting. When casting a musical, the casting director is faced with a difficult challenge: finding talent who can both sing AND act. Too often in movie musicals, I feel like one or the other is forgone in favor of casting big names. My biggest casting concerns were Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz and Grande as Glinda.
Goldblum did surprisingly well in his role. While his voice is nothing remarkable, it sort of lends itself to the smarmy nature of his character, and they cleverly disguised his inability to dance by having the character’s dance break silhouetted behind a curtain, where I imagine they had an actual dancer perform.
Grande blew me out of the water. Now, I knew she could hold her own when it comes to acting. I watched her on “Victorious” growing up, and I knew she got her start on Broadway, but I was concerned that the pop princess would struggle with such a challenging character. Glinda can easily become just another ditzy mean girl if she isn’t played with a certain warmth and self-awareness. Grande’s depiction of Glinda was hilarious, heartwarming and well developed. Ariana, girl, I’m sorry I ever doubted you.
This movie has done the impossible. I am coming out of my theater kid retirement. Since I watched it, I have been listening to the sound track non-stop. I can deny it no longer. Theater kids, despite all their quirks, make good art.
Kaylie Foster | Features Reporter
5 out of 5 stars
I should preface this by saying I am not a theater kid. I have never seen “Wicked” or even heard a single song, and I have long been a staunch objector to musicals in general. I also do not have any context for how this movie was created (although it sounds juicy from what I’ve learned since).
This movie was fantastic. I went in with zero expectations about what I was going to see, except for blonde Ariana Grande. “Wicked” shows the complexities of navigating loyalty, ambition and political silencing.
Grande’s Glinda is a misguided girl with a savior complex who learns the value of letting others save themselves as she builds a friendship with misjudged phenomenon Elphaba. Elphaba finds love and passion in unexpected places, sharing her maturity and confidence with those who lack it.
The costuming, lighting and shot selection were astounding. “Wicked” has everything a good film needs and enhances what was possible for the story on stage.
I am surprised at how much I loved this movie. I couldn’t help but go back and forth between laughing and crying. “Wicked” connected me to my inner child while simultaneously bringing me to tears.
Everyone needs to see this movie, film-buffs, theater-lovers and even the people like me who rarely catch themselves in either arena. I cannot wait to come back for part two.
Zee O’Donnell | Features Editor
5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the “Wicked” movie since 2009 when rumors of a TV series circulated. Marc Platt, the producer of “Wicked” in its movie form, announced in 2012 there would be a film released in 2016. That 2016 date got pushed back to 2021 and then to 2024, but it was absolutely worth the wait.
So many recent movie musicals have attempted to make their own spin on a successful stage adaptation only to fail. “Wicked” has broken from that recent track record of films like “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Mean Girls” successfully pulling off its own spin on the original. “Wicked” also didn’t cut any songs from the original soundtrack, as “Mean Girls” did, and didn’t add any new songs that felt out of place like “Dear Evan Hansen.” The movie was able to put its own spin on the soundtrack without straying too far from the original work.
I loved the new character choices for Elphaba and Glinda in this movie, especially in the finale song “Defying Gravity.” While the stage version plays this song as the beginning of the divide between the Wicked Witch and Good Witch, the movie used it to prove the strength of their friendship. My jaw dropped in shock for a solid twenty minutes.
“Wicked” also differentiates itself through spectacular costuming. In the stage version, Elphaba wears navy blue in Act One while Glinda only wears pink once. The movie had Elphaba dressed in black and Glinda dressed in pink from beginning to end, setting up an easy transition from Elphaba and Glinda in Part One to Wicked Witch and Good Witch in Part Two.
Glinda’s costumes show the perfect contrast to Elphaba’s. While Elphaba wears dark outfits that cover as much of her green skin as possible throughout the entire movie, Glinda wears knee-length or shorter dresses throughout the entire movie. This detail shows the strong contrast between both characters’ comfortability in their skin, both literally and metaphorically, as Elphaba is shamed for her green skin her entire life.
References to the roles of characters in “The Wizard of Oz” movie are apparent throughout the story. When Fiyero first enters Shiz University, he walks in dragging his feet, a nod to his future as the Scarecrow. Additionally, when Elphaba uses poppies to spell the class to sleep, Fiyero is the only one not to fall asleep, like when the Scarecrow and Tinman are the only ones who stay awake in the poppy field in “The Wizard of Oz.”
Don’t just run to theaters to see this once, see it again and again. I’m gearing up to watch it a third time and that still won’t be enough.
Photo courtesy of Collider.