I took my family to see Wicked on Broadway in 2012. Unfortunately, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth had left the production sometime before, but it was still an amazing experience, sitting in the third row. I love musicals. I find them cathartic and emotional, and I know that the weight of disbelief can be difficult for many, but it’s effortless for me, especially if the musical is good, and Wicked is one of the best.
At the intermission, after the brings-the-house-down song “Defying Gravity,” my daughter got up from her seat and said, “That was amazing!” This was her first stage musical.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Don’t we leave now? It’s over.”
“It’s not over, sweetie. There’s still another half to go.”
“Really?!” Excited, she smiled and sat back down.
I can only hope that the audience for Wicked responds the same way as my daughter did, for yes, this is indeed a Part One, which, while the ad campaign may have been reticent in informing us, the film’s titles display it proudly. Fortunately, while the film is almost as long as the entire play, it doesn’t feel labored or padded out.
Wicked (Part One) is a triumphant, cinematic musical, and with this and In the Heights, director Jon M. Chu has found his wheelhouse. He has an eye for big production numbers and dance sequences, an ear for music and vocals, a gift for eliciting great performances from his actors, and a striking visual palette that gives Wicked all appropriate splendor and scale.
With every passing year, the big-budget studio musical feels like a relic from Hollywood’s past. Still, every once in a while, a visionary director grabs the genre and brings it, kicking and screaming, into the modern age. Spielberg did it with West Side Story in 2021, and Chu brings that same grace and grandeur here.
For the very few not aware, Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, telling the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), two enemies turned friends who are fated to become the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, respectively.
Both Elphaba and Galinda attend the prestigious Shiz University, founded by the mysterious Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), and under the tutelage of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and goat professor Dr. Dillamond (voice of Peter Dinklage). But something is wrong in the heart of Oz – animals are losing the ability to speak, and Elphaba, with Galinda in tow, must travel to the Emerald City to learn the truth. It is there that Elphaba and Galinda must embrace their destinies.
Both Erivo and Grande-Butera are fantastic in their respective roles. It may have been difficult for them not to emulate what their predecessors had done, but both Erivo and Grande-Butera found their own voices and their own perspectives in the parts. There is a deep, righteous rage in Erivo’s Elphaba, but also a loneliness and a yearning that she puts behind the eyes, and Erivo has an incredible, emotional singing voice. I’ve been a fan of her work since she took command of the screen in Widows, and she brings all her abilities to bear here.
Grande-Butera’s Galinda may come across as superficial and vacant, but there is also a need for connection stirring behind her eyes, and while Galinda may be spoiled, she also has a sense of justice and compassion. My one nitpick about Grande-Butera’s performance is that when she hits the higher registers of her singing, it’s a little difficult to understand her dialogue, but that only happens occasionally. Her voice is otherwise as striking as Erivo’s.
She’s also very funny, both in her physical presence and in her line delivery. I was impressed with how at ease she seemed on her recent appearance on Saturday Night Live, and she brings that humor and irreverence to her work here.
The supporting cast shines as well. Jeff Goldblum brings his unique… Goldblum-ness to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and it’s clear to see once he takes the screen why he was chosen for this role. Michelle Yeoh reminds us why we love her so, and she brings both complexity and earnestness to Mistress Morrible.
It took me a minute to identify Peter Dinklage, but it should be no surprise to anyone who has seen Cyrano that Dinklage can carry a tune. Jonathan Bailey‘s Fiyero is a joy to watch, and you can see in his physicality and the sparkle in his eyes who he is destined to become. Once we see him dance and sing, he sweeps everyone off their feet.
Most Broadway musical film adaptations try to replicate what they did on stage for the screen when what they should be doing is adapting to the medium that they’re working within. There’s nothing wrong with intimacy when it’s called for, but many of these adaptations feel as if they’re bursting from the stage when they should be bursting from the screen. That’s why so many of them, once they make their way into cinemas, feel small.
Wicked does not feel small. Wicked is as cinematic as they come. Filled with outstanding production design by Nathan Crowley, tremendous choreography by Christopher Scott, and gorgeous cinematography by Alice Brooks, Wicked is bold, epic, and grand. But Jon M. Chu can bring us grandiose moments as well as the quieter, subtler ones. It feels as if Chu’s entire career has led to this point, and he does not waste the opportunity.
While Wicked Part One may be only half of the story, it still feels satisfying and ends with a strong emotional punch. There are many audience-pleasing moments, and you may want to break out in applause after many of them. The big studios may be struggling with trying to figure out what audiences crave, and many of their films aren’t connecting in the way they were hoping for.
Wicked doesn’t have that problem. It wears its theater-geek heart on its sleeve and isn’t afraid to swing for the fences. It’s about as crowd-pleasing and bursting with emotion as many of the great musicals of yesteryear and, with time, may be remembered just as fondly. Wicked is the best big-studio release of the year.
WICKED REVIEW RATING: 9 OUT OF 10
Universal Pictures will release Wicked in theaters on November 22, 2024. The film has been rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material.
Alan Cerny has been writing about film for more than 20 years for such sites as Ain’t It Cool News, CHUD, Birth Movies Death, and ComingSoon. He has been a member of the Houston Film Critics Society since 2011. STAR WARS biased. Steven Spielberg once called Alan a “very good writer,” and Alan has the signed letter to prove it, so it must be true.