Wicked
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Finally. After what has felt like ten thousand millennia, the cinematic answer to the Broadway sensation, Wicked (also, itself, an adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, which is a rendition of the most famous version of The Wizard of Oz, which itself is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz [yeesh]), is here. Well, sort of. Chu’s film is only half of the story. Even if the film’s marketing hasn’t made this point clear, you find out roughly fifteen minutes into the film (once the title card pops up) that this is Part I of Wicked. It is also close to three hours, which is the length of the original Broadway production. While that may sound disappointing (that we don’t even get the full picture), I’m pleased to announce that what we do get is a passionate, ambitious, vibrant, and inspired version of half of the story: one that actually resolves enough to feel satisfactory on its own, while preparing you for the final acts (to come in the future).
Before I proceed, I should confess that I’ve never seen the stage version of Wicked in any capacity. I’ve never been against the idea. I’ve just not had the opportunity to see it properly. I’ve wanted to. If I get any details wrong, I apologize to you in advance. All I will comment on is the film I’ve just seen, and I’ll avoid any comparisons or observations of its source material because I simply don’t know enough about it. What I do know is that Chu’s version begins with the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, as foretold in The Wizard of Oz. Wicked is obviously a prequel story that goes into the backstory of said witch, named Elphaba Thropp (Idina Menzel in the original production, and Cynthia Erivo here). She and Glinda the Good Witch of the North, originally named Galinda (Kristin Chenoweth on stage, Ariana Grande on screen) have a history that goes way back to the days of Shiz University. Elphaba was born with green skin and super powers: two qualities that attracted bullying and neglect for most of her life. Galinda, on the other hand, gets everything and anything that she wants; she can flick her hair and watch the world bow to her.
Through accidental circumstances, Galinda becomes Elphaba’s roommate, and they initially despise one another. It takes some time and a few experiences to bond for them to finally become close, perhaps because Elphaba isn’t liked — let alone loved — by most people, and most of Galinda’s attention is fake. There’s also the theme of choices. Elphaba cannot help her skin colour. She is forever green, and she has no control over this and has had to accept it. Galinda, on the other hand, chooses to stand out and wear the film’s other signature colour: pink (she also decides on her own terms to go by “Glinda”, for reasons I won’t spoil). As the film progresses, I believe Galinda begins to understand what her choices can do for others and not just herself, while Elphaba experiences the same revelation with her ability to persevere through any hardship. Together, they become a dynamic duo: an unlikely pair of friends who now speak the same language. There are a lot of moving parts in this film, from Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Dean of Sorcery at Shiz University, trying to channel Elphaba’s telepathic powers, and the inclusion of Elphaba’s sister’s (Marissa Bode) struggles with being paraplegic, to the talking animal cohorts there slowly losing their ability to interact with humans and possess their own rights. As strange as it sounds for a film that’s only half a story, there is almost far too much to bring up in this mere review before it becomes a tome.
While highly ambitious to the point of feeling like it’s unnecessary, Wicked: Part I is still mostly successful.
What I can bring up is how wonderful this film is visually and musically. There was an emphasis on using as little CGI as possible and it shows, with a world you feel like you can step into and explore (as if you are Dorothy from the original The Wizard of Oz, and you’re not in Kansas anymore). While much of Wicked feels like you’re a child running around an amusement park, I never felt like the film lost sight of what it wanted to achieve. Do I feel like some moments are a teensy bit over long? Only a handful, particularly the storylines involving romances in the second act or so (which still feel necessary, and I can only imagine that these will become more important as the story goes on in Part II). Otherwise, while I can see how a nearly three-hour undertaking can feel daunting, especially for Wicked (this isn’t exactly Dune), and the film feels as long as its runtime is (not longer, but also not shorter), I never felt like this film overstayed its welcome. By Part II, that can change, but I’m just reflecting on what I’ve observed with this sole film.
Maybe it’s the sugary (but not painfully so) visuals, the focus on building characters (I’d hope so for three hours), and the iconic songs (I haven’t seen the Broadway version, but I certainly know the majority of the compositions) that kept me interested the whole duration. Even if you wind up not liking Wicked, it’s next to impossible to ignore how much care and love went into this project. On one hand, there are many Easter eggs that allude to the original Wizard of Oz story (which I picked up on) and Wicked (which, outside of cameo appearances, I most likely didn’t), so this film feels like a love letter to the legion of fans this franchise has. On the other, Wicked still feels like a film that was meant to stand on its own two feet and matter to those, like myself, who aren’t fluent in the Broadway musical; additionally, Wicked actually feels like it can serve as its own film (sure, it is open-ended for that Part II that will come, but I swear you could cut this film right off and it would work well enough as the Wizard of Oz prequel with its own merits).
While the majority of the cast is quite good and they fit into their roles well enough to shine, Wicked is obviously the platform for Erivo and Grande to shine. Erivo invites you in to Elphaba’s conflicted mindset, and she slowly blossoms as a character who garners more confidence over time, only to feel forced to set up barricades once more once she is exploited for the use of others. While Elphaba is a fairly vocal character (this is a musical), I feel like Erivo declares so much with just her eyes and inner thoughts. Then, there’s Grande’s Galinda, who is comedically full of herself (but not to an annoying degree), and she uses her realization of her self-awareness for good and becomes a real person (despite, you know, the fantasy tropes). Grande is proud but never egotistical, and I find her manner charming rather than frustrating. It’s tough to call this Erivo’s finest work just because she is always wonderful to watch on screen (although she is, once again, delightful here); however, it is easy to state that Grande has never been better on screen (then again, what has she had to work with before?).
I can see how Wicked would seem pretentious on paper, but I was invested the entire time (albeit to varying degrees during certain moments, but I was glued nonetheless). Even though I know how The Wizard of Oz transpires (and prequels suffer because of us knowing what is to come), I still felt like I needed to know what was to happen during Wicked (and, as a result, I am curious to see what will occur in Part II). Despite The Wizard of Oz being the depiction of a young girl’s dreams (so, does anything actually happen as it appears? If not, why does Wicked matter at all?), I was still on board with the entirety of the film (maybe dreams do come true). This film is only half the story and it’s so long, and yet I stayed with it the whole time. Wicked asks quite a bit, but it also delivers in almost every single way (even with the extremely high bar that is set). I don’t have the complete picture, but I still find myself satisfied with what we are presently given. Consider me in for Part II, and a believer in the hype (at least for now): Wicked is beautiful, marvelous, and a spectacle that will always have the curse of being over sold (but, at least, it is worth being adored to some degree). As we are left with air beneath our feet, let’s hope Part II sticks the landing, because right now we are left soaring with Wicked: Part I.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.