The first half of the long awaited film adaptation of Wicked has hit theaters and we are here to tell you all about it.
Note: minor spoilers below for Wicked: Part One
After several years of delays, Wicked: Part One has officially arrived in theaters. This film adapts Act One of the award-winning Broadway musical, which in turn is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name. The story in each adaptation claims to present the “true” story of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba Thropp, and how she came to be feared and reviled by the land of Oz.
I’ll admit to feeling a bit nervous about this movie going in. While I loved the casting and the look of the film from the trailers, I was somewhat anxious about the film’s 2 hour and 40 minute runtime. That’s close to three hours in the theater if you factor in the 20-odd minutes of previews that usually plays beforehand and is a long time to sit in a theater. Not only that, but that’s nearly as long as the entire Broadway musical for just the first half of the story. Naturally the fear going in was, what if the story has been made too long? What if it drags or doesn’t work?
Friends, I have never been so happy to be wrong in my life. Not only does the story of Wicked: Part One not drag, it practically flies by. This is due in part to the story being perfectly structured: the story isn’t bogged down by overly long exposition or unnecessary monologues. Instead, there is a clear balance between the musical numbers and the story in-between, so that while the story does move at a solid pace, the story never feels rushed.
I think the filmmakers absolutely made the right decision to not cut any songs from the film adaptation. Having seen the film, I can’t imagine any of the songs not being there, everything feels integral to the story, and that can be attributed to the film’s phenomenal cast. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in particular knocked it out of the park as Elphaba and Glinda respectively. Watching their rivalry grow into genuine friendship over the course of the story is touching and heart wrenching, particularly in the closing number of the film.
Cynthia Erivo was absolutely born to play Elphaba. Watching her get flung into Shiz and trying to figure out who and what she is while also struggling with the near universal rejection of her peers (including her own sister Nessarose) while also working not to give up her dreams is a sight to behold. The finale of the film, when Elphaba accepts who she is and to hell what the rest of Oz thinks during Defying Gravity is possibly one of the best scenes I’ve seen this year. Erivo more than deserves an Oscar for that song alone, but her entire performance makes her worthy of all the awards that can be given.
Then there’s the look of the entire film. It’s hard to describe other than to say that everything you see in the film feels like Oz. The colors, especially in and around Shiz University, almost pop off the screen. Then there’s the other little details: like the circular library (with rotating shelves), casual quips that are just a little different from regular English, all these details add up to remind the viewer that we definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore.
Back to the casting, I have to highlight Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. While their screen time is relatively limited in this installment, their respective performances steal almost every scene they appear in. Yeoh’s Madame Morrible radiates power throughout the story, and her scenes with Elphaba at Shiz are so very heartwarming given the rejection Elphaba faces for the bulk of the story. In fact, their teacher/student relationship is so touching to watch it makes the events of the final act all the more painful to experience.
And then there’s Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. How this man keeps pulling off epic performances I don’t know but his turn as the Wizard is one of the best. Even if you’ve never seen Wicked on stage or read the book, from the moment you actually see the Wizard, you just know there’s something *off* about him. While he says all the right things, you can almost see the double meaning in everything he says. If you were expecting the Wizard to be the kindly humbug from the 1939 film, you are in for the shock of your life.
Finally I have to mention Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. My goodness did they nail the casting in that role. I’ve never seen the Broadway musical but this is exactly what I always imagined Fiyero to be like. Trust me when I say you will be deeply in love with the Winkie prince by the end of “Dancing Through Life.”
In conclusion, I thought it was really smart of the filmmakers to end the film right at the end of Act One of the musical, with plenty of hooks left dangling for what’s to come in the second half of the story. As big as Wicked: Part One is turning out to be, I confidently predict that Wicked: Part Two will be that much bigger. We only have to wait a year to find out!
Wicked: Part One is now playing in theaters.
