Wicked (2024, dir. Jon M. Chu)

by Jack Martin | Nov 20, 2024

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 160 mins

UK Distributor: Universal Pictures

UK Release Date: 22 November 2024

WHO’S IN WICKED?

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Peter Dinklage, Aaron Teoh, Grecia de la Paz, Colin Michael Carmichael, Adam James, Alice Fearn, Andy Nyman, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Sharon D. Clarke, Jenna Boyd, Karis Musongole

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Jon M. Chu (director), Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman (writers), Marc Platt and David Stone (producers), John Powell (composer), Alice Brooks (cinematographer), Myron Kerstein (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

In the land of Oz, Elphaba (Erivo) and Galinda (Grande) head down two different paths…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON WICKED?

A lot is riding on director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon Wicked. Not only is it testing the waters to see if audiences are eager for a two-part adaptation of composer Stephen Schwartz’s immensely successful stage musical (Wicked Part Two is due out in a year’s time), but it comes at a time when musicals are not doing as well as they once were, to put it mildly.

Only few such as Wonka, Mean Girls and Matilda have comfortably found their audiences, while the recent box office disappointments of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Blitz Bazawule’s The Colour Purple and even Chu’s own In the Heights, as well as the critical divisiveness of Joker: Folie à Deux and Emilia Pérez, have signalled a decline in popularity for the artform. It’s even to a point where a lot of those films appear to be hiding the fact that they’re musicals in the trailers, perhaps to avoid putting off some audiences weary of all the singing and dancing in their movies.

So, as you can imagine, Wicked is a serious test of the musical’s longevity among modern movie-goers, well beyond its guaranteed box office success due to the popularity of the stage show and the fandoms of certain cast members. But very quickly, Chu’s film eradicates any fears that it is ashamed of its own musical identity. Almost immediately, Wicked announces itself as a proper movie musical, flaunting the kind of cine-magic that enhances the regular songs and dance, and tells its timeless story with an extraordinary passion that is almost certain to revitalise this struggling genre amidst the cultural atmosphere. It is, to put it plainly, excellent stuff.

The film is essentially an expansion of the original show’s first act, which begins not too long after the events in The Wizard of Oz, which – spoilers for both a public domain book and an 85-year-old movie considered one of the most famous of all time – saw the feared, green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West meet her fate with a bucket of water. As the land of Oz celebrates her demise, it’s down to “good witch” Glinda (Ariana Grande) to tell the now-dead witch’s story: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), born into an affluent family who despise her for her mysterious green skin, attends Shiz University with her paraplegic sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), where she meets and unexpectedly becomes the roommate of the popular but vapid Galinda (as she was known then). Both of them slowly cast aside their differences to become friends, until a much larger scheme – potentially involving the famed Wizard of Oz himself (Jeff Goldblum) – drives them down separate paths to become the vastly different witches that a certain Dorothy Gale would eventually encounter.

Unlike most musical adaptations, I actually do have some experience with the source material, having seen the long-running West End production and therefore already knowing a good number of the famous songs that are present and correct on the soundtrack. Those songs remain as brilliantly written and catchy as ever – I mean, it’s Stephen Schwartz, so why wouldn’t they be? – but Chu’s filmmaking gives them a whole different lease of life on the screen, with the director fully embracing the cinematic scope that allows him to expand on what the stage could only partially show of this version of Oz. While there is certainly a lot of heavy CGI in places, Chu still incorporates practical sets and heavily energised choreography to make the many musical numbers not only look visually impressive, but also pop with such vibrant passion that all but leaps off the screen and into the auditorium.

Not since Spielberg’s West Side Story has a movie musical felt so alive, with Chu embodying the same love for the craft that the likes of Stanley Dolan and Robert Wise once had, and it shows in every frame of his colourful and wonderful vision of Oz.

But Wicked isn’t all flash and dazzle, for it also captures the strong emotion amongst these characters, in ways that are actually quite beautiful on the screen. One moment in particular stands out, and it is a near-silent dance number between leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which without spoilers is the first time you see Erivo’s Elphaba in her iconic all-black getup. I honestly can’t remember whether or not this scene was lifted directly from the stage production, but here it is directed, shot, and especially performed in such a way that you feel each and every little thing going through these characters with barely a line of dialogue, and it’s all captured through the visual power of dance in ways that few modern musicals remember to incorporate.

It’s moments like these in Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman’s script, one that already spends a great amount of time establishing and developing the tender relationships between its characters, where you really feel like the filmmakers fully understand the emotional weight of this narrative, which even beyond famous songs like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” is the primary reason why Wicked remains a favourite among theatre afficionados.

Of course, the performers are a significant reason why you’re attached to these characters in the first place. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are fantastic together, with a chemistry that is as playful as it is genuinely heartfelt, especially as their friendship blossoms into something more powerful than magic itself. Individually, both actors excel with not just their incredible singing voices but also their magnetic presence that charms and delights at every available opportunity. Grande, in particular, is firing on all cylinders, showcasing her natural comedic talents with a Ryan Gosling in Barbie amount of Ken-ergy, and she steals almost every scene she is in with a genuinely funny and dazzling performance that is bound to make her as big of a movie star as she already is in the world of music.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Bailey exhumes near unbelievable amounts of charisma as the fun-loving prince Fiyero, and Jeff Goldblum is at his most Jeff Goldblum as the not-so-wonderful Wizard of Oz. Even the voiceover performances, namely Peter Dinklage as a discriminated goat professor, reach into your heart and pull at its strings, further rendering it a cast ensemble that is outstanding in its magnitude and charisma, as well as their singing and dancing prowess.

This being just Part One of the story, don’t expect Wicked to wrap up all loose ends before its showstopping finale. But the way that it does end not only leaves you wanting more right away, but also ends at a perfect place, with enough to make it feel as though it could stand firmly on its own without next year’s conclusion. The final few minutes, and all the other minutes preceding it, really are a testament to the underappreciated power and spirit of being able to tell a story with songs and dance in such a bold and passionate manner, and Chu has made something truly special with this true movie Musical – with a capital “M” and mezzo-soprano vocalisation – that proves once and for all that the genre is very much here to stay and prosper.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Wicked is a phenomenal movie musical adaptation that sees director Jon M. Chu capture the emotional storytelling power of the beloved stage production with vibrant passion and energy, matched by the equally fantastic work of leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande who, along with the excellently executed musical numbers and colourful aesthetics, breathe all-new life into the musical film genre, as well as leaving you practically on your knees begging for next year’s Part Two immediately.