EVERYONE DESERVES THE CHANCE TO FLY.
As the closing credits started rolling, the teenage girl next to me had to be comforted by her dad. The powerful finale of Wicked had reduced her to tears. I was quite taken aback myself. I did not see that coming from a movie I had more or less dismissed as a bloated Hollywood project. After all, the original Broadway show ran for three hours; why would you cut that up in two very long movies? The running time is still a (minor) problem in this first chapter, but overall, it is also the best screen musical in many years.
Arriving at Shiz University
We all know the story from The Wizard of Oz. Wicked chooses a different perspective, as we’re introduced to the girls who will one day turn into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. They were to become friends, but not at first. Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) has green skin and is used to being bullied. Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) is a beautiful, popular girl with an entourage. When they arrive at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they’re forced to share a room – not an ideal situation for the quiet, brilliant Elphaba and the self-centered, glossy Galinda.
Elphaba’s powers in sorcery soon become clear… and so do the dark forces at work behind the scenes in Oz.
Avoiding compromises
The first time we heard of an adaptation of the wildly successful Broadway show, there was going to be a miniseries. That fact illustrates the challenge of adapting ”Wicked” as one movie. When director Jon M. Chu took on the material, he felt that there was going to be too many compromises in order to fit everything into one film – having two chapters to work with also gave everyone involved a chance to bring something extra to a beloved musical. I guess I should have trusted Chu’s instinct, but this did turn out to be an unexpectedly impressive achievement.
This first half of the story is lighthearted, with a lovably comic turn by Ariana Grande.
In spite of sluggish moments, it’s remarkable how well this first part works as a stand-alone movie. Ending right where the Broadway show had its intermission, the climax is brilliantly expanded, working up a furiously emotional finale where Elphaba and Galinda are forced to part ways, their future in a world that’s turned out to be a sinister autocracy very uncertain indeed. This is where the show’s most famous song is performed, and thanks to magnificent visual effects, heartbreaking efforts from Grande and Erivo, and an irresistibly bombastic touch from the filmmakers, ”Defying Gravity” is unforgettable. That’s not the only showstopper among the songs; musical interludes are very welcome most of the time and expertly staged. This first half of the story is lighthearted, with a lovably comic turn by Grande as Galinda, but the darkness is ever present. It shows in the perhaps overly obvious theme where the talking animals, including a goat who teaches at the university, are one step away from being forced to wear a yellow star, all connected to the Wizard’s nefarious plans.
In terms of visual look, the film is the most eye-catching in those moments and a reminder of what an amazing thrill it must have been to see The Wizard of Oz in 1939; Wicked looks like it has similar ambitions and its design of costumes and sets are enchantingly colorful.
The most important objective of this adaptation shouldn’t have been to make fans of the Broadway show happy; after all, a film has every right to challenge and change the source material. Still, it’s clear that Chu and his team aimed to please fans (including cameos from the show’s original stars where they even get to sing), and they seem to have succeeded. I’m glad the rest of us also find reason to cheer.
Wicked: Part I 2024-U.S. 160 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Jon M. Chu. Screenplay: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox. Novel: Gregory Maguire. Book: Winnie Holzman. Cinematography: Alice Brooks. Music: John Powell, Stephen Schwartz. Songs: Stephen Schwartz (”No One Mourns the Wicked”, ”What Is This Feeling?”, ”Popular”, ”Defying Gravity”). Production Design: Nathan Crowley. Costume Design: Paul Tazewell. Cast: Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba Thropp), Ariana Grande (Galinda Upland), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar), Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum. Voice of Peter Dinklage. Cameos: Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth.
Trivia: At earlier points, Marc Platt (who co-produced the film) and Stephen Daldry were considered for directing duties. Followed by Wicked: Part II (2025).
Last word: “Every time [Grande] came in, she went deeper. Because I thought, ‘OK, you can do one audition, but the next one, can she actually release herself of looking like Ariana Grande, the ponytail, the stuff. Is she willing to do that?’ And she was, and then all of a sudden, you’re buying in even further. And then the third time she came in, we’re doing chemistry reads, and suddenly she can improv within this character. And it felt like it was coming to life. It felt like a discovery. That’s a crazy feeling to feel. I knew that if we could show that on the screen, we had a movie here.” (Chu, Indiewire)
