Wicked finally hits the big screen after months of collective anticipation from fans all over the world, and it defies gravity in all its broadway brilliance.
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Wicked has always been my white whale. In the many opportunities to catch its theatrical production, both in Manila and abroad, life always intervened, making me miss all my chances. And so my excitement is palpable when Wicked was announced to be coming to movie houses with a fresh set of actors, this time giving the lead to Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), and with “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu at the helm.
It is powerful as it is empathetic.
Suffice to say, the combination of talent, source material, and impeccable storytelling worked wonders in lifting up a broadway piece to the mainstream. The movie is a spectacle, right from the very first orchestral note to open the story down to the jaw dropping rendition of the iconic song “Defying Gravity”. Wicked will have everyone, with or without familiarity to the story, singing along, gasping, and sobbing at every twist and turn in this thrilling ride through Shiz and the Emerald City.
It takes great talent to follow the footsteps of the legendary Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel who have both cemented themselves to be the definitive versions of Glinda and Elphaba. There is room for conversation that those who try to replicate Chenoweth and Menzel only end up struggling to produce a performance of their caliber. The performance of Grande and Erivo, thanks the Wizard, does not fall for that trap. Instead, they deliver their own interpretation of the main characters, re-envisioning them with sometimes subtle, other times boisterous changes which are all welcome. Both Grande and Erivo made their characters truly their own.
For a quick take on the side of technicalities, my fears of CGI effects that might render the fantastical world of Oz into a green screen mess were immediately squashed. Wicked instead utilizes the magic that practical effects provide to full force, as the sets were painstakingly built, from the campus library to the gigantic train, and blends seamlessly with the scene, harkening back to the golden age of practical effects that brought to us the likes of Spielberg’s E.T. and Indiana Jones.
The connection between Grande and Erivo felt like a warm embrace
Movement and Jon M. Chu
Jon M. Chu has, against all odds, created not only a serviceable film adaptation, but possibly one of the greatest film musicals of all time. Chu’s experience with movement and choreography was on full display with Wicked, having learned from his previous work on “Into the Heights”, coupled with camera work that moves around the intricate dance scenes similar to his work in the “Step Up” series. With Wicked, Chu proves with his rendition of “Dancing Through Life”, and all the other big musical numbers, that he is a master of immersing his audience in scenes that involve intricate movement in high volume, even higher energy, and consistently inspiring music.
The connection between Grande and Erivo felt like a warm embrace, albeit riddled with emotional ups and downs, but all throughout enveloping the audience with feelings both familiar and fantastical. Due to the film’s lengthy two hours and forty minutes run time, the audience gets to experience how their relationship evolves from enemies, to friends, and finally to best friends. There is a guarantee that, no matter your background and opinions on theater, you will walk away from Wicked with a big smile, warm fuzzy feelings, and from my personal experience, tears of joy.
To say that Wicked, or more accurately Wicked Part 1, lives up to the hype is an understatement. It is powerful as it is empathetic. The success of Wicked in bringing broadway to the big screen where many have failed before has set the tone for the future of the sequel to now be truly unlimited.
RATING: 10/10
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