Mia Harper Fairgrieve / 2024-12-01
****SPOILERS****
I saw the movie Wicked last Friday. I liked it a lot, so I wanted to write an article about it and share my opinions. It was very engaging and entertaining, and I had a very good experience. Based on my personal opinions, I would give this movie a 4.5 star rating because nothing is perfect. Let’s get into how I felt about the casting...
Before I saw the movie, I wanted to know how qualified the cast was to be portraying characters from a long-awaited Broadway adaptation. I did research on the actors and actresses that play Elphaba, Galinda, the Wizard and Fiyerro. In my opinion, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey—who play Elphaba and Fiyerro respectively—are the most qualified to be in Wicked. Cynthia Erivo has actually won a Tony for her starring performance in The Color Purple (2017-2019). Also, even though Jonathan Bailey is known for his role in Bridgerton, he won an Olivier award—which is the British equivalent of a Tony—for his performance in the 2018 West End production of ‘Company’.
I was fortunate enough to have seats in the Cineplex theatre that moved and jerked around during dramatic moments. It added a lot to the experience, because it felt more interactive, but even without the special seats, it was a phenomenal movie.
One aspect of the movie that I really enjoyed was the costuming. The Shiz University uniforms were kooky enough in terms of patterns (lots of blue with orange pinstripes!) to appear otherworldly, but it’s subtle enough that it didn’t draw any attention away from the main characters. A detail I enjoyed was that Elphaba wore the uniform for the majority of the film—even though Galinda, the other main character, did not. It was further evidence of how much Elphaba wanted to conform, and go unnoticed– at least in the beginning. Galinda is a stark contrast to Elphaba. She intentionally stands out everywhere she goes, always wearing outrageous pink, frilly, over-the-top outfits. Sometimes she does wear a pink and grey version of the uniform, but for the most part, she wears whatever she wants to. I wish that it was explained why Galinda was exempt from the uniform requirement, but it might simply be an example of her disregard for following rules if they do not suit her.
The sets also blew my mind. The director of Wicked, Jon M. Chu, stated: “My goal was to go beyond the matte paintings, beyond a digital world, and really let the audience step into Oz.” I really admire and appreciate that mindset, because it translated beautifully into the movie. Too often, recent movies have looked fake and almost entirely CGI. It was very refreshing to be able to tell that the set was physical, and I think it definitely contributed to my immersion in the story.
The choreography was a detail that made the movie feel like more than a movie—it made it feel like a musical adaptation. There was a use of background characters that live musicals rely on to tell more layers of the story that was implemented in Wicked. For example, funny interactions in the backgrounds of songs shared details about dynamics between the unexamined characters that they were not going to put a spotlight on. I personally thought that the choreography really embraced musical theatre elements while still taking advantage of the film format.
The casting was very well done, especially Ariana Grande. Ariana Grande put everything she had into her performance and you can tell. Her rendition of Galinda’s songs were beautiful and funny, and her comedic timing was everything. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande worked so well together. In my opinion, they complimented each other perfectly.
There were lots of little references to the original Wizard of Oz and Wicked on Broadway. During “Popular”, Galinda hands Elphaba the red slippers that Dorothy wears in the Wizard of Oz, and during “One Short Day”, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel appeared in a surprise cameo. Kristin Chenoweth played Galinda in the original Broadway production, and Idina Menzel played Elphaba. My uncle—who went with me—and I were very excited by the cameo.
In conclusion, I would recommend going to see Wicked if you can. It’s a very well-made film, and—in my opinion—an amazing adaptation of the original.