PG 2024 ‧ Musical/Fantasy ‧ 2h 40m
I’m not always a big fan of movie musicals. It’s weird for people to be talking and then suddenly break into song. If a movie is a musical, it has to work a little harder for me to get into it. I was a little nervous during the first musical number with Ariana Grande as Glinda. Grande’s voice was nice, but due to it being sung in such a high key or the soundtrack being muddled, I could not understand what she was singing. However, the movie quickly recovered and never looked back. Grande made a great Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is a wonderful Elphaba aka The Wicked Witch of the West. Jeff Goldblum is Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. I was not familiar with Jonathan Bailey’s work before Wicked, but he plays the male romantic lead well and more than holds his own in a stellar cast.
I have seen the Broadway version of Wicked but I have not read the book. I don’t think one needs to have seen or read either to enjoy this. Knowledge of the 1937 Wizard of Oz would certainly be helpful, but I can’t imagine there being very many people who have never seen that. Wicked isn’t hindered by being a theatrical version of the stage play. It’s not limited to stage sets and it’s able to show off the wonderful world of Oz.
Going into the movie, it may be good to be aware that this is actually Wicked Part 1. Part 2 comes out next year. In a way, it’s harder to judge Wicked as a movie having only seen the first half. However, as a standalone movie, it still works. Part 1 serves as an origin story of the Wicked Witch and part 2 will tell what happens next.
I loved just about everything about the movie: cast, costumes, sets, music, and visual effects. Other than the sound in the first number, I would be hard-pressed to think of a way the Wicked musical could have been adapted better. It is a Top 5 movie of the year for sure. Go see it in the theater.
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