A (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Review of Wicked
Universal
By Donal Buckley
November was a big month for movies, and the one that seemed to top them all was Wicked. The highly-anticipated adaptation of the Broadway musical has been in production since 2016 and finally hit the theaters on November 22. I don’t normally get this excited for movies, but between marketing campaigns and internet memes, Wicked was a must-see for me as soon as I could. And, for the most part, I’d say it lived up to the hype. This is my (mostly) spoiler-free review of Wicked.
Before getting into the meat of the movie, I have to comment on my favorite part: the set design. No matter where in the movie we were, I was always enamored by the beauty of the scene. And maybe this is the SCA minor in me talking, but I kept wondering how they were able to construct something so elaborate. From Shiz University to the Emerald City, and everything in between, the visuals were truly something to behold. I had overheard some moviegoers griping that it was too dull, but I personally believe it was more than colorful enough.
I knew it was musical going into it, but I was surprised to learn many people did not. I love a good musical, and the songs in the movie did not disappoint. Almost every track was a joy to listen to. Some of my favorites were “The Wizard and I,” “Dancing Through Life,” and “Defying Gravity.” Although most of them were broken up throughout multiple scenes, I still found them fun — even if I didn’t know when they were going to end. Some of them are upwards of ten minutes long!
Of course, I can’t talk about a movie without mentioning its leading actresses. Cynthia Erivo played Elphaba, who Wizard of Oz fans may know as the “Wicked Witch,” while Ariana Grande played Glinda, the “Good Witch.” Both Erivo and Grande were fantastic in the film and really brought these two characters to life. I wasn’t too familiar with Erivo’s work before Wicked and this was a very good introduction. And admittedly, considering how famous she is, I was worried that seeing Ariana Grande in the film would take me out of it (much like seeing Taylor Swift in Amsterdam). But her performance blew me away, and she played her character very well.
Now, something people may not be aware of is that this is just the first part of the whole movie. I knew this going into it, but my friend I went with did not. Considering the movie is already two hours and 40 minutes, I would’ve assumed it was the whole thing, too. It also wasn’t really advertised as a two-part movie, but it was made clear in both the opening and closing credits that it would be. So it is important that people expect the story to remain unfinished when they leave the theater. And it being almost three hours sounds daunting, but considering how songs are intertwined with the scenes, it didn’t feel like a chore to get through.
Trying to remain as spoiler-free as possible, I will say that the end of the movie felt a little… underwhelming. It felt like we were leading up to this huge moment, and I’d say we only experienced a fraction of it. For the most part, part one of Wicked feels like all the background you need to understand part two. Which sounds obvious, but it felt like we were being set up for a story rather than being given a story. There were hints of certain dramatic moments, confrontations, and endings, but most of the plots never had an actual conclusion. Which is fair considering this is just part one, but if you’re going to release a movie by itself, it should be able to stand alone as well. At least, that’s my opinion.
Another smaller complaint I have about the movie is that the trailers gave pretty much everything away. Understandably, there wasn’t much to hide — Wicked has been on Broadway for more than 20 years — but for those of us that haven’t seen it on stage, it would’ve been nice to be surprised a little. Perhaps that’s why the end of the movie felt a bit anticlimactic — the ending shot is literally in the trailer, as are scenes from all across the movie. I think that’s why some of the emotion during the movie was lost on me. I had more or less already seen pieces of it in the trailer. I know some people came out crying, but my eyes were dry.
Still, I appreciated the powerful message the movie conveyed and would still recommend anyone interested to watch it. Although it didn’t necessarily defy my emotions, I definitely see why the musical is popular. But of course, this is just my opinion. Theater, music, and movie lovers should watch this movie if they’re interested and make judgments for themselves. But if you’re looking to manage your expectations before going in, I’d give it four out of five broomsticks.
