WICKED -- The Return of the Blockbuster Musical

Review by Adam Donato

Musical adaptations have not seen much success at the box office as of late. Mean Girls, The Color Purple, West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen, In The Heights, and Cats all saw failure at the box office in the last five years. Wicked appears poised to buck the trend. These days musicals seem to try to hide the fact that they’re musicals, but Wicked brandished it like a badge of honor. The only thing it’s trying to hide is the fact that it’s a part-one situation. Just like Dune, the uninitiated will be going in completely unaware that this two-hour and forty-minute movie is only half of the story. The difference between Wicked and Dune is that Wicked Part Two is slated for next year, but Dune wasn’t a slam dunk to get a part two. Any inch marketing can get to squeeze out a larger audience. 

The film is dazzling. Despite its lengthy runtime, it’s engaging throughout. The film centers around the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba as they start out at odds with one another, but develop a sister-like bond. There have been many adaptations of The Wizard of Oz, but it’s been over a decade since the last theatrical adaptation of the story. That fact, coupled with the fresh perspective on the narrative, keeps this movie feeling fresh. It may not hold up to the original The Wizard of Oz, but that’s arguably the greatest fantasy film of all time. Regardless, they made something old feel new and it’s sure to delight audiences.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are electric together. It’s not easy to follow in the footsteps of Idina Menzel when it comes to singing, but Erivo does a great job hitting some of those notes. Her makeup looks convincing and her look overall was on point. The role requires a ton of dramatic weight that will have audiences on the verge of tears. Such a heartbreaking role and performance. Grande may be the more impressive performance as acting is not her main trade. Going from popstar to musical lead isn’t a total change, but it’s not a one to one comparison. Fans of Nickelodeon shows like Victorious and Sam & Cat know that Grande is hilarious, but she reminds the world here that she is. It’s a very physical comedic performance as well that kept the tone feeling light throughout. Her character has more of an arc than Erivo’s character, but that’s just due to the fact that this is more of Erivo’s story and this is only one half of the film.

A good deal of concern was brought up over the look of the film. Many were up in arms about the cinematography saying that it was too washed out and desaturated. This is less of a problem while watching the film. While the film doesn’t give you that bright technicolor feel like in the original, the world does look pretty and it’s not as distractingly dull like the Solo: A Star Wars Story is infamous for. The special effects hold up pretty well. There’s probably going to be more intense CGI in the second half of the story, but the talking animals and the flying sequences look good. It feels like the visual inverse of Oz the Great and Powerful, which was criticized for its over reliance on green screens.

Wicked is very much a known commodity. It’s sure to be one of the biggest box office successes of the year despite tough competition in Moana 2 and Gladiator 2. The musical lives up to the lofty expectations and is sure to garner some awards nominations this year. What a glorious win for Broadway adaptations and for moviegoers everywhere. Be sure to check this one out in theaters this Thanksgiving season.

Wicked will be in theaters on November 22. 

Rating: 4/5