It’s never easy to adapt a deeply loved story. The musical of Wicked, based on Gregory Maguire’s prequel novel to The Wizard Of Oz, has bred the sort of fandom that has strong feelings about particular trills in the original cast recording, but a film version must reach new audiences and win over the musical-resistant. Full marks for bravery, then, to director Jon M. Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who not only fill these big, ruby slippers but tap-tap gaily away in them.
Chu uses every bell and whistle possible to turn the stage show into a movie epic. He takes the classic MGM Oz as his starting point, with gigantic sets and a massive cast of dancers. Then he adds VFX flourishes: talking animals, levitating courtyards and flying monkeys. The artificial glow of such heavy effects-work is largely an asset, contributing to the otherworldly air of Oz, even if none of it ever feels remotely real.
Thanks to a nice blend of comic moments and certified bangers, the (again, very long) running time passes pretty fast...
His best decision, however, was his casting. Cynthia Erivo is defiant as the devastatingly misunderstood Elphaba, channelling vulnerability and strength in a layered, complex role. Chu knows what he has, leaving the camera locked close on Erivo’s face and letting her do the emotional heavy lifting as a woman bullied for her skin colour but holding true to her beliefs. Impressively, Ariana Grande more than holds her own against that towering performance. Her Galinda is self-centred and monstrously entitled, but she is not quite bad. Grande shows that Galinda’s much-trumpeted image as a ‘nice’ person is the seed from which real goodness could grow, with Elphaba’s inspiration. She, in turn, helps foster Elphaba’s confidence and courage. And while it may seem superfluous to say, both are astonishingly gifted singers, not only in terms of pure voice, but in their vocal control and characterisation.
The supporting cast are solid but less well served, with Michelle Yeoh shining brightest as a magic teacher, Jeff Goldblum doing his thing as the Wizard and Peter Dinklage breaking out his accent again as a goat professor. Jonathan Bailey’s caddish Fiyero and Ethan Slater’s lovelorn Boq mostly establish a starting point for part two of this epic (this is nearly three hours long), but Bailey, in particular, is charming.
Thanks to a nice blend of comic moments and certified bangers, the (again, very long) running time passes pretty fast, though there are moments when the dancing and singing feels relentless and where you might long for a soothing glimpse of the dull plains of Kansas. Still, despite coming to a pause rather than an ending (Part Two is still to come), it quite literally ends on a high note — an intensely powerful one at that. And there’s no defying ‘Defying Gravity’.
