Greg T.’s review published on Letterboxd:
If the Land of Oz has had a train that goes to the Emerald City this whole time, then why did Dorothy and her friends make it more difficult for themselves by walking for the entire journey? Just a casual thought...
Those who know me will be aware that I am not really a fan of musicals. There are some exceptions to this particular dislike, of course, such as La La Land and Little Shop of Horrors, but I mainly find the genre to be one of sheer artificiality. My mind just can't fathom as to why characters would stop everything they are doing to express themselves through the manner of song, and then everybody would suddenly go back to their business as if the last few minutes of singing didn't even happen. So, I was more surprised than anything to discover that I can now add Wicked to my small list of exceptions.
This prequel to Dorothy's time in Oz tells the tale of two young girls destined for greatness. One of them is Galinda (Ariana Grande), who comes from a rich family and has everything handed to her on a silver platter. The other is Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), born with green skin and discarded by society because of it. They meet almost by fate at Shiz University, eventually becoming firm friends in spite of both the people around them and their differences, and all seems well in the world.
That is until it is discovered that animals are being secretly ensnared and held captive in cages, forced into submission by some mysterious force. Enraged by this, Elphaba makes it her mission to fight against whatever power is doing all of these things, but it quickly becomes clear that the truth is much more horrifying than what everybody else is being told. This injustice only serves to drive the two women apart, with their friendship being very much put to the test as they fulfil the destinies that have been set out for them all along.
For a film with an almost three-hour runtime, you really do not feel the time passing at all. Each beat flows seamlessly from one to the next, causing the narrative to unfold in a way that is satisfyingly smooth. As I mentioned before, I am not usually a fan of musicals, yet I did not feel that the songs detracted from the story. Instead, they enhanced the experience and allowed the characters to express their emotions in a manner that intensifies how they are feeling, turning interior thoughts into exterior articulations. Each one is an absolute bop, and help to make the movie feel even more epic in its scale.
The production value ended up being much more practical than I was expecting, packed with sprawling set designs and inspired costuming. Chu's design team draws many leaves from such influences as Fritz Lang's Metropolis, adding an art-deco aesthetic to everything that is onscreen which just works. My only complaint however would be that it'd all look so much more vibrant if the saturation were turned up a smidge to allow all of those colours to really pop. Seriously, the grading here does not do much of the designwork a whole lot of justice, but I'm hoping this issue will be fixed in the second part.
Speaking of, you really wouldn't know this was the first part of two if the titlecard didn't explicably state it as so. Usually when a film is a "Part 1", it'd feel like only half of the story with reliance on "Part 2" to complete the arc, but Wicked doesn't seem to fall into this categorisation. Instead, it defies convention by having its own beginning, middle, and end, which is something you wouldn't expect from a film that's supposed to function as merely half of the full picture. This is primarily due to Jon M Chu's decision to adapt the first act of the stageplay in "Part 1" and the second in "Part 2", with the year in between as the interval, through which we must all wait in anticipation.
Overall, Wicked came as a huge surprise to me personally as somebody who usually has a disdain for musicals. It's exciting in its wonder, suspenseful in its storytelling, and thrilling in its twists. The two leads play their parts brilliantly, with Erivo carrying herself with pure drivenness in conveying Elphaba's mission to prove that she's more than just her green exterior, and Grande dialling up the pomposity in a role that feels way too natural. My personal highlight however was, of course, Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, playing this iconic character with all of the gravitas suited to such a showy ringmaster. I had a great time throughout, and will definitely be seated for the conclusion this time next year.
