Wicked Review: Overlong But Wickedly Beautiful Tale

RATING - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3/5*

Wicked Review Movie Talkies:

Over the years, we have known the Wicked Witch of the West as a wicked queen/witch from Victor Fleming's cult musical from 1939, The Wizard of Oz (one of the top favorite musicals of all time). Well, that film is more about Dorothy (Judy Garland's most memorable role ever, even better than Star Is Born) than Glinda and the Wicked Witch. Gregory Maguire decided to bring the backstory of the Wicked Witch in 1995 and gave birth to a memorable Broadway show that has become one of those rare Broadway shows to join the $1 billion club with blockbuster ticket sales. Job M. Chu, whom I admire so much for giving one of the finest musicals of our times, In The Heights (2021), finally brings the Broadway blockbuster to the silver screen. Though I wasn't expecting much, I am glad to say that Chu's efforts are worth it. Wicked is a beautiful musical, just the way everyone wanted it to be, and the good thing is that it's not over yet. It's just half of the story, and it's still so delightful.

The wife of the governor of Munchkinland is having an extramarital affair, and she gives birth to a green baby. The father loathes her. That baby is grown up to be Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), a green girl with no one to love. She has a paraplegic sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who goes to join Shiz, a university of wizarding. There they encounter a selfish, I-am-the-best, and self-loving popular beauty queen, Galinda (Ariana Grande). The next moment Elphapa puts her supernatural powers on display and stuns everyone in the university, including Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who takes her under her wings, much to Galinda's jealousy. Elphie and Galinda share the same room, but not emotions and friendship. The picture changes halfway when Elphie puts in her word for Galinda before Madame, and then they become besties. A handsome boy, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), arrives at the university and instantly mingles with Galinda and her attitude, only to fall for Elphie later. Amidst this, Elphie is invited to the palace by the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), but what happens then that makes this kind-hearted and selfless Elphie declared as the wicked witch and enemy of Oz? Find out your answers in the film.

The screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox beautifully adapts the Broadway phenomenon and somehow makes it grander because of "cinematic" advantages. Here, you can show everything on a larger level and can go out of the world too, something that one can't do on stage. But more than that, the beauty of the film lies in those small small conversations and line-up of events that are simply gorgeous. Two girls are writing a letter to their own fathers, different thoughts but the same lines, and both come together in a split screen. Beautiful. Elphie enters the party with the granny's hat, and everyone is laughing at her; at the same moment, Galinda starts feeling awful because she has discovered that Elphapa wasn't wrong, but instead they all were wrong to her. Elphie's humiliating dance steps become hook steps! Such a highly influential scene for many films over the years. The guy who has fallen for the wrong girl has started "thinking." I mean, that's so "thoughtful." There are so many small small scenes like this that make Wicked a wholesome experience, but yes, goodness always comes with a few compromises. So, yes, we have a few flaws here.

The dramatic ending is stretched. The girl is falling down from high and sees images of childhood; that's so childish for modern cinema. Come on, grow up; it's 2024. Not 2004. The biggest drawback of Wicked is its overlong narrative. I mean, you are not making something astonishing like "Hamilton," where every single minute counts and every single line in musicals is worth something. Let's just accept that you are making a simple, decent film and not a masterpiece and move on ahead with some ordinary scenes. Why stick to being extraordinary when you have no potential? You don't have any magical number like "Over the Rainbow"; you don't have characters like Scarecrow, Tin Man, or Shivering Lion, so don't try to imitate something that's not possible. The screenplay denies accepting this basic fact and unnecessarily stretches the narrative to a useless extent. That could have been avoided, especially on the edit desk.

Cynthia Erivo's performance is one of the most effective things in the entire film. Ariana Grande's Galinda even puts Margot Robbie's Barbie at a low with her girlie affairs and over-the-top attitude. Michelle Yeoh shines as Madame, and Jeff Goldblum was pretty decent as the wizard. Jonathan Bailey plays a very nice character, and there is some depth to his character. It's just that the screenplay doesn't allow him to have those subtle scenes. Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode passed the time, and Bronwyn James, Keala Seattle, and Bowen Yang were casually okay. Nothing big wrong with the cast, so no complaints, but there wasn't really anything impressive either except the leading ladies.

Also read : Akshay Kumar & Vicky Kaushal to team up for Ajay Devgn's directorial

The visual effects are occasionally fascinating, and 3D design sets the mood right for 3D and IMAX viewing. I, once again, had to see it in a resized ratio on the IMAX screen, so the impact wasn't really up to the mark. Alice Brooks' framework is nice; Myron Kerstein's editing sucks at trimming 15 minutes more and making it an engaging affair. Some musical numbers are worthy, some are a little boring, but the visual expansion is brilliant. Thanks to those visuals, or else I would have left my seat at least 4-5 times more than the intermission break. Step Up 3D, Crazy Rich Asians, and In The Heights, Jon M. Chu hasn't made a bad film with a musical boost yet. Wicked tops the dance flick, not the other two or one, but it's not far. That's a solid graph, Mr. Chu. He knows what he's dealing with, so it's only about that overlong runtime. For years, you have termed her as the Wicked Witch, but was she really that bad? Or was she even bad at all? On the other hand, Glinda has been popular and loved, but was she really that good? Wicked will force you to think otherwise and most probably will change your perception about the Wicked Witch and Glinda. So, if you love musicals and some of our nostalgic fantasies/novels, then head straight to the cinema hall near you and catch Wicked. Enjoy wickedness like never before!