Skip this trip to Oz
There are three main things you need to know if you’re considering seeing Wicked, the cinematic adaptation of the award-winning Broadway musical. First: Be aware that it’s very long–almost three hours. Second: Most of the movie posters for the film haven’t emphasized this fact–and only recently did IMDB change the film’s title from just Wicked to Wicked: Part I–but the film that opens today is indeed only PART ONE of a two-part adaptation. The movie released today corresponds to the live musical’s first act. That means that somehow the production’s entire story–which managed to be told in a nearly three hour live musical (including an intermission, no less)–has, in the hands of director John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians; In the Heights), become an interminable six hour filmic experience, with the two individual movies running just as long as the original musical itself, while each only telling half the story. Which brings us to point three: While the film is a visual feast, featuring exceptional production design and cinematography, its stretched-out story drags, meanders, and is often mind numbingly dull.
For those unfamiliar with the Wicked phenomenon, the musical, which premiered at San Francisco’s Curran theater in 2003 before heading to Broadway for its Tony-award winning long run, is based on John Maguire’s 1995 book of the same name. Maguire’s novel spins a backstory for the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North, characters first created in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and famously brought to life on the big screen in the 1939 Judy Garland classic The Wizard of Oz.
Wicked: Part I is filled with lots of throwbacks to its origin story: not only do we learn the backstory of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivio) and Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande), but we find out Glinda used to be called Galinda!? No way! We also learn why the Yellow Brick Road was built, and how those famous flying monkeys developed wings! And whoa – there are poppies in Oz that can make you sleep!? Who knew!
All these little winking Easter eggs at least give the viewer something to focus on, since the story itself takes too long to unwind, and doesn’t have much action. The plot, which doesn’t kick into high gear until after a 20-minute prologue unspools before the opening credits appear, involves Elphaba, an outcast because of her green skin, becoming college roommates with perky Galinda at Shiz University in the land of Oz. The two initially dislike each other, but eventually become friends as Elphaba’s exceptional sorcery skills allow the duo to visit the famed Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) in the Emerald City.
Along the way, rivalries and jealousies involving teachers, classmates, friends, families, and even a Prince (Jonathan Bailey) threaten the pair’s emerging friendship. Most of the plot elements are recycled from other movies and franchises, including Harry Potter, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Planet of the Apes, and Star Wars, thanks to Michelle Yeoh’s Yoda-like instructor Madame Morrible. Bailey, too, as the cad Prince Fiyero, seems to be channeling Chris Pine’s Prince from Into the Woods.
If you had a bad roommate experience in college, or if you’re a fanatical musical theater lover, you’ll probably enjoy Chu’s film. Everyone else may find themselves checking their watches. A recent New York Times article described instances of filmgoers growing annoyed with eager audiences who sing along with the picture’s musical numbers. Honestly, if that had happened at the screening I attended, I would have been happy–at least there would have been some energy and something interesting happening in the theater. As it stands, Grande’s voice is so high- pitched that understanding the lyrics in her songs proves difficult. Erivio’s voice is stronger, and her final scene is a powerful, rousing, cliff hanger, but by the time that last number rolls around, it’s too little too late.
On the plus side, the richly detailed, colorful set designs and costumes deserve praise, and a few of the performances are fun. Goldblum’s dry delivery and wry persona make the Wizard particularly entertaining, and Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang draws some of the film’s biggest laughs as one of Galinda’s judgy, snarky friends. And the film’s overarching anti-bullying message of acceptance certainly is a worthy one. Discrimination against Oz’s talking animals is a major plot point, underscoring a theme that feels particularly relevant today, especially when the Wizard remarks that “the best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy.” Why are people wicked, the film asks? We’d all like to know, but don’t count on this slog of a film to provide any answers. But hey–it’s sure pretty to look at.
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Wicked: Part I is now playing in theaters.
