With Christmas fast approaching, the release of Wicked stands out as a great gift under the Universal tree. If a decade of development, many twists and turns and several postponements have almost discouraged the most optimistic, we should not lose hope.
But expectations are high when adapting the second highest-grossing musical, just after The Lion King. The stakes are particularly high for Universal, which absolutely must satisfy fans, and others. Especially since Wicked consists of two parts and that the second opus will be released in exactly one year. Between a staggering budget of $150 million, a daring promotional campaign and a universe anchored in pop culture, this is one of the most anticipated films of the end of the year. You still need to have the shoulders…shoulders to do so. Check out our review of Wicked.
Goodbye Kansas, hello Oz!
If The Wizard of Oz by Victor Fleming punctuated your childhood, it is impossible for you to miss Wicked. The feature film offers us a return to the wonderful land of Oz, before the adventures of Dorothy, her dog Toto and her comrades in arms, the brainless scarecrow, the heartless tin man and the lion who lack of courage.
If you have the basics, you probably know the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the South. But in Wickedwe learn that they were not always rivals. On the contrary ! There was a time when the two most famous witches in Oz were classmates, roommates and even… friends. They met on the benches of Shiz University and nothing suggested a possible friendship between the two young women. One is beautiful, popular and privileged. The other is a misunderstood outcast who everyone mocks and distrusts because of her green skin color. Before they were the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the South, they were Elphaba and Galinda. Here is the story of Wicked. Roughly speaking…
An o(z)niric journey
So, Wicked takes us to the fabulous land of Oz, when animals still talk and are taken very seriously to teach at an elite university like Shiz’s. Necessarily, Wicked must impress us. If the color is less shimmering than in The Wizard of Oz which gave pride of place to the Technicolor process in 1939, wonder is indeed there. Visually, Wicked pampers our retina, with exceptional (and authentic!) sets, sensational costumes, captivating choreography and catchy music.
Wickedit’s beautiful, it’s spectacular, it’s magical. Although the film lasts 2h40 (all the same), the pace is perfectly controlled and we easily immerse ourselves in this enchanted universe directed by Jon Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). The film takes us through a lot of emotions and, to my great surprise, is extremely funny. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. And that, I didn’t expect
An adaptation in solid oz
The strength of Wickedit’s her loyalty to the musical she’s adapting. Indeed, the film has been based on Broadway success since 2003. And, as we know, it is not an easy thing to accurately adapt a musical and do it honor. But Jon Chu did wonderfully! It is for this reason that Wicked is divided into two parts and that this first part lasts as long. Universal wanted to lay the foundations in order to dive into the universe and understand all the issues of the film. So, songs are not shortened to “save” time. Wicked takes its time, and we ask for more. Additionally, unlike other adaptations, the songs are recorded directly on set, making the takes much more authentic and impressive.
To the delight of fans of the Wizard of Oz and the original musical, Wicked is full of winks andeaster eggs. This is why we strongly advise you to rewatch Victor Fleming’s classic before discovering Wicked in dark rooms. But we won’t say more…
Wickedly perfect actresses
If the film adaptation of Wicked is such a success, it is also thanks to its impeccable distribution. If some had doubts regarding the casting choices, the result was enough to silence the evil tongues. The Good Witch of the South, G(a)linda, is brilliantly played by Ariana Grande who has been waiting for this role all her life. The singer and actress is a huge fan of the Broadway musical and has strived to give fans a worthy Glinda. In front of her, Cynthia Erivo does not deserve anything. Quite the contrary! She offers us a particularly touching and moving Elphaba. In acting as in singing, the two actresses are remarkable and made for their respective roles.
Jonathan Bailey (The Bridgerton Chronicles) is an exceptional Prince Charming who succeeds in establishing himself despite the omnipresence and charisma of the two actresses. If Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) denotes slightly in the role of Mrs. Morrible, we quickly forget this gap in the face of the presence of Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as an irritating Wizard of Oz.
Verdict: we love Wicked
Although we would have appreciated that Wicked delves a little deeper into the friendship between Elphaba and Galinda and despite a short length towards the end, the feature film is a sparkling success. Worn by two wickedly perfect actresses in the roles of the legendary witches of Oz, Wicked offers us an enchanted interlude which comes at just the right moment a few days before Christmas. We salute the adaptation for its fidelity to the musical and its ability to keep us in suspense and make us dream for 2 hours 40 minutes.
Music, choreography, sets, cast, costumes… We can only advise you to happily take the yellow brick road to see Wicked in dark rooms. For our part, it would almost have made us want to take a quick trip to London to see the musical and get to the bottom of this story of witches who defy gravity before next year.
