(film review) - Wicked

Everyone has seen 'The Wizard of Oz', right? If you have not seen this movie, it is possibly due to being born within the last 10-15 years and nobody who cared about the film or you (for that matter) thought it would be a great idea to show you the movie. Tragic. Not to say 'The Wizard of Oz' is an amazing movie, but it is a really good one and considered a classic. I would have to watch it again as an adult to see if there are any messages in it but from what I remember, Dorothy finds herself on the yellow brick road and she's on her way to see the Wonderful Wizard of Oz who should grant her and her new friend's wishes. We heard of a few witches and was introduced to a Wicked Witch who ultimately died with a house falling on their head (I think) or did she melt having had water thrown onto her? I cannot remember really but it was a brief introduction and quick demise of the Wicked Witch of the West, so learning about a theatre production called 'Wicked' and learning it was about the Wicked Witch of the West, ultimately I did not care but I gave it a go. It was really good. I came away from the theatre show thinking it was a really good show, really good production, really good acting, really good story, everything about it was excellent, so hearing there would be a movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, ultimately I did not understand the Cynthia casting. Cynthia is a black person and will be painted green, so what is the point? Is this an inclusivity thing where of late Hollywood have been trying to make a lot of movie adaptations inclusive? It is not a bad thing because inclusivity is very much needed but I could not help but wonder that. After watching the movie I could not help but to walk away feeling almost exactly how I felt after watching the theatre production but times one hundred. The movie was operating on levels the theatre production did not and it hit differently...I'll explain.

Two sisters are born and grow up having different experiences in their life. Elphaba who was born with green skin is treated differently to her sister and struggles to make friends even when she starts college. However, when a teacher sees potential in Elphaba, this sparks the interest of Gelinda who is trying to be noticed by the same teacher. This ignites a little jealousy between Gelinda towards Elphaba until they eventually fall out.

I'll take this opportunity to highlight that I have taken great liberties with my summary due to spoilers and I have somewhat told a simpler version and a not as accurate summary of this story because there is soo much to this movie that is operating on many different layers and to that point, you need to see the movie for yourself to understand and enjoy.

It is not just about jealousy, the movie is much more than that. The movie is about being an outcast, believing in yourself, being strong, challenging the system no matter the consequences, doing what you think is the right thing to do, having tough skin, honing your talent among many many other things. So many layers! And when this movie ended, I could not help but to think how this movie touched me in ways I did not think it was going to initially. It hits different and I can only applaud the mastery of the story, the writing, the acting, the casting and the execution because there was also a scene where I got emotional. You feel for Elphaba in the theatre production because everyone treats her terribly and they did not change that for the movie. I think the ONLY bit I did not get/like was the very end of the movie. The movie stops abruptly and in my head, we now have the Wicked Witch but I am yet to see how the sequel will play out. It only rubs me up the wrong way because I know what happens later, but because the transition is not there, in my head I am forcing the two together (not on purpose of course) and it does not gel well.

As previously stated, this movie is basically flawless, from casting to the acting. This movie has joint leading roles with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, but I have heard that they are pushing Ariana for Oscar consideration and I have also noted that this has not gone down well with a group of people. They seem to want Cynthia to be pushed and it almost seems like, a "regardless of who had the better role and simply due to colour", but I will say, between the two actors, Ariana Grande was phenomenal. I have heard she has been acting since young, she's a singer and also very talented, but I had no idea what to expect from her in this movie, but she knocks the performance out of the park. She is soo good and her comedy beats are spot on. Just thinking about her performance brings a smile to my face with the little nuances and behaviour, her face acting and delivery, excellent. As for Cynthia, although she was great in the role, I feel the story plays to Ariana's favour where she is able to deliver a great performance where Cynthia, although superb, we are only skimming the surface at a beginning level. We are only just starting to see how the story will unfold with Elphaba and what Cynthia delivers in themovie, is a lot of brilliant acting without saying a great deal in places. Facial acting, body language acting, Cynthia is able to convey how she feels without saying a word and you sympathise with her. There is a scene where she dances and I was very close to tears it was so good. So although I understand why some may feel a "white person" is being pushed for Oscar buzz over a black person, I have heard when we have all watched the sequel, Cynthia will be pushed instead of Ariana as I believe the story will play to Cynthia's favour where she is able to deliver a great performance where Ariana will also be great but the film will be the reverse of the first movie in what I just explained.

Going back to casting, I feel like, never in my life have I ever seen such a diverse cast in any movie. It felt like the movie was 50% white and 50% POC with 50% LGBTQ+ and 50% disabilities, but it all felt seamless and natural. At times, there were so much people on screen, the movie also felt like a theatre production with everyone singing and dancing in unison. 

The music, great! I am not keen on musicals but I do not hate them, but Wicked is also known for it's musical numbers and it was great. I think one of the issues I had going in were the fact that I was trying to remember what I heard in the theatre all those years ago, but failed so all the music seemed unfamiliar to me and I think deep down that upset me because I enjoyed the show, enjoyed the music, but have not gone back to watch it since so none of the music stood out to me and deep down I probably wanted to sing along.

Lastly, the direction and the visuals, phenomenal. Combine that with practical sets, the world of Oz feels lived-in and vast. It is very colourful and very appealing to the eye in weird and wonderful ways. There are not many scenes that go by that are not captivating or visuals/angles that do no speak many words and tell a different story. The camera work is great and the film has a duality throughout with characters as well as story and only if you are paying close attention, these will stand out to you. You may need to watch the movie several times to see all the Easter eggs in the many shots and even where the movie will lead to in the sequel, who knows. But from what I do know, this film is great and I definitely implore you to watch this film whether you like musicals or not.