Wicked movie review. This week I’m sharing my thoughts about the movie, Wicked part 1. I’ll be looking at the movie from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t know the musical. I’ve heard a few of the songs and I’ve seen the Wizard of Oz. But, that’s all I knew going into the movie.
Why did I go
If you’ve read my previous post then you know I’m not a big fan of musicals. So, why would I go and see this movie?
Two reasons.
First, I was intrigued by what I was seeing and hearing from the previews. I was particularly attracted to the choreography. I’m a sucker for a well choreographed presentation. That probably comes from my marching band background. There’s nothing like music that is well coordinated with motion.
The second reason is more straightforward. The young ladies in my chorus class were all a twitter about the movie. They asked if I was going. When I told them that I probably wouldn’t go they were shocked… so I promised them that I would go.
So, let’s dig in.
The music
The music is excellent. That’s obviously the starting point for a movie adaptation of a musical and this movie does a great job. The music and plot all revolves around two main characters: Elphaba and Galinda.
Elphaba, (soon to be the wicked witch) is played by Cynthia Erivo. I was stunned by the power of her voice in the song, “The Wizard and I”. I wanted to stand and applaud!
The strength of her voice will give you chills at the end of ‘Defying Gravity’.
Pop star Ariana Grande plays the role of Galinda. I was not as impressed with her singing. Her voice is thin and quirky, but that’s probably the point. ‘Popular’ is a great example of what I’m talking about. Funny, nasal, silly.
Grande and Erivo team up and hit a home run with, ‘What is this feeling’. Great harmonies, pitch etc. Beautiful.
One more note on the music. I found the lyrics to be unintelligible in the first scene. The movie begins in Munchkinland and I couldn’t understand a word of what they were singing.
Maybe it was just my old band director ears. Too many years of trumpets blasting at me?
Dissapointment
The choreography was good, but not fantastic. ‘Dancing through life’ was the movie’s big dance moment. It was good, but it didn’t blow me away.
The ‘Dancing through life’ scene pales in comparison to ‘America’ from ‘West Side Story’.
The rotating stage was interesting and visually stimulating. Were they trying to grasp some of the magic of Fred Astaire? If so, he did it better. And, he didn’t spend as much money.
Or, perhaps they were trying to capture some of the magic of the library scene in ‘The Music Man’?
If so… again, they failed.
Wicked, as a movie
If you take the music and choreography away from this movie, what do you have?
You have a fantastic movie! The overall texture of the movie is beautiful. I believe the expression is, “Visually stimulating”.
The two main characters have great chemistry. Each scene is believable.
Ariana Grande’s portrayal of Galinda is outstanding. Galinda is a silly vacuous blonde who ascribes to be, through study, what Elphaba is by birth. (Does this parallel Grande v Erivo??) Grande presents Galinda as quirky and funny, otherwise you would probably hate her. When Grande’s in a scene, she’s stealing the show. I think she has a future in the movies or the Broadway stage.
There’s a lot of talk about how skinny Grande is, but her thinness makes the character better. She has that frail, fairy look. (Now, would someone please get the poor kid a cheeseburger!)
Erivo gives Elphaba depth. She contrasts the shyness of Elphaba with her inner strength and hidden power.
I like the age old theme of the movie. You can’t look at someone and know who they really are (You can’t judge a book by its cover). And, you have to take a stand for what you know is right.
Even if that stand ostracizes you from the world.
Even if the rest of the world says what is right is wrong and then points at you and calls you, “Wicked”!
Thumbs up for this one.