Nothing quite has the nostalgia of The Wizard of Oz, but this film came as close as you could possibly get. Every song and dance scene feels like an energy boost, and you can’t help but be charmed by and immersed in the world that's been created.
The movie was my introduction to the story and it was an amazing first impression, to be honest. Wicked was so great that when I went to watch the movie, I had been so immersed in it that I lost track of time, got up to use the bathroom and the movie was 5 seconds away from being over when I got back- I hadn’t thought it was ending yet! It really went by that fast and that smoothly, and all aspects of the film were purposeful and unique. Overall it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while, and Wicked is definitely a movie highlight of 2024 in my book.
Background:
This movie was based off the musical of the same name, which was based off the 1995 book Wicked, written as a prequel to the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The original musical made its Broadway premiere in 2003 and has since amassed a huge fan base and three Tony Awards. A film adaptation in the works was announced in 2016 by Universal, being scheduled to release in 2019, but got bumped for the movie Cats instead (which got terrible reviews). Finally, Wicked was rescheduled in 2022 to come out in two parts; one in 2024 and the other in 2025 around the same time. After a long wait for Wicked fans, part 1 is finally here.
Set and Production:
I saw the movie when it premiered in November, and I was super impressed, considering I’ve never seen the musical or read the book, so everything was completely new to me. From the cast, to the wardrobe, to the special effects, everything was done really well. For the most part the buildings in the movie were actually real- they had to build the munchkin houses, Shiz University, and even the forest where Elphaba and Fiyero meet. This came as a shock to me as I honestly thought it was mostly special effects! By choosing to actually make the sets the director really connected the film back to its Broadway origins, already breathing life into the production. The production designer thought out every detail and made sure things made sense according to the land of Oz in order to completely immerse you in the story. Certain elements like the circular windows, ornate floors and ceilings, lots and lots of pillars, and unique roof styles are prevalent throughout the film and really exaggerate to a point the fantasy world that is Oz. There was genuinely so much engineering and meticulous planning involved in the production (the tornado wheel in the library, the water entrance to Shiz, and the 9 MILLION tulips around Munchkinland, to name a few stand out elements) and you can clearly see how much love has been put into Wicked.
I’ve heard many people complain about the coloring of the movie and how it wasn’t bright enough, but at least in my experience, I don’t feel that was the case. Obviously the colors in the movie differ depending where you’re watching it, but overall most scenes were colored in a way that reminded me of Oz, but wasn’t too over the top. I loved the pink lighting used during Popular and What Is This Feeling?, and even the regular window lighting in a lot of buildings, because it actually added to the scene and made it more visually enchanting . While the backlighting in some scenes -such as the Shiz library- was sometimes a little too strong, it gave more of a realness to the movie, and natural light is always pretty.
Wardrobe:
The cast’s clothing was pretty phenomenal. All of Galinda’s looks reflected her qualities- vain, slightly egotistical, very girly, and just way over the top. Her outfits are more put together and fancy compared to Elphaba’s because the character wants to impress people and capture their attention, and she succeeds. No matter what scene she’s in, she always stands out from the crowd because of her pink clothes (and being the only one who never wears the Shiz uniform). Her outfits are always fun, frilly, and sparkly, emphasizing the contrast between her and Elphaba not only in personality but in style.
Elphaba wears simpler clothing, portraying that she doesn’t want to stand out more than she already does, and doesn’t care much about other people’s opinions like Galinda. Ironically she practically exclusively wears black, and that combined with her green skin and the broom she rides at the end of the movie really leans into the stereotypical image of a witch. It almost seems as though she never had the intention of looking like a “witch”, per se, which is interesting.
The Shiz uniforms aren’t as flashy as some of the other pieces in order to make Galinda, Elphaba, and Fiyero stand out, but I like how the costume designers played with different silhouettes to make them fit the fantasy vibe of the magic school. It’s also cool how they match against Elphaba’s skin, which is visually important because she mainly sticks to the uniform (again, as an attempt to blend in) while Galinda doesn’t, only wearing her signature color pink. I loved all the male characters’ outfits, especially Fiyero because it not only fit with the vibe but it just looked great, and it was flashy with the almost royal blue and gold yet still practical.
Director Jon Chu, as well as his assistant, mentioned how every character’s clothing- even background dancers and extras- was extensively thought out, right down to the buttons, and you absolutely see this in every scene.
The Music:
I don’t have anything to compare them to because I’ve never seen the musical, but the songs were really fun. Grande and Erivo didn’t at all disappoint with their vocals, and I was seriously impressed with how powerful Cynthia sang, especially in the iconic Defying Gravity.
There was a perfect balance in the way that they sang theatrically while still being along the lines of a regular movie musical, and each music act melded well into the movie. It also just worked because their voices go so well together. Ariana’s operatic training really pulled through for many of the songs as it perfectly fits the fact that Galinda likes to be the center of attention, and adds the cherry on top to the nice melodies and group vocals in many of the tracks.
The choreography for many of the songs, such as Dancing Through Life (The flips and dancing in some parts is actually insane!) is inventive, fresh, and kept me entertained. Using props like books, the tornado wheel, and just the space itself to add more to each dancing scene was a great way to add more diversity into the moves and make them interesting. The sequence at the party turned an awkward, weird looking dance into a unique number, which was interesting too. What really completed each scene was how the camera panned and followed the dancers, as if you were right alongside them to feel as though you’re actually in the movie itself.
Overall Opinion:
If I had to give Wicked a rating, I would confidently say 10/10 (if you couldn’t tell already from my rambling). Nothing quite has the nostalgia of The Wizard of Oz, but this film came as close as you could possibly get. Every song and dance scene feels like an energy boost, and you can’t help but be charmed by and immersed in the world that’s been created. An almost 3 hour length production turned into what felt like 40 minutes, and I couldn’t believe how quickly the time had passed. As I said before there’s so many little details and easter eggs included in this movie, as well as truly impressive architecture, making it clear there was so much passion, creativity, and love fueling this project. Seeing it in theatres was an amazing experience, and it was cool to witness years of planning transformed into one of the best films of the year.
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