Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
Chuck says:
Judging from the reaction of the audience at the screening of “Wicked” I attended, fans of the musical sensation will likely be pleased by Universal’s $150 million adaptation. Every cent of the budget is on the screen as it is one of the most visually dynamic films, you’re likely to see this or any year. If nothing else, viewers will be dazzled by it. Each of the songs are enthusiastically rendered and imaginatively choregraphed, while the cast brings the necessary nuances to their characters. To be sure, it’s a top-notch production across the board.
It’s also a bit of a bore. Clocking in at two hours and forty minutes, the film, which covers only the first act of the play, is a needlessly bloated affair, one that revels in excess at the expense of narrative expediency. Oz fanatics won’t mind this plodding, immersive experience, while those new to the musical will leave wondering what all the fuss is about.
The story begins where “The Wizard of Oz” ends, as news of the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West has spread across the land. Celebrations ensue, as Glinda (Ariana Grande) the Good Witch, visits various hamlets to confirm the death. However, when a villager mentions the messenger was once friends with the recently deceased, Glinda recounts the history of their relationship.
Seems she and Elphaba (Cythia Erivo) met at Shiz University, the former there to become a sorceress, the later having no intention of staying, only there to watch over her sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) for the first few days. However, after displaying magical powers, she’s taken under Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) wing, the instructor seeing great potential in the young woman. This breeds resentment in Glinda, which is exacerbated when they’re forced to become roommates.
What with her green skin, Elphaba has been ostracized her entire life, something that continues with Glinda and her cohorts. However, through some expedient screenwriting, the reluctant roomies suddenly become best friends, studying together with Morrible until an invitation from the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) arrives, summoning them to the Emerald City.
Meanwhile, a love interest is introduced in the form of Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), while a relationship develops between Nessarose and Boq (Ethan Slater), a rather large munchkin. More disturbingly, a movement is afoot in which the intelligent, talking animals of the land, chief among them the goat, Professor Dillamond (Voice by Peter Dinklage), are being rounded up for deportation, or worse.
It’s remarkable that with such a narrative-heavy script, the film moves so slowly. To be sure, every musical is too long by a song or two, but director Jon M. Chu slows things down further by needlessly elongating the musical numbers, each an elaborate production of their own, none of them flowing from one to the next. It’s as if we’re watching a series of mini movies that occur too infrequently to provide a sense of cohesion, The spectacle soon turns into a slog, the Emerald City not glimpsed until after two hours has gone by.
Giving credit where it’s due, once the magical pair encounter the Wizard, the story takes a dark turn and is suddenly of interest. When Elphaba realizes he and Morrible want to use her power to control the citizens of Oz, her long-suppressed feelings of resentment come to the fore, her revolt against them giving the film a much-needed jolt of energy.
Unfortunately, it’s too little too late. To be sure, the third act in which we see the key elements of this origin story finally emerge – how Elphaba got her broom and hat and how the monkeys of Oz got their wings – is gripping. I’m assuming these are the first steps towards the story taking a darker tone, the Wizard’s smear campaign painting the misunderstood heroine as the enemy of the masses, in the offing. Hopefully, the more serious tone will make for a more engaging second part.
Yet, if it too takes on the turgid pace of part one, it too will be a long, dull haul. Obviously, making two features out of the play is a cash grab on Universal Pictures’ part, one fans of the musical probably won’t mind. However, in the end, it simply doesn’t serve the story well, no matter how visually dazzling it might be.
2 1/2 Stars
