Following decades of popularity after its Broadway debut, the stage play Wicked, based on a 1995 novel, is finally making its way to the big screen courtesy of Crazy Rich Asians director John M. Chu. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has been misunderstood and ostracized in the city of Oz throughout her life due to her green skin, namely by her father Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) who favors her paraplegic sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode). When accompanying her sister to Shiz University, Elphaba’s natural inclination for magic catches the eye of the university’s legendary Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). The Dean takes Elphaba under her wing and assigns her to room with the ambitious, popular, but rude student Glinda (Arianna Grande) who treats Elphaba poorly just as everyone else does. The two soon form an unlikely friendship, but reach a crossroad when Elphaba is approached by Madame Morrible and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) for a questionable task.
Elphaba is portrayed as an outcast and the black sheep of the family, scorned by her father for an accident involving Nessarose, her embarrassing appearance, and the more unspoken issue of her paternity. This theme surrounding the atmosphere of prejudice within Oz is buoyed by a subplot in the film tackling discrimination and erase of the city’s animals, namely Shiz University’s goat professor Dr. Dillamond, voiced by Peter Dinklage. The effect that these things have on Elphaba is pronounced, with the tipping point occurring when her lifelong experience with the prejudice intersects with the treatment of her beloved professor and the role that Oz’s power structure plays in fanning the flames against the city’s animal population. The film does well in establishing Elphaba’s experience with being mistreated throughout her life by everyone she encounters, particularly her own father, and weathering the storm in an effort to be confident in spite of it all, only to continue to be let down by those people and structures she expects more from but never receives until she finally lashes out in response. When it comes to the question of nature versus nurture, Wicked takes a clear stance through its depiction of its protagonist, but avoids being too hamfisted in leading the story in this direction.
Elphaba’s dealing with ostracization for who she is is presented in a way that will resonate with many emotionally, even if it is a topic that feels a little rote and cliche within modern cinema. A case can be made that the stage play version of this story, which debuted on Broadway in 2003 and went on a famed international tour in the early 2010s, served as the genesis of the now worn trope of the “misunderstood villain” that has come to dominate modern storytelling. An antagonist who is not evil for evil’s sake, but has turned bad through societal mistreatment or the failure of governmental systems. Indeed, this adaptation stays true to its roots, down to a line from a character pondering “Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” In this case, Wicked is the victim of the formerly named trope “Seinfeld is Unfunny” where something that was once fresh, Elphaba as the prototypical misunderstood villain, is now seen as unoriginal because of it being copied extensively following its debut. Wicked tells this story and reinforces the theme well, but through no fault of its own, it feels like a story of which we’ve already seen too much.
One aspect of this stage to screen adaptation that was executed flawlessly is the elaborate production design featured throughout. Wicked amazingly utilizes mostly constructed sets in lieu of CGI with huge, colorful structures and costuming for hundreds of extras. The CGI used is superb as well, especially the film’s anthropomorphized animals like Dr. Dillamond and Dulcibear, voiced by Sharon D. Clarke. As a musical, the numbers performed in the film are just as important as its story and the acting performances and the choreography and singing performances are of quality and well crafted, but not particularly transcendent. This isn’t a mark against the film however, as well crafted and of high quality is really all the musical numbers had to be in order to hit the high watermark of expectations. The film’s cinematography is a but of a mixed bag, marked by great scene transitions with great match cuts and editing, but a bit of drab lighting that undercuts some of the magnificent colors that are present in the set design and wardrobe.
Wicked entered multiplexes with a mountain of hype and expectations and has managed to answer the call. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande display the perfect amount of chemistry needed from the two main characters and are able to perform the musical numbers with enough skill and charisma to satisfy both long-term fans of the Wicked franchise and new moviegoers just sitting in to see what the hype is about. Erivo is called upon to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of emotional acting and delivers, culminating in the third act climax which she handles well. While the strength of its themes are undercut a bit by the trend it started, the story and exploration of ostracization, prejudice, and mistreatment are handled well and shine through. Visually, this film is largely a treat with elaborate, exquisitely done sets and costuming and an extensive color palette. Wicked is certainly a crowd pleasure for its intended audience and may surprise casual viewers too, though it is a little long in its runtime.
Image: Universal Pictures
