REVIEW: Wicked: A visually arresting but troubled musical

As someone who tends to be skeptical of certain genres—or simply struggles to connect with them, as I do with musicals—I still believe in approaching any film with an open mind, ready to be surprised or convinced otherwise. It’s only fair, after all. That said, I find myself unexpectedly intrigued by the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man. From what I’ve seen, it seems to be taking a fresh and unconventional approach to the genre, which has definitely piqued my curiosity.

I must begin with a couple of disclaimers on my behalf for Wicked. Whilst I am familiar with the mythology of this world – to a certain extent – I have never seen The Wizard of Oz but have seen Sam Raimi and James Franco’s Oz: The Great and Powerful. In the end, I am not entirely unaware of the background, but not as caught up as I should be.

It must also be noted that I am by no means the target audience for this. What I say will have almost no effect upon the film’s success and I am certain the film will do very well financially. I was happy and relieved to see that my screening – the opening day of release- was very full and it was entirely quiet which demonstrated that it had great appeal and that it was working for people. So, this is all very much from an outsider’s point of view.

From what I gathered, the story follows the beginning of the relationship between The Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), and Glinda, The Good Witch (Ariana Grande). It’s worth noting that this film covers only the first half of the show—a fact I wasn’t aware of beforehand but became clear from the opening title: Wicked: Part One.

Photo credit: Giles Keyte / Universal Pictures

This serves as the foundation for what’s to come. We meet the two characters as they begin their journey at Shiz University. Glinda is a sparkly, wealthy, and popular figure—not entirely unlike Rachel McAdams’s Regina George—who always seems to get her way. In contrast, Elphaba is her complete opposite: she has endured a lifetime of bullying and exclusion, branded an outcast due to her green skin, which causes those around her to view her as some sort of monster.

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, known for her standout performance in the excellent Everything Everywhere All at Once, takes on the role of Madame Morrible, a professor and renowned sorceress. She is notably the first person to deny Glinda what she wants, leaving Glinda desperate to impress her but ultimately failing. Madame Morrible, however, recognizes great potential in Elphaba and takes a liking to her. Jonathan Bailey also stars as Fiyero, a Disney prince-like character, alongside Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, a magical, talking goat who also teaches at Shiz University. Rounding out the cast is the scene-stealing Jeff Goldblum as the enigmatic Wizard of Oz.

Photo credit: Universal Pictures

It’s unfortunate to say that I hated this, which is far from the outcome I had hoped for. That said, I don’t harbor the same anger or resentment toward it as I did with Madame Web or Borderlands earlier this year, both of which were truly awful. Wicked was simply disappointing, though by no means the worst film I’ve seen this year. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the musical elements that bothered me but rather the way certain aspects were handled, which didn’t sit right with me.

The few saving graces include something that can apply to all musicals. Despite not being my cup of tea, I have always thought they are well-made and very admirable in their craft. The sets, set-pieces, choreography and dances must be a mammoth undertaking that I have all the respect in the world for. Wicked does all of this as well as you would hope which I was happy to see.

Photo credit: Universal Pictures

The film’s visuals and CGI look good and the two hours and forty minute run time that thankfully went briskly, I was never bored nor did I check my watch. Cynthia Erivo was good and by far more likeable and watchable then Ariana Grande which I’ll come on to.

My biggest problem was that it appeared to have – at least for me – some pretty wildly misjudged story choices. It tackles dilemmas such as discrimination and racism but in a way that made me so unengaged with the story and what was going on. Large sections came across to me as far too condescending when I wanted them to have far more impact than they actually did and which should have been stronger.

Photo credit: Universal Pictures

There is one character in a wheelchair whose handling, portrayal and treatment was just one element that really did not sit well with me. I could not for the life of me get on board with Ariana Grande despite being aware that her character is not supposed to be likeable. In the end, she just came across as a squeaky, talking cupcake despite having just appeared in a really funny SNL sketch where she did a great impression of Celine Dion. After seeing that, I was looking forward to what she could do in this but nothing came of it. I much preferred Erivo’s singing too.

At the end of the day, I do think and hope this will be a roaring success as families and fans will flood to see it. We will just have to see if it makes it onto my ”worst of the year” list. It does not matter that it did not work or play for me and I expect Part Two will follow quickly behind.

2/5

In cinemas now.