Wicked: A Near-Perfect Adaptation of the Beloved Broadway Musical
Wicked is a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical that serves as a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. The story tells how Glinda, the Good Witch, and the Wicked Witch of the West got to the point that they were in the Wizard of Oz.
This is probably my favorite movie that came out last year. Wicked is one of the best musicals that has hit Broadway. The story is solid the entire way throughout and the music is some of the best in the genre. The Wicked movie only covers act one of the musicals. I will be drawing comparisons, but I will not cover anything in Act 2 for those who don’t know how the musical goes.
I have very little issue with this movie, mainly because it almost a scene-for-scene remake of the stage musical. The only issue I have with it is that the movie spoils a twist that doesn’t appear until Act 2 in the Broadway musical. The stage show has a clever way of getting around this and it won’t be an issue with most people unless they know how the musical goes.
The casting for this film is spot on and is better than the stage musical. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, is up for a Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for her performance, an award I think is deserved as she is the best actress to play the role. Ariana Grande plays Glinda, and she is also up for a Best Actress in a Support Role Oscar for her performance, which I also think is deserved. She was born for this role, and it very well may be her best role to date. The rest of the cast is perfectly cast as well, except perhaps the Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum. I like Goldblum, but he is not the best singer, and while the Wizard does not have many songs, he still drags it down.
The thing that makes this film stand apart from other musicals and other stage adaptations is that the cast sang all their songs on set and not in a recording studio. Normally for musicals, the songs are pre-recorded in a sound booth and then play on set so that the actors can act and dance with it accordingly. The issue with this is the choreography usually doesn’t match the singing and makes it look off. The actors singing on set also makes the sound more natural and not as tuned as it would of recorded in a booth.
Another thing that works in this film’s favor is that most or all the sets were practical and use natural lighting, which frames the shots better. This enhances the cinematography in ways that puts it above most other films that came out last year. While some shots did look weird, overall, the film still looks better than if it were shot using stage lighting.
Wicked is nominated for 10 Oscars, but it is not a front runner in any of the categories it is nominated for. Do I think it is going to be the Best Picture winner this year? I don’t. Do I want it to win? Yes. It is a direct screen adaptation of the stage play, and if you like the stage musical, you will love this movie. I give this film a 9/10.