By Rachel Chiang | Assistant News Editor
“Wicked,” the Broadway musical-turned-film, is vibrant, beautiful and nearly three hours of ear therapy.
Full disclosure — the extent of my knowledge on “Wicked” going into the film was the song “Defying Gravity” and the understanding that the musical prequels the events of “The Wizard of Oz.” All references to the second part, character developments, and easter eggs flew over my head just like Elphaba on her broom at the end of the film.
As a result, as someone unfamiliar with how the musical progresses and develops in the second act, I found myself bored and unattached to characters beside the leads, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). The plot develops slowly as it introduces each character and event with a musical number that — unless you know the lyrics and songs by heart — can drag on as you eagerly wait for them to explain who or what is happening and what it leads to. It wasn’t until Glinda and Elphaba made their way to the Emerald City that I found myself intrigued by the plot.
The confusion for first-time viewers increases considering many of the events that occur at Shiz University seem to have no correlation to the main plotline. Each character’s true motives are subtly hinted at but never provided enough context to truly understand what is happening. Without a general or extensive knowledge of the story, the ways characters switch up on each other and friendships forge and fade in the span of one song can be puzzling.
By the time the Wizard enters the equation and his treachery is revealed, the film’s tone shifts to both daunting and thrilling as it picks up intensity reaching its climax. The monkeys taking flight is terrifying as they smash through the windows clawing their way to get their hands on Elphaba for cursing them with wings.
With Madam Morrible and the Wizard turning the entire city against Elphaba, you will be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for her to take flight. All traces of the slow plot or elements of mystery are long forgotten by the time Elphaba jumps out the window. Erivo’s intense training regime for this role is evident. Flying through the air strapped to a broom while singing is not something just anyone can put on their resume, but she does it and does it well.
The complex choreography, soundtrack and costume design in this film are absolutely phenomenal. It doesn’t take an avid fan to recognize the amount of coordination and practice the numbers in the film have. The creativity and world-building is meticulously detailed down to every piece of clothing Glinda and Elphaba wear. Plus, whoever designed Prince Fiyero’s (Jonathan Bailey) blue suit needs a serious raise. So does his personal trainer.
The film’s greatest strength is in the grandeur of its cinematography. Emerald City and Shiz University are beautiful sets that, combined with the dance numbers, cannot be overstated. The setting for the dance underwater is mesmerizing and evokes the atmosphere of an elegant aquarium as Elphaba and Glinda truly connect for the first time. The library with rotating bookshelves still has me wondering how they filmed it.
Ultimately, the film works. Whether you’re a “Wicked” expert or a first-time enjoyer, there are plenty of elements and moments in the film for you to love. I would advise doing a little preemptive research into the characters and songs before watching the film. But even without it, you will still be able to enjoy beautiful scenery, funny one-liners and musical numbers that will have you blasting the soundtrack on the drive home.
Wicked can still be viewed in Waco through December at AMC or Cinemark.
