Wicked

Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Andy Nyman, Courtney Mae-Briggs, Keala Settle
Running Time: 160 min.
Rating: PG

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★) 

While the feature adaptation of Wicked reaps all the benefits of having a Tony Award-winning musical as its blueprint, just a glance at how many other equally successful productions failed on the big screen indicated it could be an uphill climb director Jon M. Chu. Part of this stems from The Wizard of Oz being such a respected property that remakes, reboots, and prequels are rarely attempted, even in an era where everything's fair game. 

With his wildly popular 1995 novel, author Gregory Mcguire managed to clear one of the biggest hurdles by writing a speculative origin story that functioned more as a companion piece to L. Frank Baum's books and the classic 1939 film, making it ripe material for the stage. So to pull this off, Chu would need to balance all the spectacle with heavier political themes that aren't often found in family entertainment. And yet against those odds he somehow conjures the ideal tone to deliver one of the genre's better efforts in years, disproving the theory that Hollywood can't seem to get musicals right anymore.

In the Land of Oz, citizens of Munchkinland celebrate the Wicked Witch of the West's death as Glinda The Good (Ariana Grande) tells them of the friendship she shared with the Witch, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) while both attended Shiz University. Shunned at birth by father Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) due to her green skin and magical abilities, Elphaba will accompany paraplegic younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to Shiz. But her uncontrollable powers lead Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to take notice, enrolling and privately mentoring her at the school. 

Immediately ostracized by fellow students, Elphaba's forced to board with perky, self absorbed Glinda, who couldn't be more her opposite. The two constantly clash while Elphaba fights for the rights of Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), a talking goat facing discrimination as one of the last remaining animal professors. With the arrival of rebellious prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey) leaving Glinda smitten, she and Elphaba surprisingly start to forge a bond. But when the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) hears of the latter's skills, the pair's trip to meet him at the Emerald City changes everything.

A heavy emphasis is placed on the prejudice green skinned Elphaba faces from basically everyone, though some more blatantly than others. Between her peers' inability to look beyond appearance and the frustration she feels toward her own unloving father, we assume she'll soon be on the Yellow Brick Road to evil. But it's more complicated than that, with some turns in Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox's script that establish this as more of a story about injustice and oppression. In this case, what's right just so happens to be whatever the majority decides, which is bad news for Elphaba, who can only make temporary progress in challenging that. 

Madame Morrible is the first to recognize that Elphaba's otherness doesn't make her a freak, but a prodigy whose powers can be properly channeled to make a difference in Oz, whatever that might entail. And while the universally admired Glinda initially attempts to befriend Elphaba in the emptiest, showiest manner possible, a surprising development occurs that sees these mismatched personalities click, resulting in the film's most audacious musical number, "Popular." Dealing with the awesome responsibility of her powers, Elphaba's elated by the acceptance that comes from this new friendship with Glinda, even if it's compromised by her growing feelings for Fiyero.

Elphaba's path from disrespected social outcast to the Land of Oz's greatest hope is full of all sorts of emotional detours that Erivo fills through these musical numbers and the smaller moments in between. At one point Glinda pushes back on the notion Elphaba doesn't care what people think, correctly assessing that she definitely does, but chooses to hide it. That's also an accurate a description of what Erivo brings to a character who's struggling every minute to contain her resentment. 

Grande's comic timing, facial expressions and delivery are a delight in channeling this prissy do- gooder who falls somewhere between Legally Blonde's Elle Woods and a Kewpie doll, Unpeeling the layers of an initially superficial character, Grande makes Glinda likably endearing even at her most selfish, and especially when she goes against the grain to help her new friend, guiding everyone else to follow. Unfortunately, this victory is short-lived once the pair arrive in the Emerald City to meet the all powerful Wizard, eccentrically played by a brilliant Jeff Goldblum.

With at least another installment left to go, the big reveal gives both diehards and those unfamiliar with the musical a fascinating lens through which to view Oz, stretching preconceived notions of these iconic characters. With citizens gaslighted into compliance by an authoritarian regime, a scapegoated Elphaba is again forced to fight the system, "defying gravity" in more ways than one. Glinda faces no such pushback, blessed with the popularity to blind and insulate her from this fascist fallout for reasons not yet completely clear.

Insanely catchy songs, elaborate production and costume design,and two revelatory performances negate any drawback to reaching the end of a nearly three hour film before being told to stay tuned. Wicked's messaging isn't subtle but shouldn't be since it springs from material that strikes a sharper chord now than when the Broadway musical premiered in 2003. But more importantly, it works as a fun, intriguing adventure by subverting all expectations of what a fantasy can be.