Wicked: Teil 1

With the raving reviews surrounding this movie, there was an expectation for so much more. I absolutely adore musicals and I had high hopes for this one. Throughout the progression of the film, I kept waiting for the moment when the movie became an instant classic in my books. Unfortunately, it never did. With a 2-hour and 40-minute run-time, Wicked left me feeling drained. The vocals of the leads were immaculate, the props were grand, but it still felt incomplete.

In terms of casting, Cynthia Erivo proved to be a wonderful pick for Elphaba, in both acting and singing. She also garnered much sympathy for the plight of her character and the challenges she faced due to her skin-color. Ariana Grande held her own as Glinda bringing various quirks and a unique comedy to her character, especially with her and Erivo's chemistry. Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero was surprising and fresh, though it felt as if we never received a deeper understanding of his character. Most of the supporting characters seemed more superficial, and not as easy to connect to. The motivation for the villains seemed incomplete especially when centered around the subplot regarding animals. Every set-up in the movie seemed to lend itself to a set up for another song or "you'll find out in part II."

There were moments in the film where it felt rushed, and times that seemed to be drag. Toward the final act, I loathed the idea of hearing another song. The plot seemed increasingly thin and unable to hold my attention. For a musical, most of the songs were forgettable, minus the finishing number 'Defying Gravity.' Admittedly, not all musicals need to have memorable songs if the plot is strong enough to carry it (e.g. Newsies), but the plot itself seemed just as forgettable. The run-time of the film should have produced a better understanding of the characters and a stronger plot. However, it merely presented a song-fest, with a weak plot and many choreographed dances.

Overall, it is still a watchable movie despite its few flaws and bloated run-time. But there are many others who do believe it is the best piece of cinema ever seen so maybe it's just me?

The acting's great, the sets and choreography are spectacular, vibrant and full of colour and there are some great songs (in between them belting out notes for no reason), but it's hard to recommend when so much of it is left unfinished. The light plot fells drawn out, mainly focusing on the relationship between the two leads, with other characters barely used and other plot points never really explained. There's some good humour and attempts at defying traditional expectations but I never felt in awe or amazed at the magical world of Oz and the ending, whilst dramatic, felt rushed.

Overall = 6/10.

There are a few things about this film that just really didn't work for me, but there is also lots to enjoy. On balance it makes for a perfectly watchable and entertaining enough experience, but it could have and should have been so much better.

To start with the positives, Ariana Grande is absolutely magnificent as Glinda. I was sceptical about her as a leading actress but she really smashes it out of the park. Vocally she is spot on. Her mannerisms and dialogue delivery are perfect. She truly eclipses every other cast member and just is Glinda in every way.

Aesthetically in terms of costuming and set design, again I think this film nails it. The commitment to practical sets and a reduction in green screen technology is noticeable and it does create a more engaging look to the film.

Finally the production value of the music numbers is all really solid. Apart from dragging out Defying Gravity for a bit too long, I think the songs are all brilliantly performed and well choreographed.

Now for my gripes...

The whole thing is just far, far too long. Two hours and forty minutes? There is simply no need. Not only this but somehow, despite all this extra breathing room, the film doesn't carry as much emotion in its story as the theatre production. I felt like the plot points around the animals and also of Elphaba wanting to meet the wizard, just didn't carry as much weight as they should. There was just too much time between the emotional beats of the story due to the added run time, which lessened their impact.

I can't argue that she has a great voice (and she nails Defying Gravity), but I just wasn't convinced by Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Perhaps this is on the director's shoulders, but she was just played a little too reserved and shy and was incredibly hard to connect to. I know this is part of the character of Elphaba, but even still the whole performance was just too muted. It doesn't help that she was performing across from a great Glinda.

Another annoyance is the colour palette of the film which is disappointingly dull. Given the technicolor wonder of The Wizard of Oz, I was hoping this film would pop a little more on the screen. Glinda's pink dresses, Elphaba's green skin, even the Emerald City itself... they just all felt a bit dull.

Still, none of these gripes are terminal. If you enjoyed the stage show of Wicked you will love this film. If you love musicals you will enjoy this film. Even if you are just a casual movie goer you will find plenty to enjoy here. I do just think given the source material there was maybe a better attempt to be had here.

For starters, I have seen the original Broadway Play of Wicked and I really like it. I love Wizard of Oz growing up and I thought it was a good interesting take of the world and setting.

As a film, I was always curious to see how it would be adapted. While I do appreciate it's faithfulness to the source, there are some good aspects but also not so good. Throughout, the costume designs, the production and the sound designs are amazing. It helps to build the world of Oz and create it's vibe. Including the musical score and singing that offers a vibrate, energized and colorful vibe.

However, as a whole, the dull presentation and it's stretched out narrative really seems to fail for me to fully engage with it's power. Writing wise, the narrative is interesting but being stretched out and added with unnecessary characters and moments makes it dried up. Causing some of the characters to be boring and not fully engaging.

The dialogue is pretty bad and there are some poor noticeable uses of CGI that kills away the magical vibe and feel of Oz. Most of the performances are just fine but they never really wowed me in anything particular. Because as a whole, I feel it's a bit overhyped.

2 hours and 40 minutes and this is only Part 1?! Nowhere except for in the cinema did I see the film advertised as PART 1-not in the advertising, not in the cinema listing, and not on the marquee. I don't think I would have gone knowing there were more parts coming. And since Wicked was just as long as a musical and had a beginning, middle, and an end in that same amount of time, it means that they should tell the entire story in about 9 hours. Yes the creativity of the sets and the CGI of animals were amazing, and the leads were pretty good especially since they had big shoes to fill. Cynthia & Ariana held their own, and Ariana may have a second career as she was awesome on SNL as an actor. Jonathan Bailey was a standout for sure, and can obviously sing and dance and came across as completely swoon worthy. Bowen Yang gave the film some camp and humour. But I guess we have a couple of more films to give a solid rating. Is it a 1/10?-no, that's too harsh, maybe not your cup of tea or too long. Is it a 10/10?!-no you might be fanning out on Wicked The Musical, Ariana, or Cynthia a little too much and perhaps you need a restraining order. But somewhere in the middle seems appropriate, until we see the subsequent parts.