‘Wicked’ Movie Review – Spotlight Report
DISCLAIMER: This review has been written by someone who has not previously been exposed to the theater production or novelisation of the Wicked story.
We all know the tale of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ but now audiences have the opportunity to experience the untold story of some of the franchises most important characters.
‘Wicked‘ is centered around Glinda and Elphaba, better known as the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz franchise. We are exposed to their coming of age story, how they became best friends, who they are as people and most importantly, their place within the land of Oz.
Ariana Grande-Butera portrays Glinda in the film and is a perfect choice for the role. She handled the character so elegantly and executed her performance in a way that stays very true to who Glinda is as a person.
Cynthia Erivo portrays Elphaba and does an amazing job at making this character her own. For many audience members, the story of Elphaba becoming the Wicked Witch may be something they are not knowledgeable about but Cynthia does an outstanding job at sharing this story through her performance in the film.
Jeff Goldblum also deserves an honorable mention for his portrayal of the Wizard of Oz. He brought a great level of charisma to the role that was a delight to see unfold on screen.
One of the strongest aspects in the film is the use of practice set pieces. In the film we are transported to Shiz Academy and the Emerald City and in both locations, the use of practically built sets does wonders with emerging the audiences into the land of Oz. It truly is a great accomplishment of the films director, Jon M. Chu, and the crew that were involved.
The musical numbers are very upbeat and entertaining at times. They very much had that musical theater spark to them which was very unique to this film and handled very well. The fan favorite, Gravity, makes for one of the most memorable moments in the film and is an absolute spectacle to witness.
The one and only downside was some of the musical numbers were very close together at times and it may be a bit jarring for some audience members as there’s a great story being told underneath all the musical numbers but this comes down to the viewer and is not something that will at all hinder the cinema experience.
Overall, ‘Wicked’ hits the mark on multiple levels and is easily one of the biggest films of the year but there is still a lot more of this story to tell. Audiences now have a whole year to wait for ‘Wicked Part 2’ which is due to hit cinemas in November of 2025.
