REEL | 'Wicked' Defies A Wondrous Musical Fantasy

"I'm the other daughter, Elphaba. I'm beautifully tragic."

Universal Pictures

The first half of Chinese-American director Jon M. Chu's long-awaited, two-part blockbuster big-screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical sensation exploring the events of L. Frank Baum's endearing 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the revisionist perspective of the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West character finally arrives. For all its glamour, Wicked: Part I dazzles as an exhilarating viewing experience mostly aimed at existing fans of the long-running hit musical.

Adapted from the stage show (lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman) by screenwriter Dana Fox and Holzman herself, loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 fantasy novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, this Wicked extends its political ideas slightly beyond the original with a little more reverence for the book's source material. Splitting the film into two parts also allows for more room and time for the drama to breathe.

Talented Nigerian-British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo stars as the not-as-of-yet wicked Elphaba, who eventually transforms into the title character modeled after Margaret Hamilton's famous portrayal in the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz, in a performative role and performance. Alongside her, pop idol Ariana Grande, the film's MVP, co-stars as Glinda the Good and further proves her exuberant, theatre kid energy through some impeccable physical comedy.



Rounding out the core cast are the talents of Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and Jeff Goldblum as the stoic headmistress, charming prince, and Wizard of Oz himself for a dynamic, star-studded ensemble. They mostly stay out of the way only to enhance the two leads' contrasting but complementary styles of capital "A" acting amidst a magical school setting with strong Harry Potter vibes and high-level production design.

Both Elphaba and Glinda are so well cast and foregrounded together to drive Wicked's lively fable forward. Each musical number feels so complete and expertly choreographed to maximize laughs and glee from the audience. How it builds up energy and excitement to the stirring finale culminating in Elphaba's transformation during the all-out "Defying Gravity" power ballad is simply wondrous.

Wicked: Part I is an enchanting adaptation of the first act of the uproarious musical fantasy reimagining. Erivo and Grande both bring it hard in spades with a high degree of physicality beyond their singing and choreography while Chu further proves his bona fides as a cinematic conductor of musical films.


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