Wicked

Wicked is one of those films that's tricky to review. Taking a day date with my wife after dropping our newborn off at the grandparent's, I was eager and excited to finally see the other half of "Glicked", especially given that Gladiator II was so disappointing. 

Wicked is hard for me to review because it varies in quality throughout. Luckily this is all "high-end" quality, with the majority of the movie's 160 minute semi-bloated run time being great. That makes narrowing in on a final score difficult however, so allow me to reason "live" throughout this review. 

Parts of Wicked are true movie magic. There are certain moments, musical numbers, and scenes that are the best of the year. The "filler" between these scenes is strong, supported by a true vision from director Jon M. Chu. However, once Wicked eventually shifts its focus to the lore of Oz, I found myself losing interest and the film became a tad more generic. This material is still good thanks to many reasons I'll list below, but a particular section that is void of music for a while, heavy on CGI, and focused on big reveals, etc. fell a bit flat, only because other portions of the film I was already so in love with. For those entering Wicked completely blind, such as myself, I'll leave out plot spoilers, but I also know part of my appetite for this section stems from the fact I don't care about Oz lore/history the same way I would something like the MCU, for example. In that vein, I understand mileage may vary. 

Personally, I enjoyed Wicked the MOST when it was basically a musical Harry Potter. Watching Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande) butt heads as they start school at Shiz, and eventually form a relationship, is touching, fun, often funny, and features absolutely fantastic musical numbers. And yes, the music is outstanding, but where Jon M. Chu's expertise shines brightest is within the intricate, exciting, and satisfying choreography seen throughout. The film's best scenes are its biggest numbers and the organization of so many people and their timing is impressive. Of course, given Chu's resume, this isn't surprising, but Wicked does feel like a sort of "arrival" for him in getting a big budget, huge stars, and making good on the material. His vision shines through in other ways too, largely with massive, often practical, set design, costumes, color palette (yes, sure, the pink and green was decided a long time before him), and even the world building. Similar to my thoughts on the best parts of the film, these elements are best when focused at school and on Elphaba and Galinda's relationship as the later Oz stuff can feel more like something akin to [deep cut] Oz the Great and Powerful. 

There's similarly heaps of praise that should be placed on Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. They have impeccable chemistry, and turn in nomination-worthy individual performances. Erivo is stoic in an outcast role, and brings layers of emotion to the most important moments - particularly in her face - with a really powerful voice. Grande was a magnificent "get" for this film, reminding us that she has a strong comedic background, likes to have a lot of fun, and also features the pipes required for the demanding songs. They not only carry Wicked, they elevate it. Aside from them, there are some well-chosen cast members (Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, and Peter Dinklage standout) and some surprising misses (Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum feel particularly out of place). 

It's not a bad problem to try and determine how high I want to rate a film because at the end of the day, Wicked as a whole is something special. That's because of several special moments, a distinct vision, and two very special performances. Even if parts of the film are "lesser", I can't help but think I'll remember some of my favorite parts for many months to come as we wait for Part II. 

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10