The term stagebound is familiar to anyone whos seen enough Hollywood adaptations of Broadway musicals.
Jon M. Chu and Universal Pictures extravagant transfer of Stephen Schwartzs belovedWickedmusical is the opposite of that.
The Wicked Witch of the West is dead, and all of Oz is celebrating her melting.
When Glinda met the woman who would become Wicked, things were different.
Nessarose is wheelchair-bound and eager to conform.
Elphaba claims to have zero interest in any such frivolity.
What she finds, however, is a revolution.
Visually this is the most sumptuous Oz has looked onscreen since 1939.
The film appears at times washed out when it should be leaning into its oversaturated MGM influences.
Theres of course been live-sung movie musicals before, including the unevenLes Miserablesadaptation from about a decade ago.
In terms of character performance, however, theyre far less evenly matched.
A more seasoned thespian might have brought Glindas nuances and manic joy to bear.
Intriguingly, whether by accident or design, this does make the adaptation much more Elphabas storyand Erivos movie.
Erivos Elphie is more forlorn than I recall the character being in the mid-2000s.
The loneliness at the beginning is palpable; the rage at the end transcendent.
Yet getting there remains the movies biggest challenge.
As aforementioned,Wickedis only half the story.
Its hard to care about the mean girl when shes mean for over half the movie.
Much of it, again, is achieved while the actress is hanging by literal threads.
Wickedis a big Hollywood undertaking, with many of the modern pitfalls therein.
But like its emerald witch, it defies the laws of gravity and conventional wisdom.
Occasionally, it even soars.
Rating:
4 out of 5
