The Island Cinephile

Wicked: A Missed Opportunity in Storytelling

Directed by Jon M. Chu

“As someone told me lately, everyone deserves the chance to fly.”

Elphaba

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 amongst the other great films in cinema like Singin’ in the Rain or The Sound of Music or, better yet, the original Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately, it never did. With a 2-hour and 40-minute runtime, Wicked left me feeling drained. The vocals of the leads were immaculate, the props were grand, but it still felt incomplete (which is crazy for a nearly 3-hour film). 
 
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 to be lacking especially when centered around the subplot regarding animals. Moreover, every set-up in the movie seemed to lend itself to the buildup for another song or “you’ll find out in part II.” 

A memorable scene in the film is the dance at the party between Elphaba and Glinda which held an emotional intensity I had hoped would have persisted throughout the film. Instead, there were moments in the film were felt rushed, and times that seemed to drag along. Some of the impactful scenes were cut in favor for songs or overlong ones that provided nothing for the audience. Toward the final act, the idea of hearing another song seemed tiresome. 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.”¹ 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 well-thought-out plot. However, it merely presented a songfest, with a weak plot, shallow characters, and many choreographed dances. 
 
Despite this, Wicked is still a watchable movie despite its few flaws and bloated run-time.  

Citations:

1. “Defying Gravity (From Wicked The Soundtrack).” YouTube, uploaded by Republic Records, 22.11.2024, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeqj5GnoFUY.  ↩︎

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