A majority of the movie “Wicked” became very popular across social media before viewers even saw the movie. Dressing up as characters, making movie posters and singing the songs were all trends from before the film was released on Nov. 22. When I saw “Wicked,” I hoped to see that the movie amounted to the hype it received. Luckily, my expectations were surpassed, and I was amazed at the film’s grab to emotionally draw you into the land of Oz.
Though “Wicked” was two hours and 41 minutes long and was only the first of two parts, the length was necessary in order to build the relationship between Elphaba and G(a)linda. Many of the scenes were beautiful and immersive, with sets like Shiz and the Emerald City being very detailed and intricate, and the actresses’ performances were astounding. Cynthia Erivo, who played Elphaba, had a very powerful voice and played Elphaba with true emotion through her strong expressions. Ariana Grande, who played Glinda, put a lot of dedication into her character. You could truly tell how much she cared about this role through her beautiful singing and acting skills. Jon M. Chu, the director of “Wicked,” did a great job with casting and making Oz come to life.
The whole movie immersed viewers into this fantasy world through each scene. The sets were not too colorful, but they were not too bland, either; they were a perfect mix that not only made Oz feel magical, but also made it feel like a real place. The costumes matched perfectly with the sets; they were especially detailed and well designed for each character. All of Glinda’s pink and poofy outfits exemplified her bubbly personality and her playfulness, especially in her song “Popular.” Elphaba’s black dresses were intricate and lovely on her, which symbolized her personality as well, showing how she is different from the colorful costumes of everyone else.
The plot was clearly well explained and easy to follow along. It was interesting to find how this movie’s plot connected with “The Wizard of Oz” through each scene. Elphaba’s journey and the challenges she faced at Shiz alongside Glinda was exemplified successfully through the pacing. The pacing of “Wicked” brought you from one scene to the next smoothly, which is important since this movie was almost three hours long. Though some scenes, such as the Oz Dust dance, were a bit slow, these special moments between the characters were needed to further add to the emotional impact of the scene. Through these moments, it was easy to forget that the characters were actors, because this movie made viewers feel like theywere with the characters in this semi-realistic world.
The climax of the movie was very impactful with the song “Defying Gravity.” This song acted as a song of hope for Elphaba and the audience, for Elphaba had to stand up for her beliefs. Even when so many people turned against her, the uneasy plot twist of the movie was comforted by this song of hope. Elphaba harnessed the importance of not letting anyone bring her down, whether it was her childhood bullies, the teachers that looked down upon her or anyone else who wanted to silence her and use her for their own benefits. The additional fact that Cynthia Erivo did all the stunts for Elphaba’s flying while hitting those powerful high notes live during filming just shows how much passion was put into this movie.
“Wicked” was a sentimental, impactful movie with dedicated actors, beautiful sets and an amazing story to tell. All of the songs, plots, pacing and overall look of this movie were breathtaking to watch. Though it is about three hours long, it is still enjoyable to watch for all ages and will leave you feeling “Galinda-fied” and waiting eagerly for part two, which is coming out next year on Nov 21.
