REVIEW #420 Wicked: Part 1 (2024)

Wicked Part 1

Synopsis

Misunderstood because of her green Skin, a young woman named Elphaba makes an unlikely friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire to be popular.

Review

Wicked: Part 1 is without a doubt, one of the most faithful adaptations I have seen in Hollywood. Meanwhile, it captures its own unique identity through the technical components of filmmaking and the brilliant cast that serve justice to the iconic stage characters that people have come to love over the years. Let me start by stating just how well Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performed, executing the vocals and the charisma perfectly, allowing for the comical, and the emotional notes, to land just as well. This movie will certainly take you on a ride in that regard and it’s been wonderful seeing how audiences have reacted to the musical. I won’t claim that musicals are my favourite genre in the world but when done right they really stick with you and that applies to Wicked for sure. I mentioned the components of filmmaking giving the movie adaptation it’s own personality and I meant it, the editing, set and costume design, cinematography… it was all executed in exactly the right way to drive home the impact of the songs and the themes that are on show. The set design in particular was brilliant, I’d hedge my bets on the film taking home the academy award for production design!

I only watched the stage show just last year and I was curious to see how it would translate in film and to be honest, I’d go as far as saying I actually prefer the film! So credit to Jon M. Chu for such an achievement. I think any criticism I’ve seen seems to stem from personal preference rather than actual faults within the film. Granted it won’t be for everyone, it’s eccentric, over the top and a little bit silly too but that’s very much in the DNA of the story. I can’t even say it’s a story that appeals to my personal tastes either, but I can respect it nonetheless. Despite all of the extravagance, it has themes that everybody can relate to on some level and that’s what reels you in emotionally and gets you invested in the characters and the overarching story. But I’ve come away super excited for part two and how they will tell the rest of the story and for me, it’s certainly one to get out and watch on the big screen if you can.

Overall (8/10)

Thanks for reading.

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