Wicked
“Pink goes good with green” -Glinda
And I will say it… Wicked goes good on the big screen. This is a review that has taken too long for me to write, especially since I loved this movie. I saw the musical over a decade ago and I remember leaving thinking it was a great show and was borderline obsessed with the music for a short period of time. Now, I get to relieve that whole experience with the movie being released, and will get to one more time in a year with part 2. Anytime that you take a major show, book, or play and make a movie adaptation there will be some anxiety from me. Expectations are always high and it seems that, especially in book cases (which this also is which people forget), people are left disappointed. This is a movie that went all in on the attempt to be cinematic, and I think it nailed it. The imagery was awesome and the performances from everyone were top tier, especially with Cynthia and Ariana being close to perfect for me! For an easy flop and money grab from a beloved musical, I think they did about as good as you could do with a blockbuster musical. This is one I will most likely see again and I think anyone who has any thought of going needs to find time, especially in theaters!
-J
I am writing this now mostly overjoyed that I will finally get a brief respite from the dreaded Wicked trailer that got shoved down our throats so many times that it will forever be a part of me. I may be the only person on the planet that did not see the musical, and was probably the least excited for this as a result, but I was pleasantly surprised. The music itself is pretty underwhelming, in my humble opinion, but the acting is phenomenal. Cynthia Erivo is brilliant as Elphaba and Ariana Grande, who I was quite skeptical of, was PERFECT as Glinda. Acting nominations for either of them wouldn’t surprise me. The colors and the set design were A-tier, and the pacing they largely got right, but it was much too long overall, and they really dragged out the final third of this movie in a way that I really struggled with. Despite its issues, it’s infectiously fun and endearing and really just impossible not to love. I will soak up the few months we have now before we get completely hammered by Wicked Part Two trailers.
-Z
