We took the kid to see Wicked on Sunday in Oxford. Since it's taking over all the commercials and screens and you're probably taking your kids or thinking about it, here are some thoughts.
Disclosure: Wicked is my favorite stage performance, and I've seen it multiple times. I'm a Broadway musical geek. I was pretty frustrated about this being only part one of two parts in movie form. It's 2 hours, 40 minutes and only tells half the story -- ending with the end of act 1 as far as how it relates to the stage version. This is my biggest criticism of the film. For people who don't know the full version from the stage version, this feels uneven. The movie starts with the celebration of the wicked witch's (Elphaba) death which is close to the end of act 2 and not something they get to in this movie. Then, this movie ends in an uplifting but fairly dark place. I'm trying to avoid spoilers. My daughter, who rooted for Elphaba the entire movie, was confused and upset and needed to know if she died. It's clunky how they cut it off for the to be continued. Part two comes out late 2025, so they've turned a close to 3 hour musical into a close to 6 hour total movie franchise. You could cut 20-25 off this movie easily.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, is outstanding in this role. She steals the show and brings the right nuance to a fairly complicated character. It overshadows Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, and does a decent job but falls short of the tone and energy from the stage actors I've seen play the character. Grande does a good job with the empathetic side of the character but can't quite hit some of the early superficial tones that have to come off a certain way. She's acceptable, but she has a difficult time standing by Erivo, who makes the film and add some depth you don't get from the stage version.
If you've never seen the musical before, I think you'll rate this a touch higher of a movie experience. It's colorful and incorporates the songs well. The vocals are awesome, and you won't care about how it's cut off in the story as much. In a vacuum, it's a 4.25 out of 5. But if you're already familiar with it, some of the call backs to the Wizard of Oz are lacking and the general energy is lacking somewhat. Erivo makes it a must watch, though. I'm at about a 3.75 out of 5 and maybe a 4. Just be aware of the potential confusion for the kids and settle in for a pretty long movie. It drags around the 70 percent mark where you're just trying to get to Defying Gravity -- the close of the film and act 1.
You need to see it. I'm excited for the second part. It's not a perfect movie.
Disclosure: Wicked is my favorite stage performance, and I've seen it multiple times. I'm a Broadway musical geek. I was pretty frustrated about this being only part one of two parts in movie form. It's 2 hours, 40 minutes and only tells half the story -- ending with the end of act 1 as far as how it relates to the stage version. This is my biggest criticism of the film. For people who don't know the full version from the stage version, this feels uneven. The movie starts with the celebration of the wicked witch's (Elphaba) death which is close to the end of act 2 and not something they get to in this movie. Then, this movie ends in an uplifting but fairly dark place. I'm trying to avoid spoilers. My daughter, who rooted for Elphaba the entire movie, was confused and upset and needed to know if she died. It's clunky how they cut it off for the to be continued. Part two comes out late 2025, so they've turned a close to 3 hour musical into a close to 6 hour total movie franchise. You could cut 20-25 off this movie easily.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, is outstanding in this role. She steals the show and brings the right nuance to a fairly complicated character. It overshadows Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, and does a decent job but falls short of the tone and energy from the stage actors I've seen play the character. Grande does a good job with the empathetic side of the character but can't quite hit some of the early superficial tones that have to come off a certain way. She's acceptable, but she has a difficult time standing by Erivo, who makes the film and add some depth you don't get from the stage version.
If you've never seen the musical before, I think you'll rate this a touch higher of a movie experience. It's colorful and incorporates the songs well. The vocals are awesome, and you won't care about how it's cut off in the story as much. In a vacuum, it's a 4.25 out of 5. But if you're already familiar with it, some of the call backs to the Wizard of Oz are lacking and the general energy is lacking somewhat. Erivo makes it a must watch, though. I'm at about a 3.75 out of 5 and maybe a 4. Just be aware of the potential confusion for the kids and settle in for a pretty long movie. It drags around the 70 percent mark where you're just trying to get to Defying Gravity -- the close of the film and act 1.
You need to see it. I'm excited for the second part. It's not a perfect movie.
