Movies with Matteo: Wicked
Movie musicals can often be hit or miss. While some musicals, such as West Side Story are well choreographed and have amazing musical numbers, others, such as the nightmare inducing Cats or the abysmal Joker: Folie a Deux embarrass the musical genre as a whole. I am happy to report that Wicked falls into the first category. The songs are catchy, the set design is great, and it does justice to the material it was based upon.
Focusing on the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, Wicked is a prologue to one of the most beloved films of all time, The Wizard of Oz. Although it has big shoes to fill, the film shows that it is more than deserving to coexist in the same universe of one of the most well known movies ever (unlike the painfully forgettable Oz: The Great and Powerful). Everything in this movie is executed amazingly. The songs all sound excellent, the visual effects look great, and the cast all fit their roles exceptionally well.
The standouts of the film are the two leads, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Ariana Grande plays the energetic, slightly annoying, and airy Glinda, who is the popular student at Shiz university, and, much to her dismay, is also the roommate of Elphaba. Elphaba is a new student at Shiz who is very diligent and smart, but also has a very green skin tone, about which she is constantly bullied. My mom and I agreed that the green makeup that Elphaba wears throughout the movie makes her look like Shrek. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, is a total scene stealer. All her musical numbers are incredible, especially her rendition of “Defying Gravity” at the end of the movie. Ariana Grande is also incredible in the film. She is funny, energetic, and very likable. She also has great music numbers throughout the film as well.
The supporting cast of characters that appear throughout the film are also great, with my favorite being Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz. He is funny and is excellently cast. He does an excellent job of portraying how lame the Wizard of Oz actually is. My one complaint is that the film is incredibly long. It is nearly 3 hours… and this is only part 1!!!!
Wicked is a great adaptation of a beloved musical. It is everything a musical should be… it is well choreographed, well acted, and boasts amazing vocals. This film is a must watch for all musical lovers.
