Advanced Review: WICKED defies gravity

“Everyone deserves the chance to fly.” 

The feature film adaptation of one of Broadway’s most celebrated productions, WICKED, debuts this weekend and will be playing at The Poncan Theater.

On Monday night, Amazon and online ticket company Fandango held special preview screenings for Amazon Prime subscribers, so I saw it in IMAX at the Regal West Warren in Wichita…and let me just say this film not only defied gravity, but also your wildest expectations. 

I will publish my spoiler-free review this week and go more in-depth next week.

Based on the 2003 Broadway musical which, in turn, was adapted from the 1995 novel of the same name, WICKED tells the story of The Wicked Witch of the West who was immortalized by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 classic THE WIZARD OF OZ.

In WICKED, the mysteriously green Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) accompanies her paraplegic sister Nessarose to Shiz University in the Land of Oz, just outside the Emerald City. 

Here, Elphaba meets Galinda (Ariana Grande) and the two frenemies fast become as close as sisters while Elphaba’s magical powers awaken, catching the eye of classmate Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) as well as the attention of Headmistress Morrible and, ultimately, the mysterious ruler of Oz, the Wizard of Oz himself (Jeff Goldblum). 

Elphaba uncovers a heinous conspiracy and, eventually, sets down the path that will find her known far and wide as the feared Wicked Witch of the West, destined to do battle with a little girl from Kansas. 

Helmed by John M. Chu, WICKED is a mammoth achievement of musical film clocking in at 2 hours but is edited and paced with such precision and brevity you’d think it was only 1/4th of that runtime. 

At the theater's preview screening, the 6:30 p.m. show was a mixture of teens, adults, and moms with their little girls. Everyone's attention was laser-focused on the screen from start to finish, and afterwards people gathered in the lobby and parking lot, singing and gushing over the film. 

WICKED, Rated PG, never feels like a kid's movie but also never feels "adults-only". It's a family-friendly film never sacrificing art for content. 

The music by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz (made famous in stage production) ranges from toe-tapping to hair-raising, especially the climactic ballad “Defying Gravity” and will likely live in your playlists for years to come. 

The real stars here, of course, are Erivo and Grande, without whom none of the film would work. 

Erivo has appeared in only a handful of films and TV shows, making this her first “major” lead for all intents and purposes and while many will recognize Ariana Grande’s name for her prolific music career, WICKED marks a completely new chapter in her fame that will be documented for years to come. 

The film deals with some suggestive content in tasteful ways including Elphaba's mother seemingly being liquored up during her affair with Elphaba's mysteriously faceless (but very easy to guess) father as well as a subplot including the essential holocaust of Oz's talking animal population (leading towards why The Cowardly Lion in the original film can talk). 

Naturally, the movie also deals with inclusion and examining what makes us different and the prejudices we may face and adds a new layer of context to "The Wizard of Oz" which will make the 1939 film no doubt skyrocket in popularity once again. 

Director John M. Chu has had an inconsistent yet remarkable career bringing to life films like the poppy rom-com CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018) and the sci-fi action flick G.I. JOE RETALIATION (2013) and the Justin Bieber concert film NEVER SAY NEVER (2011). During the pandemic he released IN THE HEIGHTS with WB. 

It is, perhaps, this scattershot filmography that made him a perfect fit for WICKED with cinematographer Alice Brooks. This fantasy romance is painted like a comic book movie with the intimate scope and fluid movement of his romantic and musical backgrounds. 

Chu revels in the lavish, and it is evident that he worked fabulously with production designer Nathan Crowley (WONKA) and costume designer Paul Tazewell (WEST SIDE STORY 2021) to blend every element of WICKED in a way that sees art deco, Dior, and European fantasy meld into one cohesive vision. 

WICKED is colorful, jaw-dropping, hilarious, and emotional brought to life with love and care by the production. The sets are stunning, the singing is powerful, and the acting is impeccable. 

Prior to release, WICKED was touted as an Oscar-contender and after having finally seen it, I think that’s a fair assessment, to say the least. 

WICKED is an undisputed triumph of a movie.