Wicked (2024)

Pacing seems to be the scourge of modern filmmaking as of late. Alongside Gladiator II, Wicked: Part One finds itself among those affected by the follies of excess. It's right there in the title; well, really it's not. Because if you weren't in the social media loop you might have had the impression that Wicked: Part One was a full movie adaptation of the Broadway show rather than half of it. The title, the posters we hung at my theater, and even Google searches do a good job of omitting this pretty glaring detail. So already I find myself pretty irritated by the deceptive marketing tactics.

On top of that Wicked: Part One is a musical, something I don't find myself particularly fond of these days as it's a more demanding task than most realize. Luckily the film is working with one of the better source materials and I do find the plot to be an interesting addition to The Wizard of Oz and the Oz cannon. Focused on the early lives of Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West (Ariana Grande and Cynthia Elviro respectively) I found glimmers of friendship and humor that had me genuinely invested in the characters. The themes of ostracism felt contrived at first, centered on Elphaba (Elviro) and her green skin, however as Glinda begins to struggle with her shallowness when she finds her fake kindness returned with genuine heart from Elphaba, I couldn't help but appreciate the softer character moments. And the relationship between our leads was the best progressed storyline in the film, feeling satisfying and natural enough.

Aaaaaand then I check my phone and realize there's at least an hour left to the film as well as A WHOLE OTHER FILM on the way and no place other than home could seem better. Wicked: Part One sadly stuffs a lot of its runtime with antics. Jokes that rely on gauche CGI, tropes we've seen riffed on endlessly (the snippy gay and the chubby "pick me" girl), and to top it off I feel there was a lack when it came to most of the score. Only the bubbly "Popular" found its way into my head; and "Defying Gravity", well, they start and stop that song so many times in the "final act" that we have no choice but to remember it. The rest barely gave me any pause. And while I find it admirable that the actors had the level of physicality required for a broadway production (particularly surprised by Grande) no amount of dancing and dizzying visuals can convince me that a lot of these songs blend with the modern musical landscape. Relying on tried and true chord changes and the ever popular sustained notes to deliver a sense of grandeur rather than imbuing the instruments with their own personality.

The central conflict of the film seems unfocused as well, with a plot about talking animals being silenced and caged. And while the parallels between the oppression of the animals and the ostracization of Elphaba aren't lost on me, the animals feel like a weak and underdeveloped excuse for a conflict. This leaves the last hour feeling deflated compared to the attention that Elphaba and Glinda's relationship got; which means I'm simply not left excited for the rest of the story as it appears to be less focused on what I enjoyed in this film. Combined with my indifference toward the music and the lack of fresh ideas for what is a pretty interesting setting, this is one yellow brick road I don't think I'll be following in the future. Cue the Elton John tune.