Wicked is a fantasy musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz about the unlikely friendship between a young Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. Source: Australian Catholics.
The first of a two-part film, Wicked is a film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which was loosely based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire with characters drawn from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The film was split into two to satisfy the demands of the story’s scope, with Part II due to be released in late 2025.
Elphaba (Erivo) was born with green skin and suffered prejudice and was misunderstood because of her looks, whereas Galinda Uplane (Grande) is popular.
Elphaba has a paraplegic sister, Nessarose (Bode), who becomes The Wicked Witch of the East, and the sisters share similar struggles with each other.
This is a film that targets teenage girls, and it explores friendship, security, and appearance, which are major themes that often characterise teenage books and films.
Weightier themes such as racism hide beneath the film’s fantasy surface, and the film features popular songs such as Defying Gravity with eye-catching effect.
Acting, musical interpretation, and singing in the film are solidly impressive. Special effects in the film are amazing, and they are coherently integrated within the film’s fantasy plotline.
Part I lays the groundwork for a darker Part II. Themes such as social injustice and racism await further development one year from now.
It remains to be seen, whether Part II can match the power and rhythm of what Part I creates so effortlessly.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media
Wicked: Part I. Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Marissa Bode. Also, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum. Directed by Jon M Chu. Rated PG (Mild fantasy and violence, some scenes may scare young children). 160 min.
FULL REVIEW
Wicked: Part I (Australian Catholics)
