November 25, 2024
After her face-off with Dorothy and posse, the Wicked Witch of the West died. Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) went to celebrate with the residents of Munchkinland. Before she left, a curious Munchkin asked Glinda if it was true that the Wicked Witch had once been her friend. Glinda told them the sad life story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a girl born with green skin -- a curse that caused her to be shunned by her parents and bullied by her peers.
"Wicked" was adapted from the 2003 Tony Award-wining stage musical by by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book), which in turn had been adapted from the 1995 novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," written by Gregory Maguire. With Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowitz as the original leads, this show had since achieved iconic status, hence the massive anticipation for this film adaptation.
I had already watched the musical two times before -- the first one in Sydney in 2009, and the second one in Manila in 2014. While I enjoyed the show both times, only the most popular songs really stuck with me. Before I watched this film, I have to admit that I do not recall every detail of the story, particularly about their teachers Dr. Dillamond (voice of Peter Dinklage) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). I do not think I'll forget them anymore after this.
This film is already 160 minutes long, yet it only covered Act I of the musical. "Defying Gravity" was the show-stopper number before the show's intermission -- fit right in as the film's grand climax. More time had been devoted to developing the dynamics between Elphaba and Glinda, very vital in the story. Also expanded were the roles of Elphaba's wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and lovestruck Munchkin Boq (Ethan Slater).
Ever since her casting was announced, we totally see Ariana Grande as Galinda, and she certainly did not disappoint. Grande's Galinda snobbish, privileged rich girl with lines like "The asparagus is steaming," yet she remains cute and likable even when her sincerity is in question. Fan-art poster attitude aside, Cynthia Erivo knocked the role of conflicted Elphaba out of the park, in both singing and acting-wise. Oscar nominations are in the cards for them.
Similarly, Oscar nominations are expected for the technical aspects of this film, led by the inspired direction of Jon M. Chu, who grasped the ambitious scale of this production by the horns and succeeding, despite some issues with pace. Nods in production design, costume design, hair and makeup, visual effects and sound are in the bag -- as exemplified in complex numbers like "Dancing Through Life," "Popular" and, of course, "Defying Gravity." 9/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment