'Wicked: Part I' movie review- Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey-starrer bring magic to the screen in resplendent style

Wicked: Part 1 review

Film: Wicked: Part I
Cast: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Dinklage, Marissa Bode, Idina Menzel, Sharon D. Clarke, Adam James, Keala Settle, Bronwyn James, Bowen Yang, James Dryden, Andy Nyman, Grecia De la Paz.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 160 min

Wicked, this first instalment of a two-part cinematic adaptation by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, of Gregory Maguire's book, was apparently framed along the lines of the hit Broadway musical of the same name.

Wicked opens with flying monkeys, a witch's hat, and a yellow brick road followed by a song celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda/Galinda (Ariana Grande), confirms her passing.

Going back in time, we hear of the birth of Elphaba, a green baby rejected by her father, the governor of Munchkinland (Andy Nyman). Their milkman was apparently The Incredible Hulk. Elphaba is eventually sent to Shiz University by her father to support her wheelchair bound sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and it's here that she meets Galinda Upland, an entitled toxic mean girl used to getting her own way. Galinda and Elphaba end up as roommates. Ephaba's natural flair attracts headmistress Madame Morrible's (Michelle Yeoh) attention and she takes her under her tutelage. Galinda sets her eyes on a hunk named Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) who ends up becoming fascinated by Elphaba's abilities. In the interim, a professor at the school, a goat named Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), also forms a bond with Elphaba. After several grandiose showstopping song and dance numbers Elphaba meets the great Oz( Jeff Goldblum) who has his own reasons for harnessing her magical powers.

Over and above the plethora of song and dance numbers there's some deeper subtext too. Elphaba deals with her Daddy issues and othering in her own inimical way. Galinda we find is also not all bad. She convinces a good-hearted Munchkin, Boq (Ethan Slater) to ask out Elphaba's wheelchair bound sister Nessarose. She also puts in all efforts to make Elphaba popular. In a wonderfully poignant scene we see Ariana Grande-Butera lending energy and vitality while dancing and frolicking to a popular song. We see hints of racism, cruelty towards animals, systematic erasure of history, people being forced out of jobs and the dehumanisation of a community - all pointing to the topicality of this supple material.

The world-building is pretty strong, the visuals are eye-popping and the tech aspects are worthy of fullsome praise. We don't always see Elphaba and Galinda together. Both get to showcase their singing and dancing talents individually too. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, both put on a great show. Elphaba is the author backed character and as such Cynthia gets to hog the show but Ariana Grande is no shrinking violet. Her vocals are strong and enlivening. Erivo and Grande's performances are micromanaged beautifully to convey a relationship that feels stronger and well-developed. Their loathing gives way to sisterhood in spectacular fashion. Their feelings for Fiyero also make room for hilarity. The movie closes with the popular song "Defying Gravity." The costumes, set design, make-up, styling are all top-notch. The rooms and grounds of Shiz University are alive with textures and details that enhance the impressive dance acrobatics on display within.

Everything is not perfect in ‘Wicked: Part I,'though. The runtime for one can be very daunting and not all the songs have the power to keep you humming along. Even so, this is a fairly invigorating and thought-provoking musical.