REVIEW: ‘Wicked’ fails to soar

The first 20 minutes of Wicked (Part 1) are already exhausting. At nearly three hours long, the movie felt punishing for someone like me, who was never a fan to begin with. Years ago, I tried reading the 1995 book by Gregory Maguire but gave up after a few chapters. Clearly, Wicked isn’t for me, and this movie did little to change that.

During the screening, my mind kept wandering to how Baz Luhrmann, or perhaps Paul King (whose “Wonka” was pitch-perfect) might have handled this material. Instead, we get Jon M. Chu — whose 2018 Crazy Rich Asians I loathed — bringing the massively popular Broadway musical to the big screen. Much like Crazy Rich Asians, his Wicked feels overhyped.

For fans, however, this might be a treat. In fact, at the advance screening, I felt like an outsider in a room full of devoted followers. The audience clapped from time to time, and laughed every time Ariana Grande’s Galinda flipped her hair, overenunciated her name, or did her signature backward body shimmy. While everyone else seemed delighted, I sat there waiting for something — anything — that would click. Nothing.

For those unfamiliar with Wicked, it’s an imagined prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It explores how the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), and Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch (Grande) were once friends.

The story plays on the tired trope of an unlikely friendship between a popular girl and the weird, brainy outcast (who happens to have telekinetic powers). Their relationship, supposedly the emotional center of the story, feels hurried and unconvincing. The transition from animosity to affection to resentment lacks nuance.

The friendship begins with the green-skinned Elphaba helping Galinda get into Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) sorcery class, followed by Galinda dancing with Elphaba to make her feel less alone — an act (and an emotionally manipulative scene) that earns Elphaba the approval of Shiz U.

The best thing about these two opposites lies solely in their physical appearance and fashion sense. Otherwise, they are clichéd archetypes: Glinda is a Barbie-like blonde superficial airhead, while the ostracized Elphaba is the unpopular, mature brainiac with big-scale causes.

The fantasy dramedy is set in Shiz University, a magical school reminiscent of Hogwarts. However, unlike Harry Potter’s castle-school, Shiz lacks charm and a thrilling sense of enchantment.

Meanwhile, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), the girls’ mutual love interest, is caught in an unspoken love triangle. Unfortunately, the tension doesn’t spark any romantic thrills, with Grande and Erivo lacking chemistry with Bailey.

Erivo (a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner) is the one saving grace. Her dramatic intensity and vocal brilliance bring dignity and emotional complexity to Elphaba, elevating what is otherwise a flimsy character. Grande is capable as Glinda, but her portrayal feels more like an SNL parody than a sincere performance.

The tale is stretched thin, filled with one-note characters. It’s packed with unfunny gags instead of sharp humor, and bogged down by too many scattered subplots. The songs don’t stick, the choreography is uninspired, and the entire production looks gaudy, resembling an overblown SNL skit.

For most of the film, I felt disconnected, as if watching from a distance. The significant themes of Wicked — friendship, courage, discrimination, and ambition — are diluted by clunky storytelling and simplistic dialogue.

The final minutes of the film, when Elphaba reaches Emerald City, finally inject some energy into the narrative, ending with a mildly intriguing cliffhanger. But by then, the spark is too little, too late.

I left the theater feeling no closer to the fandom or the hype. No song stayed with me. Without the rose-colored glasses of a fan, the overlong Wicked doesn’t particularly defy gravity — it barely manages to lift off.

1 out of 5 stars

Now showing in cinemas