Wicked: Part I is an adaptation of the 2003 stage production based on the 1995 prequel novel of the The Wizard of Oz novel/film. Elphaba(Cynthia Erivo) is an outcast with unpredictable magical powers, she attends Shiz University in order to cultivate them. There she is at first antagonized by Galinda(Ariana Grande-Butera) and her castmates but is eventually befriended by them.
Erivo is stupendous, dominating the screen any time she is on it, able to convey emotional truth in every scene as well as fit in to the more ostentatious numbers and sequences. Grande-Butera by comparison is absolutely outshone and overly relies on slapstick and comedic business in place of emotion or character. Splitting the focus between the two is a mistake and anytime the film cuts away from Erivo you are simply waiting for her to return. Plain and simple Grande-Butera's is miscast, out of her depth. She certainly has the voice for the role but she doesn't have the acting ability to round it out. This is particularly apparent when she briefly shares the screen with Kristin Chenoweth(the originator of the role). The supporting cast is mostly decent but it is so crammed, the film so bloated, it is difficult at times to track the action or follow the plot and other than Erivo there is no one to invest in.
Visually the film is glossy, overly CGI'd, there are some amazing renderings and a couple dance numbers on actual sets, but overall it conveys an un-reality that works against the emotional journey at its core. The dance numbers and songs are all great but there is not enough of them, in extending the source material into two 2.5 hour chunks it upends the effective pacing of the stage production and there are long stretches between numbers that seem to serve little to no purpose. The sound mix is also off, the dialogue track and the musical tracks are seemingly at the same level, so when a musical number does kick in it is too muted and lacks the kind of jolt of inspiration and hair raising the soundtrack usually elicits.
Unfortunately, despite an incredible Erivo, kinda boring.
Currently in theaters.
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