â¨Everyone have a good holiday? Hope you all got to rest and have time for friends and family. Well, a new year is upon us. However, there were some films that came out during the break that I plan to cover. So if you have seen them, great to hear it; hope you enjoyed them. For those still unable to get to the theater, these will be some recommendations for your next visit. Musicals have had a hard time reaching audiences of late. Setting aside the debacle that was Cats, some have just never broken through. One big reason has been the better ones are more for theater nerds than the mainstream; titles such as In The Heights, Tick Tick Boom and Annette come to mind. But nothing was more popular, you might say, as Wicked.
The Broadway behemoth has been lodged in the minds of countless theatergoers; even casual observers know a song or two. It was only inevitable that a film adaptation would be made. And here in year of Our Lord 2024, the movie gods have finally bestowed it on us. And it is beyond magical.
From the first announcements of the cast, fans were abuzz over Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The press tour became an event. The word perfect doesnât even being to describe this pairing. The casting director deserves an Oscar just for suggesting these divas. Both Erivo and Grande steal their scenes, but together they are a supernova. When Elphaba has her first big number in âThe Wizard and I,â Erivo knocks it out of the park with such sheer charisma. However, this is just a prelude of things to come.
Not to just harp on the main cast, the entire film is dotted with great supporting players. Jonathon Bailey reminds us of the charm he brought to Bridgerton with a slight edge of mischief. His main characterâs song intro is one of the most energetic. Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum fit well in their roles, playing with more talk-singing or jazz performances of their respective numbers. It was fun to see Bowen Yang as one of Glendaâs friends, although it was a bit distracting at times.
Besides the singing, the real showcase was the impressive sets and costumes. If anything will win awards, it will be the team that brought Oz to glorious life. The colors and textures throughout feel lived in as well as fanciful. From the opening sweep through Munchkinlandâs tulip fields to sheen on the floors of the Wizardâs palace, there isnât a dull moment in all the whole two hour and forty-minute runtime.
The idea of spitting the play into two halves (the second film comes out later this year), was a good decision. I am sure some mega fans would be fine with a Brutalist-size film with a built-in intermission, not unlike the stage production. But with attention spans being what they are, there is enough here to last us until next holiday season. I am excited to see what screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox have up their sleeves because the second half gets weird. Also, kudos to Universal for bringing on the original stage book writer, big fan of her ABC show My So-Called Life from the 90s as well.
The biggest praise has to go to director Jon M. Chu. His love of both filmmaking as well as stage production has been instrumental in this filmâs success. The aforementioned In The Heights is a lost gem in the movie musical genre, so it was glad to see him stretch his legs here again. Here is hoping that the rousing accomplishment will help jumpstart the languishing Crazy Rich Asians sequel in development hell. If you havenât seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to watch this on the biggest screen possible. And if you have, go see it again. This is the one film I would say demands repeat viewings.
