‘Wicked’ reviews: Jon M. Chu’s razzle-dazzle is on ‘glorious display,’ and Ariana Grande ‘gives real comic shape’ to Glinda
“Wicked” is proving popular with film critics.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the long-awaited film adaptation of the beloved Broadway stage musical stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland, aka Glinda the Good Witch. Other cast members include Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, and Peter Dinklage as the voice of Doctor Dillamond.
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The embargo for “Wicked” reviews officially ended on Nov. 19, so let’s take a look at what some notable movie critics are saying. The film opens in theaters on Friday, Nov. 22.
“The razzle-dazzle that’s Jon M. Chu’s bread and butter is on glorious display in ‘Wicked,’ the big-screen version of the beloved Broadway musical,” writes Christy Lemire (RogerEbert.com). “Chu is uniquely adept at presenting an enormous song-and-dance extravaganza without getting lost in it. His sense of pacing and perspective draw us in and center us within the swirling fantasy.”
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“Chu’s film is a triumph [and] an all-around delight,” raves Manuel Betancourt (The Playlist). “A colorful concoction sure to satiate fans, new and old alike. The film delivers both winking nods to the original stage production and finds novel ways of making its iconic numbers sing on screen, all while making the best use of live singing in recent memory. By the time Erivo hits that rousing high note in ‘Defying Gravity’ (you know the one), you’ll have found yourself transfixed by how high this musical soars.”
Katie Walsh (Los Angeles Times) notes, “The battle cry that emerges from Elphaba [during the signature song ‘Defying Gravity’] is a moment in which the anti-tyrannical ethos of the film snaps into focus with such crystal clarity that it’s breathtaking. It’s just the preceding rising action that feels a bit underwhelming.”
Referencing the two-part release strategy for the project, David Rooney (Hollywood Reporter) explains, “The screen expansion gives the material more breathing room, yielding rewards especially in terms of intimate character access and poignancy.” He adds, “Chu might not be Vincente Minnelli, his busy production numbers occasionally threatening to spin into chaos, but he nails what matters most. That would be the shifting affections between two young witches.”
Even though Bilge Ebiri (Vulture) complains that the film is “as enchanting as it is exhausting,” he concedes that “the actors shine.” On Grande, he states, “With her pagoda-roof eyelashes and her quicksilver physicality, Grande gives real comic shape to Glinda’s popular-girl frivolity. She also pokes fun at her own terrific vocal range, tossing errant high notes into simple statements.” As for Erivo, he declares, “Elphaba is the one who goes from rejection and sadness to love and stridency and, finally, rage. Hers is not a particularly nuanced performance, but this is not a particularly nuanced character; Elphaba’s melancholy is as much part of ‘Wicked’s’ spectacle as are the armies of flying monkeys or the swirling shots of the Emerald City.”
“Wicked: Part 1” currently has a 92% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 99% audience score. Expect those numbers to change as more film critics post their reviews.
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