Yesterday afternoon I was able to see Wicked the day it opened, Friday, November 22nd, and the big reason why I decided to write today instead of right away is because this movie sat with me from the second the credits rolled, all through the night, and into this morning. I will talk about the finer details of this film later but for now. I loved it and here are all the reasons why.
From the moment this film begins it is beautiful, the shots, set, and costumes are so vibrant. The movie sets the stage and makes the world of OZ come alive which I am sure is done super well in the musical which I have not seen, so this movie is all I have to go off of. And if this film is all I have until I see it live and performed on stage, I have no complaints. The presentation of this movie is nothing short of fantastic in both moments of the song and as the story pushed to its next showstopping moment.
The visuals of this movie made me appreciate Jon M Chu's other musical movie "In The Heights" and I want to watch it again in the future, admitting it had a couple flaws but still looked well and had amazing music, and wanting Jon M. Chu to do other musicals. He knocked it out of the park with this and understands how to make movie musicals that don't try to outshine the stage version that came before but rather stand alongside it, and stand tall.
I will not be touching too much on the music because I will be diving deeper into that but I can say every song, every performance works. Mostly all of the singing is great and the two leads, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo each bring powerful, standout performances, but so does the rest of the cast. Most of the songs are delights, and most of them are spectacles, for most of the movie I was speechless. The choreography was incredible, and it was filmed incredibly well and looked great, there are dynamic shots while still being able to see what is going on. The acting in moments comedic, or dramatic is almost always knocked out of the part, from the main cast and supporting, Grande and Erivo not just being the two roommates turned besties in the magical land of OZ, but rather encapsulating the roles in their own unique styles and standing out as their own performances of this beloved characters. Each player steps into the role and stands out.
The acting and singing were all done well, the songs we all know and love were adapted well and I have already been listening to the album at home. The movie has the visuals and music working hand in hand to create unforgettable moments, that are still in my mind even now. I was left thinking about this movie as I watched the credits roll and left the theater.
There were a couple qualms I had with the movie, a moment or two, a song or two, and the movie is incredibly long. But those qualms melt away when the movie through acting and music hits gravity-defying heights in an adaptation that shows respect for the original while not being afraid to try a new thing or two.
Wicked was never and still is not my favorite musical, but it is still a very important one. This film treats it with the importance it deserves, being a faithful adaptation. I feared this movie was not going to do well, knowing it is a part one of two, the length of the musical, and the nature of movie musicals usually making changes to try and be something more than what was on the stage. This was not, this was a good movie, a good musical movie. It keeps the balance between both and uses what makes musicals and movies great, never trying to be one over the other.
The pacing of this movie is done pretty well, there is a good amount of time for songs, not cutting even the overture for this, while giving scenes time to breathe. There are plenty of visuals and even a couple musical surprises that are super fun to see for those in the know, one of them at the very beginning being a blend of music and visuals that was nothing short of amazing The leads made these roles their own with stellar perfomances, supported by an incredible cast. The song and dance became a new example of what to do in a musical movie, the presentation breathtaking. The writing is powerful, and so is the music, this movie left me in tears at multiple points, even at some points by silent, quiet moments. I was never so glad to be wrong about something, I loved this movie, this may not be my favorite movie musical, but it is definitely in my top ten if not my top five, and be my favorite film of 2024. The musical movie I never dreamed of loving, but one I am so glad I do.
No comments:
Post a Comment