Photo Cred: Universal Pictures
Carrie Bradbury, Staff Writer for the Powderhorn
For over a century, The Wizard of Oz has captured audiences and brought all ages together. Following the story of Dorthy and her friends on their journey to kill the wicked witch of the West, readers are immersed in a story about bravery, strength, and the power of friendship. The Wizard of Oz story became a classic across many generations, remaining popular and relevant among all age groups.
However, Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” has caught the attention of the newest generation of fans. With an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has been a hit with audiences.
Following a similar story to the book, Wicked, written by author Winnie Holzman, the movie transforms the story into an entertaining and exciting musical. The movie encompasses the art of entertainment using specific color choices and memorable song lyrics.
The movie starts with an allusion to the ending of The Wizard of Oz as Ozians celebrate the death of the wicked Witch of the West. One of the main characters, Glinda, is introduced as she celebrates the death with all the other citizens. Glinda is the main protagonist of the story and has been granted beauty and popularity in her life. The other main character Elphaba is given very different circumstances in life and is forced to hide herself as much as possible. This creates a stark divide between Elphaba and Glinda from the start.
The music is carefully integrated throughout the movie, setting the tone and adding details to the story. Songs such as “What Is This Feeling?” and “Popular” highlight the relationships made at Shiz University, such as Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Boq Woodsman (Ethan Slater), and Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). This adds an exciting element for viewers who love musicals, especially Wicked.
Throughout the movie, very serious topics are covered such as animal abuse, child neglect, and the mistreatment of people with disabilities. These details add depth to the otherwise childish story, bringing older audiences to the theaters and retaining their attention.
While many people were impressed with how well the story was covered and how similar the book, musical, and movie were, other fans felt that a lot was left out. Some fans felt like character descriptions were not correctly matched and the story’s somber tone was lost to the upbeat songs.
The costumes followed a pink and green color scheme, seen on many promotion posters and in the film’s trailers. Glinda is known for only wearing pink and is characterized as a “dumb blonde” by other characters, and Elphaba is looked down upon due to her green skin. The other characters were often seen in blue, gray, and black. This helped the movie with promotion and merchandise.
The length of the movie lost some of the viewers as many got bored or disengaged. With a run time of two hours and forty minutes, some people left the theater before the movie was over.
Without having any knowledge of the book or musical before watching Wicked, I was pleasantly surprised by the adaptation. The movie was long, but not a second of it was dull and the costumes, characters, and acting were executed flawlessly. While leaving the theater, I was already raving about how much I enjoyed the movie. Wicked is a perfect way to spend a night with kids, grandparents, and friends and is definitely worth a watch.
Comments