'Wicked' review: The massive adaptation takes time to take off

The “Wicked” series doesn't need a film adaptation to be relevant; is already a cultural phenomenon, even before this first part of a mammoth two-movie Hollywood version hits theaters. The beloved Broadway musical is taken from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” a revisionist history of both Frank L. Baum's 1900 fantasy novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” as from the iconic novel of that book. Film adaptation from 1939. So this new film comes loaded with the heritage of a century, in the traditions of literature, screen and theater, plus the enormous expectations that come with it.

While Dorothy's Technicolor tornado is seared into our collective consciousness, so is the massive note at the end of the musical's first act, sung by the witch at the center of the plot, Elphaba, in the show's signature song, ” Defying Gravity” (written by Stephen Schwartz, who created all the music and lyrics for the show). Director Jon M. Chu's big-screen adaptation takes every second of its 2 hours and 40 minutes to hit that note.

The battle cry that emerges from Elphaba (played here by Tony winner Cynthia Erivo) is a moment in which the film's anti-tyrannical spirit comes into focus with such crystalline clarity that it's breathtaking. It's just the upward action above that seems a little disappointing.

“Wicked” seeks to explain the Wicked Witch of the West to us, and the script, written by Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman (the latter wrote the book for the series) begins when an inhabitant of Munchkinland dares to ask Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) ) in her big pink bubble, “Is it true that you were friends with her?” Cue a flashback, now from at least one movie, to their days at Shiz University, where the pair first met.

Elphaba, intelligent but rejected by her emotionally repressed father since birth due to her green skin color, finds herself enrolled in Shiz when she follows her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to school and accidentally unleashes some rude, untrained magical powers, catching the eye of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the school principal. Elphaba is forced to live with the pretty, popular, and pink-obsessed Galinda (the first version of the Good Witch's name, though you probably know her by something shorter), and although they initially disagree, Galinda can't resist. to try it. A makeover for your new roommate.

It's essentially Harry Potter or “High School Musical” with more magic, but not enough movie magic. The script needs to take Elphaba and Galinda to Oz to meet the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and hone Elphaba's motivation to eventually defy the wizard (and gravity), which gets wrapped up in a rushed subplot about talking animals being forced to leave a previously integrated environment. society and in cages. Elphaba sings emphatically about her desire to meet the Wizard, but it is not explained why she cares so much. She wants to help animals because she feels connected to their plight as someone who is also physically different, but that desire doesn't go beyond superficial motivations. What motivates Elphaba is clear: she's just not always convincing.

Grande is charming as Galinda, showing off her comedic chops (honed in the trenches of Nickelodeon) and her magnificent voice. She has big brown eyes and a pout, which is put to wonderful use in her portrayal of Shiz's petulant princess, but her character's turns are pretty flat and the world-building of this school could have been much sharper and fun. “SNL’s” Bowen Yang does a heroic job with some ad-libs and reactions as Galinda’s friend Pfannee, and Jonathan Bailey is fantastic as the handsome Prince Fiyero, but the set doesn’t feel complete on screen.

Chu has made dazzling cinematic musical work before, most recently with 2021's “In the Heights,” but despite the elaborate costume and production design, “Wicked” is his least visually imaginative film. The camera breaks free (via CGI) in the songs and dance numbers, but everything else is filmed in a basic, boring way, and the background fades into a faint, out-of-focus blur behind the actors.

But “Wicked” will delight fans of the stage production as a faithful adaptation that is at once funny but reverent to the iconic “Defying Gravity.” It remains a story of understanding and togetherness despite social power structures that depend on fear and division.

With another installment on the way, “Wicked” is already too big to fail. But the weight of expectations is too heavy and bogs down this capable film version on its way to take off. The film may struggle to take flight, but when it does, it is undeniably moving, with a message of freedom and defiance that resonates now more than ever.

Katie Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.