To turn a Broadway musical into a movie is a difficult thing to do. To turn it into a good movie is harder. But, thank goodness, they’ve done it.
When casting a movie musical, the problem faced is whether to prioritize musical ability or acting ability (or, occasionally, fame). In Wicked, music was prioritized, and it was the right choice.
Wicked is one of the most famous musicals there is. So, when it comes to improving it, there’s not much to do. Music can be changed – but rarely made better. Plot can’t be changed too much, as the original fans of the musical would almost certainly become angry. So, what can be changed? The answer: scenery.
Walking into the theater, my greatest fear was bad scenery. Thankfully, I was immediately hit by not just seemingly real, but actually real fields of poppies and the rolling hills of Munchkinland. Whenever something could be made real, it was made real. There were no half-hearted green screens.
The colors and lighting were also something that so much thought obviously went into. Elphaba and Glinda are generally represented by green and pink, respectively. So, frequently, green foliage covered in pink flowers are in the background. Not only that, but there was one second in The Wizard and I in which Elphaba says the word “de-greenify” in pink lighting. Pink cancels out green, making her appear to have a normal skin tone.
When it comes to changes in music, they were minimal. Overall, the music was softer and had a slightly altered feel, suiting the new actors better than the original music.
One thing many have been curious about is the length of the movie. The movie is about three hours long, and consists only of the first act of the original musical, with a part two coming out later. To make the movie as long as it was, it seemed like a lot had to be added. But, that wasn’t the case. With minimal additions, drawn out scenes, and longer songs, the movie was gradually extended. Nothing was rushed in order to get back to the music, as is often the case on Broadway.
The overture is one of the largest musical differences. It was extended, including more melodies from other parts of the musical. There was also a major scene that was added. Glinda willfully put a torch to an effigy of Elphaba, making her side known, and starting the movie with a dark and emotional scene.
Now, at last, I come to the most iconic scene in the movie: Defying Gravity. Unlike the original musical, this could be drawn out with flight scenes and extra choreography. This scene gave me the most unexpected thought. It was better than the original. While I had high hopes for the movie, I didn’t think it’d be better than the original. But, lo and behold, this scene was.
Five out of five stars. I couldn’t have asked for a better remake of Wicked.
