As Kansans, I feel the story of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz has been ingrained into our blood since its creation. The story and its hugely successful 1935 movie adaptation of the same name have stood the test of time, and given Kansas a claim to fame, as it is where its protagonist Dorothy Gale herself comes from. Now if anyone knows me, they’ll know that I especially feel the story of The Wizard of Oz in my blood. The original 1935 film is one of my favorite movies of all time. This story is everything to me and that is why I have been excited for this year’s newest release, Wicked.  

Wicked is an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical of the same name which itself is also an adaptation of the book also titled Wicked by Gregory McGuire that was released in 1995. It acts as a sort of prequel novel to the Wizard of Oz story by following the life of the original story’s antagonist, Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good Witch of the North. 

I have been excited about the film version of Wicked in particular since its announcement back in 2012. While each new development was slow at first it eventually was all worth it for the final result. Wicked attempts to transport its audience back to Oz and tries to expand and explore the magical world. The set and costume designers bring the world to life, whether it be the town of Munchkin Land or the giant Emerald City, everything is made with the most attention to detail imaginable and matched with the most effervescent suits and dresses around. 

However, these great sets and costumes lead to probably the main problem of the movie which is the desaturated and weirdly lit nature of the film. Unfortunately, the film at times struggles to choose between realism or whimsy. Much of what should be a beautiful world is instead taken over by a very dull color grading this is not helped by some very strange choices in backlighting throughout the film that at times can even take away from the film. While at some points this can be ignored, other cases such as the Dancing Through Life musical number leave what is supposed to be a fun danceable scene with a bit more to be desired.  

However, most of that is clouded by probably the film’s biggest strength. It’s a star-studded cast and primarily its leads. For performances that have existed in countless formats and adaptations, our leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande manage to make these characters their own. They each manage to deliver heart-wrenching and comedic performances that are capped off with some spine-chilling vocals.

Wicked has and continues to be a time-honored classic since its arrival on Broadway and now with its arrival to cinemas will hopefully become one at home as well. This is only the first part of the story, however, as Wicked Part Two is set to release in theatres on November 25th of next year.