The highly anticipated screen adaptation of the musical arrives in cinemas on Friday – but has it lived up to expectations?
The Guardian: **** “It’s arguable if Wicked could ever be a meaningfully persuasive prequel for the characters in The Wizard of Oz as we actually see them in the 1939 film, as this would involve cancelling their powerfully timeless, mythological aura, and instead substituting the more banal idea of human development. But this is the joke, and this is the story, and what an enjoyable spectacle it is.”
Variety: “Instead of feeling bloated, “Wicked” has found its ideal form, where every frame comes crammed with the kind of detail that could easily have been distracting, had a lesser talent than Cynthia Erivo been asked to carry it. As the enchantress with the verdigris complexion, Erivo can hit the notes no problem, but it’s the work she does in close-up, conveying the emotional nuances of Elphaba’s formative years, that distinguishes this performance from Menzel’s. The latter won a Tony for playing it big, whereas Erivo’s subtler approach invites audiences under the character’s (green-tinted) skin.”
Radio Times: **** “Wicked feels like the best of old-school and new-school filmmaking.”
The Telegraph: ** “Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo don’t come close to defying gravity in this bloated, beige screen adaptation of the Wizard of Oz prequel.”
BBC.com: “If you’re already a fan of the musical, you’ll probably be happy with the painstaking job that director John M Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) has done in transferring it to the silver screen. There’s a slick screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the songs by Stephen Schwartz are big and rousing, and you can tell that armies of craftspeople have laboured for days over every wig, embroidered jacket, and decoration on the colourful, gleamingly artificial set.”
The Independent: *** “Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande showcase phenomenal vocal ability in this adaptation of the blockbuster musical, but they’re let down by a film that is aggressively overlit and shot like a TV advert.”
Digital Spy: “Wicked‘s real strength is in the pairing of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Galinda, who excel in the iconic roles. Grande has terrific comic timing, which comes to the fore in ‘Popular’, while Erivo nails both the big numbers and the inner turmoil felt by Elphaba’s social rejection.”
The Stage: *** “Giddy, garish and spectacular version of the hit musical, with terrific lead performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.”
WhatsOnStage: **** “The headline here is that Chu’s Wicked is about as good as it could ever be. It’s hard not to fall in love with every pixel of the vibrant world he and his team have laid out before us. The greatest triumph lies in the creative effort undertaken, with the sheer scale of technical design, costuming and set construction nothing short of mind-boggling. What could have ended up as a sterile, green-screen-stuffed Oz becomes a tangible, lived-in space. Importantly, this fantasy world feels very real.”
Empire: **** “Thanks to a nice blend of comic moments and certified bangers, the (again, very long) running time passes pretty fast, though there are moments when the dancing and singing feels relentless and where you might long for a soothing glimpse of the dull plains of Kansas.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “But Wicked belongs to Erivo. Elphaba was always the meatier part — in the faceoff for best actress in a musical at the 2004 Tonys, original Elphaba Idina Menzel prevailed over Kristin Chenoweth’s Glinda — and the character’s arc carries even more weight in this adaptation.”