A good musical movie can change lives. Think about it: a kid in a small town who had no access to live theater and might have never even seen a musical stumbles upon hamilton or in the highlands Suddenly, they were hooked. In those few hours, their worries fade away. This leads them to singing in the rain or chicago And introduce them to people and places they could never have dreamed of. That’s what a good musical movie can do. That’s it evil Do.
The film, adapted from the hit long-running Broadway musical, only goes through the first act, which is good because it allows the filmmakers, directors John Chu (He also directed the above in the highlands),writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox with music Stephen Schwartzopens it up, gives it more room to breathe and gives the character more depth.
When we first meet young Elphaba (Karis Musongole), who was ostracized by her father, the mayor of Munchkinland, for being green. Time jumps forward very quickly and Elphaba is now old (by Cynthia Erivo) accompanied by her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bird) to Sheeds University, where she met Galinda (ariana grandean equally wonderful performance). The two are forced to become roommates by the complicit headmistress, Mrs. Morrible. Michelle Yeoh. The two soon clashed. Galinda is bubbly and fun and has never had to work for anything in her life, while Elphaba is knocked down and belittled by her life.
When Dr. Dillamond (by Peter Dinklage), a goat and long-time history professor at the school, announces that he is leaving because Oz is no longer safe for his people, and Elphaba takes a stand. Soon she got on the train, accompanied by Glinda (whose name was changed to support animals), and headed to the Emerald City to ask the wizard (Jeff Goldblumhe seemed to be having a great time) asking for help.
Once there, she is given an ultimatum to work for him and use her powers to carry out his orders. She refused and was framed as an evil witch.
Chu is probably one of the best film music directors ever. He can stage a scene that goes from dialogue to singing to dialogue to singing and does it smoothly and perfectly without blinking at the audience. He can capture the heart of a song through a quick lens.
After seeing the stage musical a few times, I never really considered Fiyero or Boq. They were important characters, but they never really had an impact on me. But here, Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) and Ethan Slater (Boq) brought a lot more to the character than I think was allowed for in the stage version.
But Erivo and Grande turn the movie into an event. Grande’s Glinda is impassioned, and the simple tilt of her head says it all. Her interpretation of “Popular” is a wonderful performance. Erivo is the heart and soul of this film. Watch her eyes in every close-up. They tell you everything and make us feel exactly what she feels. The last 15 minutes of the film will give you goosebumps as she is almost forced to become the Wicked Witch of the West. With her gorgeous cape and her first broomstick ride, she belts out “Defying Gravity.” It’s a fantastic performance and it would be a crime if she didn’t get an Oscar nomination.
