Universal's WICKED Films - News & Discussion Thread- Page 87

[KitKatBoy24]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 1:15am

This soundtrack is great! I agree that the sound wasn’t always the best in the theatre. But this soundtrack is so full and satisfying 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 1:16am

Jonathan Bailey sounds so good singing into my ear holes right now. 

[RJ14]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 2:45am

The soundtrack is great but could have been better vocal quality wise, i feel like it's too compressed?

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 2:56am

RJ14 said: "The soundtrack is great but could have been better vocal quality wise, i feel like it's too compressed?"

I had the same feeling, but I find most musical soundtracks with live vocals tend to sound strange. Although, I know the film used a blend of live and studio vocals, which I assume is the case for the Soundtrack as well. 

[rg7759]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 5:52am

NOWaWarning said: "JudyDenmark said: "My only beef was not with the movie, but clearly the format I saw it in. We saw it in 3D/AMC Laser and visually it was spectacular, but I felt a little cheated sound-wise. Like I really wanted to be bathed in sound, and for my watch to tell me I was in too loud an environment, and instead kept wishing they'd turn it up; it sounded a little distant."

I had a similar experience. I loved the movie, but the sound seemed low and poorly mixed in my theatre. I’m listening to the soundtrack now and it’s night and day.

"

This is so sad to hear. Yes, a better format in these garbage theaters should work. But I've had this experience in a supposedly good theater too. Saw into the woods a 2nd time in 4dx just because of the sound the 1st time. Like they're literally scamming us isn't it expensive enough to go once?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 7:55am

I got to see the movie last night. The first time I saw Wicked was through the national tour at Playhouse Square in Cleveland back in February 2008. I got those tickets as a Christmas present. Carmen Cusack, Katie Rose Clark, and Lee Wilkof were starring in it then. The night we went, there was a snowstorm. We got to our seats late. Luckily, the show started shortly after we arrived. I’ve seen it two more times since. At Playhouse Square again in December 2009 as part of a field trip with my high school drama club and in January 2015 at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Many fans really questioned how the hell splitting this into two parts was going to work. Yet after seeing the movie myself, I can confidently say that creatively, it was justified. The plot follows Act I of the stage version very faithfully. Although Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, who both co-wrote the screenplay, really dived deeper into the story, characters, and world of Oz. There’s several new scenes as well as expansions of pre-existing ones that never feel like padding. They all had a reason to be there. Thus, we have ourselves a fleshed out epic fantasy musical. Myron Kerstein’s editing for the most part keeps the pace moving very well throughout the 160 minute runtime.

Under Jon M. Chu’s direction, there’s a lot he managed to accomplish here. Visually, the whole world looks so imaginative in large part thanks to Nathan Crowley’s production design, Paul Tazewell’s costumes, Frances Hannon’s hair and makeup, and some dazzling digital effects. While Alice Brooks’ cinematography does contain some plain white lighting at times, the camera work is still so impressive. It especially feels very musically inclined during the songs. Speaking of which, the numbers crafted here by Chu as well as choreographer Christopher Scott are much more elaborate than they’ve ever been on stage. Even the smaller, shorter tunes such as ‘Something Bad’ and ‘A Sentimental Man.’ Not to mention that this movie musical incorporates a good deal of live singing done very well. I’d also like to highlight John Powell’s underscore which does a nice job of blending in with Stephen Schwartz’s iconic songs. When it comes to the performances, they’re all just perfection. 

Cynthia Erivo absolutely embodies Elphaba’s struggles as she goes through being an outsider as well as controlling her powers. When it comes to her big numbers, she blows the roof off of them thanks to her powerhouse vocals. Ariana Grande not only nails her songs as Glinda, but also the character’s stylishness, perkiness, and humor. Together, they share such excellent onscreen chemistry. Jonathan Bailey makes for a very suave Fiyero, the Winkie Prince who befriends both Elphaba and Glinda. He also really gets to show off his amazing skills as a triple threat in ‘Dancing Through Life.’ Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum both don’t have a whole lot to sing. When they do, they pretty much talk-sing their way through their respective numbers, but they at least do it well. Yeoh in particular offers a more restrained take on Madame Morrible, the headmistress at Shiz, than usual while Goldblum is wonderfully eccentric as The Wizard of Oz. Other highlights of the cast include Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Elphaba’s physically disabled younger sister, Ethan Slater as Boq, a humble munchkin who has a crush on Glinda, and Peter Dinklage as the voice of Dr. Dillamond, a goat who teaches at Shiz.

As a longtime fan of the musical, “I couldn’t be happier” with this film. It not only stays true to what made the source material so beloved in the first place, but also successfully elaborates more in certain areas. Not to mention that there’s plenty of nice easter eggs for fans of both Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. This may end on “To Be Continued,” but the story here still feels complete. Plus, we should all still have plenty to look forward to for Part Two when it arrives this time next year.

Click Here for My Full Review

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:01am

Keeping it short and sweet, but I’d say is this is about as perfect a Wicked adaptation as I could have asked for. It remains utterly faithful to the stage version and improves on its shortcomings at every opportunity. Cynthia and Ariana are dynamite together.

I hate that we have to wait a year to see part 2.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:10am

BenjaminNicholas2 said: "I won't go into positive detail, as you've all handled it already. Superb film.

My only issues waswithMichelle Yeoh. 100% miscast. She took what can be an absolutely haunting role with a whiplash character twist and made it all feel so.... Mundane.

No vocals. No great delivery of her 'Citizens of Oz' monologue during the Defying Gravity sequence. Bleh.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of Grande, as a lot of her vocal felt like a mimic of Cheno and her acting choices killed some of the better bits that Glinda has.

No one will sell the comedy of that role better than Megan Hilty. To me, she was incredibly funny, incredibly serious and had the combo of a strong belt and beautiful upper register. Hilty's 'Thank Goodness' was a masterclass."

I disagree about Yeoh, I thought she went really well from supportive grandmother to having her big supervillain moment.

i do agree about Grande. I thought she was a little flat. I don’t think a stage acting performance would’ve worked at all-I think a lot of actresses have done the role on stage make it too goofy for a popular girl-but I wanted a bit more from her 

[HBP]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:18am

I have been impatiently waiting 20 years to see this film. Shortly after seeing the original cast in high school, I wrote a letter to Winnie Holzman sharing how I thought they should film the opening sequence (20 years later, they didn’t listen lol). I’ve seen the show many times since. I firmly believe Defying Gravity is one of the most astonishing scenes ever staged. So, I had a high bar for this film, and I’m happy to say it delivered. 

The film is in wonderful and thoughtful hands with Jon M. Chu. The casting, the attention to detail, the Ozdust Ballroom scene. Simply stellar. 

Cynthia and Ariana are perfectly cast. Few voices could do what Idina’s did. And now, Cynthia’s did. Another incredible witch in the cannon. She tells the whole story with her eyes. 

Ariana is hilarious, touching and original. She takes such good care of G(a)linda. Her Popular is a dream. I laughed out loud multiple times. And then we got a preview of the depths she’ll take us to in Part II.

John Bailey is a dream. That is a difficult character to like and he just nails it. Dancing Through Life as an absolute highlight.

Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh are also very well cast. Morrible’s slow turn to villainy is so well acted. Morrible on stage is a caricature. Here, Yeoh fully develops her.

Melissa Bode’s Nessa is sweet and Ethan Slater’s Boq is about as good as the role can be. 

Bowen Yang shines, which made me happy. I hope they find a way to bring Pfanee into Part II. 

My quibbles: the CGI is so unnecessary. We don’t need birds and butterflies and leaves and lens flares distracting us at every turn. The film works best when it lets the actors do the work (Ozdust Ballroom, Defying Gravity pre-flight, most of Dancing Through Life). Also, my goodness I hope they fix the Defying Gravity flight sequence in some subsequent release. Why, why, why grind it to a halt not once, but twice?! Before she flew, my heart was racing like it does every time I see it on stage. Then: tangent. And right before Cynthia’s voice for the ages howls the final lines, another! I hope some fan at least edits this down post-streaming release.

In all, an incredible film, a great adaptation, and a near-perfect addition to Oz. From a fan, thank you for this. I cannot wait to listen to the soundtrack over and over again.

Updated On: 11/22/24 at 08:18 AM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:27am

Listening to the album,

The mix sounds not great to me several times? Everyone and the orchestrations are wonderful but I feel like the live singing mixed with orchestrations sounds just a little off. "No One Mourns the Wicked" especially

I understand for the film why you would do live vocals but I wish they would release the soundtrack with recorded in a studio quality.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:40am

Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh are also very well cast. Morrible’s slow turn to villainy is so well acted. Morrible on stage is a caricature. Here, Yeoh fully develops her.

Perfectly stated. Yeoh’s subtle interpretation was more layered and impactful than the flamboyant interpretation done on stage. I see an Oscar nod share with Grande with the latter taking home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar - similar to Queen Latifah and Zeta-Jones for CHICAGO.

 

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 8:48am

I’m listening to the soundtrack on Apple Music and agree, some of the songs sound too compressed. Almost like a “downloaded from Limewire” quality. But I’m listening to “Dancing Through Life” right now, and it sounds great. Would love to listen to this on physical media to see if it sounds better.

And to add to the reviews, I absolutely loved the movie. I cried twice thinking about the 12 year old kid getting bullied for the first time for being gay who’d come home from school every day, pop the cast recording into the cd player, and be transported. It was like seeing a childhood dream come to life. Truly can’t imagine what more any Wicked fan could want - besides Part Two, of course. Seeing it again on Sunday because the first movie theater I saw it at was too small of a screen for my liking, and the sound seemed off as well, though it did get better as the movie went along. 

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 9:22am

Ok, wait, I just downloaded the album to my phone instead of just streaming it, and the sound quality is much better now. No longer has that compressed sound, thank goodness!

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 9:26am

One question I have-is the grimmerie on the Wizards side? In the musical doesn’t Morrible tell Elphaba which spell to do so it’s more justifiable why it transforms all of the monkeys?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 9:36am

bwayobsessed said: "One question I have-is the grimmerie on the Wizards side? In the musical doesn’t Morrible tell Elphaba which spell to do so it’s more justifiable why it transforms all of the monkeys?"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

In the film the Wizard just happens to be in possession of the grimmerie and has zero knowledge on how to use it. He can’t read the old language on it and Morrible only knows very few words of it, which took her years to learn. Elphaba instinctly starts reading it without knowing what she’s saying and everyone is confused when Chistery begins to sprout the wings. 

 

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 10:21am

If you have a chance, go back to the beginning of this thread and read everyone's casting suggestions!

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 10:44am

BrodyFosse123 said: "bwayobsessed said: "One question I have-is the grimmerie on the Wizards side? In the musical doesn’t Morrible tell Elphaba which spell to do so it’s more justifiable why it transforms all of the monkeys?"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

In the film the Wizard just happens to be in possession of the grimmerie and has zero knowledge on how to use it. He can’t read the old language on it and Morrible only knows very few words of it, which took her years to learn. Elphaba instinctly starts reading it without knowing what she’s saying and everyone is confused when Chistery begins to sprout the wings.

"

But the book just opens to the right spell the Wizard and Morrible want? It isn’t Elphaba who wants to transform all monkeys

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 10:52am

bwayobsessed said: "But the book just opens to the right spell the Wizard and Morrible want? It isn’t Elphaba who wants to transform all monkeys"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The grimmerie just starts flipping pages on its own when Elphaba opens it. It does so at 2 different times. Morrible never even touches the book. 

 

[sherie_worshipper]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 11:05am

bwayobsessed said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "bwayobsessed said: "One question I have-is the grimmerie on the Wizards side? In the musical doesn’t Morrible tell Elphaba which spell to do so it’s more justifiable why it transforms all of the monkeys?"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

In the film the Wizard just happens to be in possession of the grimmerie and has zero knowledge on how to use it. He can’t read the old language on it and Morrible only knows very few words of it, which took her years to learn. Elphaba instinctly starts reading it without knowing what she’s saying and everyone is confused when Chistery begins to sprout the wings.

"

But the book just opens to the right spell the Wizard and Morrible want? It isn’t Elphaba who wants to transform all monkeys"

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The Wizard manipulates Elphaba into choosing the spell when he mentions that Chistery observes the birds longingly. Elphaba unknowingly repeats the word “birds” and that prompts the Grimmerie to open the page with the levitation spell.

It’s a very clever scene that shows how manipulative the Wizard and Morrible are. For example, Elphaba only decides to cast a spell after Morrible begins to doubt Elphaba’s abilities. It’s clear that everything was planned in advance.

 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 11:24am

Box Office: Wicked Has $19.2 Million in Previews, Gladiator 2 at $6.5M

https://variety.com/2024/film/box-office/box-office-wicked-gladiator-2-previews-thursday-1236217142/

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 11:54am

I really enjoyed this and agree that Jon Chu really knows how to make a movie musical sing.  Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey were my standouts but I loved all of Michelle Yeoh's line deliveries, especially when interacting with Glinda.  Cynthia Erivo was better than expected--I had doubted her ability to play the more comic moments but I thought she did especially well playing against both Glinda and Fiyero.  My only quibble is she seemed to fall a little flatter in her solo numbers, but I think direction also has a hand in that as both Wizard and I and I'm Not That Girl were filmed more like music videos and I wish the scenes revealed more about the circumstances or Elphaba as a character or even just paused to let her act through the emotions.

My other major issue was Defying Gravity.  That was the main part of the movie where I really felt the padding and it just seemed to disrupt the momentum of the song.  Especially for those of us that know the song VERY well it felt like we kept getting left on the edge of anticipation as it came to an abrupt halt to show a scene that I don't think added all that much.

The soundtrack was really interesting to listen to as it felt like a completely different experience from hearing the songs in the movie.  I think they adjusted some of the mixing issues on one hand (I remember Ariana sounding drowned out in the end of No One Mourns the Wicked but she came out totally fine on the soundtrack), but it seems to have a starker contrast between the live/not live bits which could feel a bit jarring (like Dillamond's first spoken line vs first sung line in Something Bad).

I'm also not sure how I feel about some of the new orchestrations but that could just be because I'm so used to the original cast album.  The drums in Fiyero's main verse in Dancing Through Life (before they go to the club) was something that had bothered me in particular, and sometimes the synth felt like it was coming on a little too strong, but these are all really nitpicks as there was also a lot of lovely underscoring that incorporated Schwartz's score and overall it was wonderful to hear the songs with such an expansive orchestra.  I LOVE that they included the instrumental for the Ozdust Duet, brought me straight back to that moment in the movie.

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 12:32pm

I’m a Wicked nerd. I’ve seen the show 15 times. I did not have high hopes for this movie, and frankly thought it was almost blasphemous to even try. While there is nothing like live theater (how many times did I see Megan make Eden crack 🙂), I LOVED this! Now to find a sing-a-long screening! 🩷💚

[The Rural Juror]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 2:16pm

Saw it last night. A few minor issues, but my thoughts can be boiled down to this: 

When adapting this musical to film, “Defying Gravity” is undoubtedly the trickiest part. Done even a little bit wrong, it could look so stupid. That number is the litmus test for this entire two-part extravaganza. To “prove its worth,” if you will. 

They ****ing nailed it.

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 3:23pm

I’m going to come out and say this, and draw the line in the sand now.

anyone who says they killed the momentum in defying gravity, or messed it up, is objectively wrong. WRONG.

They nailed it, they did it brilliantly. It was so thrilling, so moving, they gave it room to breathe, and space for Cynthia to really show growth, character, and vulnerability. 
 

I don’t make the rules, but in this case… there is a wrong opinion. I said what I said! 

Updated On: 11/22/24 at 03:23 PM

[HBP]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 4:28pm

Lol I'll keep an open mind about the ending on my next viewing ;)

Unrelated: do movie musicals usually release soundtracks from dubs in other countries? I'd love to hear Danna Paola's vocals for this (we got a preview in the Latin American trailer).