Consider gravity very much defied.

Of all the big screen adaptations to attempt, a hit stage show must rank among the trickiest. Many adaptations have done well for themselves transitioning from screen to stage, yet relatively few have successfully made the trip the other way.

Whether it’s logistics, a fatal shift in tone or energy, or a complete misunderstanding of what makes a Broadway/West End show tick; there are many reasons why a stage to film adaptation can miss the mark. It may even, simply, be a matter of bottle, as a big screen musical can rapidly crumble under the intense pressure of interpreting something with such a unique, fervent fanbase.

Pair such inherent fan pressure with the added spice of stepping into the iconic world of Oz and you can see the immense pressure Jon M. Chu’s Wicked has got on its green hands.

Mocked and misunderstood due to her unique green skin, a young woman named Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) forges an unlikely yet profound friendship with Galinda (Ariana Grande), a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the legendary Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), their relationship soon reaches a crossroads, as their lives begin to take very different paths.

Considering the enormous popularity of the stage show, it’s rather surprising that it’s taken this long for a big screen adaptation of Wicked to see the light of day. Premiering twenty-one years ago, Wicked rapidly grew to become a foundation of both Broadway and the West End, and a true juggernaut of the musical world. Considering this, you would think a movie would’ve been fast-tracked, yet it’s taken two decades for anything to happen.

Perhaps it’s precisely because of the sheer weight of the Wicked name and the immense scale of the task in adapting it for a new medium that the delay has been so pronounced, so the very fact that it’s made it at all must be commended. In all honesty, considering just how wrong it could’ve gone after such a long time in production purgatory, it’s nothing short of a minor miracle that Wicked has turned out as good as it has.

Cinema has seen its fair share of stage show shockers through the years (hello Cats), however, Wicked is, thankfully, not one of them. Judged purely as an adaptation of the show, the film delivers, taking the source material, broadening its scope, and bringing the songs to life in a way that feels like a natural progression of the Wicked brand.

Obviously, the natural place to start for any musical adaptation critique is the music itself, and on this front, Jon M. Chu has got you covered with a collection of songs that not only honour the originals but take them to a whole new level. Sounding ripped directly from the orchestra pit, the tunes pop, appearing wholly reverent to the source material, yet punched up satisfyingly for the big screen.

Whether it’s Cynthia Erivo’s ‘The Wizard and I’, Ariana Grande’s ‘Popular’ or the signature curtain-dropper ‘Defying Gravity’, Wicked nails exactly what it needs to nail with its musical numbers in a way that should satisfy both fans and newcomers alike. Of course, with this film only covering one half of the musical, we only get one half of the songs, however, if the collection that we’ve been given here is anything to go by, we should be in safe hands come part two.

However good the music is and however well they execute the tunes though, it would all be for nowt if the film’s visuals weren’t up to scratch. Yet, despite some niggles, Wicked very much looks the part. Granted, with a muted colour pallet and an overtly overexposed look, there’s certainly an overriding feeling that the film could’ve gone far further with the vibrancy of its visuals, however, despite this, Wicked is otherwise stunning.

A fantastical steampunk construction that lands somewhere between the Technicolor trippiness of The Wizard of Oz and the wizarding wonder of the Harry Potter universe, there’s awe and amazement to be found at every turn. Whether it’s the impressive rotating sets of Shiz University or the glittering opulence of Emerald City, the Oz that Jon M. Chu and cinematographer Alice Brooks have built for us is quite the visual triumph.

Far less triumphant, however, is Wicked’s plot. Despite being thematically robust, the film unfortunately suffers narratively, as a stop-start plot, laggy pacing, and an overriding sense of script bloat kill a fair amount of the film’s momentum.

The time and space afforded to build on the show’s themes of bigotry, intolerance, and animal cruelty are admirable and go far beyond what can be done on stage, yet the very fact that it takes Wicked a hefty 160 minutes to only reach the intermission means the film is far, far too long and excessively padded-out for its own good.

In an attempt to bulk out both Elphaba and Galinda’s characters and to develop their relationship with one another, the film feels rather sluggish in parts and nowhere near as punchy as it could’ve (or should’ve) been. It’s an issue that’s been the downfall of many a “part one” film through the years, but Wicked often appears to be treading water as it stretches what is, in essence, a simple story far further than it really should, ultimately feeling like the half story it is.

Despite this, Jon M. Chu clearly understands the assignment, as he puts in the hard graft to ably and lovingly adapt source material that’s evidently very close to his heart. Building on his fantastic work with the 2021 In the Heights adaptation, Chu has a firm handle on the musical and knows precisely what it is that makes the genre tick on screen, as he manages to honour the show while ensuring his version of it has a life and a personality all of its own.

Alongside this, perhaps the biggest element shaping the film’s personality is its stars. This adaptation was always likely to sink or swim on the strength of its lead duo and in Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – ably supported, it must be noted, by a wonderful extended cast that includes Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz he was clearly born to play – the film not only swims, it positively flies.

With charm and chemistry to spare, Erivo and Grande are a truly magical duo that work beautifully together to elevate the much-loved material to a new level entirely. Granted, it’s a pairing that takes a little time to bed in, however, when it does, their chalk and cheese, odd couple chemistry hits all the right notes.

Obviously, both stars have the vocal chops to put significant shine on every song, yet it’s their acting performances that really elevate proceedings. Starting out relatively muted, Cynthia Erivo takes a little time to get going, however, once she’s up to speed, there’s no going back, as she slowly but surely grows with her character. It’s another notch in Erivo’s steady ascent to superstardom that’s been a long time coming now, and if there were any fear that her performance would be overshadowed by the glitz and glamour of her big-name co-star, it can well and truly be put to bed.

That’s not to say that Ariana Grande’s performance isn’t fitting of her megastar billing – because it’s the most pleasant of surprises that it very much does – rather it’s the fact that Cynthia Erivo manages to grab the opportunity like a broom stick before riding it into the stratosphere. With Grande complementing her co-star perfectly while proving that she has the acting chops to match her enviable vocal ones, the film has the star power and the magic to well and truly defy gravity.

Taking 160 minutes to get to the stage show’s intermission means Wicked: Part 1 is far too long and excessively padded out, however, as a piece, it’s very much the good shiz. It’s certainly not perfect, but with the musical numbers delivering, the visual construction of Oz dazzling, and both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande making for a magical star pairing, Wicked truly flies.

Wicked is in cinemas worldwide now.