7/10 Stars
The first thing you need to understand is that I absolutely adore the Broadway musical. It replaced the Phantom of the Opera which had been my long time favorite the moment I saw it.
Defying Gravity is on my personal writing playlist. I listen to it constantly and I get chills every time.
Now, let’s talk about the movie. It’s a well crafted, visually decadent, and the musical numbers are all well sung and choreographed. It is, in all respects a good adaptation of the musical. I thought that the world of Oz was vibrant and well realized. It was whimsical with the dark undercurrent that the story of the musical hinted at but couldn’t really bring to life because of the limitations of in-person set design.
I thought that Cynthia Erivo was spectacular. She was Elphaba through and through. Her presence on screen grew from the meek overlooked girl to the towering figure of the Witch of the West by the ending shot. It was glorious to see her fly.
The rest of the cast, however, seemed to fade into the background. Frankly, I couldn’t really remember any of the performances after the movie ended.
I guess, the thing that made this worthwhile was seeing the visuals and it was certainly a wonder to behold on the big screen.