How Wicked is “Defying Gravity”
Wicked the movie, has taken the world by storm. The movie based on the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West with its fun songs and beautiful cinematography, has captivated audiences worldwide. The movie has currently made $634.4 million worldwide with an IMDB rating of 7.7/10 and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wicked has had major publicity prior and during the release of the movie. One of the reasons is due to the cast drama with Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, or the Wicked poster fan edit that Cynthia Erivo called “offensive” and “hurtful”. Besides all that controversy, the comeback of such a brilliant Broadway show and it having an on-screen adaptation made fans of the show excited, creating anticipation on social media. Another thing is the marketing and the connections that the stars seem to have with each other is captivating.
The actors having a musical theater background allowed the movie to have that Broadway feel. With Cynthia Erivo past role in The Color Purple on Broadway and Ariana Grande appearing in the Broadway musical 13 at only fifteen years old you know these actors truly love musicals and know what they are doing.
The movie’s message is something that people were able to feel as it was portrayed on the big screen. The emotions that the actors showed were raw and felt real. It’s a movie about self-acceptance, friendship, equality, and standing up for what you believe in which explores the human experience and causes us to feel a connection with these characters. It highlights important issues like disabilities, animal rights, and unequal representation. With everything going on right now it is a great example of art imitating life.
With the iconic witch hat and emerald city, it has provided a sense of nostalgia. This is something that has made people want to go out and see these characters in a movie once again. As you watch the movie you can see many connections to the 1939 film. The wardrobe is similar in some ways and the munchkins are present in the story as well. There are also many differences in the story like the existence of talking animals besides the cowardly lion. There’s also more of a darker tone to it at certain points. It’s not all magic and fun.
Students at Davis had their own opinions on the film. Kate Moulton states “It was a 10/10 experience! I truly felt as though I were in Oz and experiencing it all myself! The singing, dancing, the characters all phenomenal! Brynlee Beckstrand gave it a 4.5/5. “I’m saying 4.5/5 stars because I thought the movie was really long and it was only part one. My favorite songs though were “What is This Feeling” and “Defying Gravity”. Both were excellently written and beautifully sung. My least favorite part was Boq because he’s just ugly. Anyways overall experience was awesome sauce and would highly recommend.”
Overall Wicked is the movie that everyone is talking about right now and understandably so, it’s influence society is something that isn’t always seen with musical adaptations but with the dedication that the actors had to their roles it’s no wonder it did so well.
