The new “Wicked” movie, recently released on Nov. 22, has reignited conversations about films compared to live musical experiences. It is based on the renowned Broadway musical of the same name and stars actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
The film has received a large amount of positive feedback, holding an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb with over 47,000 votes.
Both the musical and the film share the same overall plot. The musical, which has just been recently performed by BroadwaySF, is a story about the development of friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and the Good Witch, Glinda. The new film follows this same plotline. Additionally, the film contains remakes of some of the musical’s most well-known songs, such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.”
One of the most significant differences between the film and the live performance of the musical is the technology used to enhance visuals. The film uses computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create many elements of the movie, whereas the musical typically contains stage props as background.
In the movie, CGI is used in many parts for visuals. According to People, Nathan Crowly, the film’s production designer, used 9 million real tulips to film a scene in a flower field.
“The flower field was so pretty and amazing to see, especially knowing that there were real flowers used. Glinda and Elphaba’s dorm was also so pretty; the view outside of their window and balcony was so colorful,” said Kate Reinschmidt, a sophomore at Carlmont.
In fact, according to Polygon, the animal character Dr. Dillamond the “Wicked” movie is entirely CGI. However, some feel that the advanced graphics can distract from the intended emotion being conveyed.
“Dr. Dillamon was a person dressed up as a goat, but standing up normally. I think that took away some of the emotion towards him since it was a little odd,” said Talia Weaver, a sophomore at Carlmont. “The movie kind of made certain scenes have less emotion compared to the musical because of the music and visuals distracting from the plot.”
Ashley Hamanaka, a junior at Carlmont, prefers the musical over the film, pointing out the heightened emotion conveyed through a live performance.
“The musical had certain parts that had me feeling more emotion than the movie. When Elphaba sings ‘Defying Gravity,’ it is something so amazing you can’t even describe it,” Hamanaka said. “There’s something about seeing it in person, seeing their true emotions while singing it in theatre. The actors’ faces being in front of you in person gives a different kind of emotion compared to it being on a screen.”
Weaver noticed a difference in how the characters’ relationships were conveyed between the musical and film.
“While the movie showed a lot, the musical had so much more drama and issues in their relationship with funnier dialog. It felt a little forced at times in the movie, but in the musical, it didn’t even seem like acting. They talked so naturally,” Weaver said.
While debates continue about the differences between the “Wicked” film and musical, Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba has nevertheless earned widespread praise for excellently playing the role of the popular character.
“Erivo’s voice has a lot of emotion and elevates the character,” Weaver said.
