rating: 10/10
yes, it is good. yes, it made me cry. the ozdust ballroom scene was just something, okay. i love it. i have never watched the musical but i like to believe this adaptation was frighteningly faithful to the original. i can see why people adore it so much. it's such a wonderful tale of female camaraderie and friendship. the origin story of elphaba, so beautifully written.
the direction and choreography in this movie was so exquisite. and the details—goodness, you could tell this movie was created by people who genuinely loved the source material—it's a labour of love, and it's my favourite thing in the world to see projects where the vision is so wholly manifested in its quintessential form by people who truly care for it.
cynthia erivo and ariana grande are absolutely bonkers crazy talented. god blessed them with vocal chords of steel and they make full use of it. the high notes and belting are so mesmerising to hear and witness. apparently they sung a lot of it live during filming and my respect for such artists is boundless. it's such a hard job and yet they keep delivering the best they can.
jonathan bailey is an absolute scene-stealer in every project he takes, because BOY were you giving EYES to elphaba the moment you met her lol. i loved the banter and the way he actually accepts her as she is without being so judgemental. i suppose he should know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving and is genuine in his care and feelings for her. (sidenote: boq and glinda actually had such good chemistry and call me delusional but i could literally see ariana and ethan in them because THE LOOK IN THEIR EYES THE MOMENT THEY MEET OKAY I SAW IT THAT SHIT WAS AS REAL AS IT GETS THAT WAS NOT ACTING)
man, what a movie. i sincerely wish i could've seen this in theatres—it'd've been such an experience. but alas, it was not written. i do look forward to seeing the second part in theatres, though, because officially, this movie only covers act 1 of the musical, and the sequel is tentatively scheduled for november of this year. so lessgooo!!
