"Wicked" vs "Oz the Great and Powerful" (and more prequel talk)

Hello friends. Now, some of you might remember that a while ago I reviewed "Monsters University" and had a big ol' rant on prequels and why they usually do not work. Well, shortly after I saw MU, I saw "Oz the Great and Powerful", the latest story set in everyone's favourite public domain fantasy world, Oz. I've been wanting to review it for a while now but quickly realised that it maybe wasn't the best suited for review, for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't find it offensive or particularly childhood desecrate-y because I had no (positive) expectations for it, so I couldn't take that angle. Secondly, I'd already read and watched reviews of it saying most of the things I would have said, including the feminist angle because it's more intellectual that picking holes in a movie that is clearly flawed (See that one here, It's pretty awesome) so I  figured, eh, I'll leave this super easy target alone.

However, about a week ago I found the file for "Wicked"'s soundtrack (I'd had it on my laptop but then iTunes lost it and I couldn't find it but it reappeared inexplicably and I was like "holy crap, yay!") and I began to listen to it. Small details you should know: When I originally had the soundtrack on my iPod I hadn't seen the musical or read the book. After I'd lost it, I went and did both those things. I was listening to the soundtrack with newly educated ears. And it was then that I realised (or remembered) how very, very clever Wicked is, both as a story, an adaptation and as a prequel. You see where this is going, right? Of course you do, It's in the freakin' title.

FACE OFF TIIIIIME! 

That's right, I'ma do a comparison. I'd just like to get out of the way quickly that I did give this movie a chance, I'm not one of those people who will slam something just for trying to expand a universe or story. I'll slam it for doing so terribly. I genuinely hate people going on about how the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the new Pokemon generations will never be as good as the originals. Grow up, guys. You can leave a little space in your heart for your childhood memories but if you truly love the universe you'll at least give it a chance before starting a hate group.

That said, this movie is BAD. As a stand-alone story it sucks, the characters and their motivations are flimsy as hell and the entire thing somehow feels simultaneously rushed and far too long. It's a mess. But any reviewer can tell you that. I'm going to look at Wicked because it is basically the same thing done right.

But first (Oh geez, get to the point already! I will, this is the last one. Promise) A little bit of clarification and background. For the sake of ease, I'm going to be comparing "Wicked" (the Musical) to the film "Oz the Great and Powerful", using the 1930's film "The Wizard of Oz" as a fixed reference point. I've made this decision because these are the most well known versions of the texts. The musical "Wicked" is based on the book "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire but, having read the book, they are quite different and, again, the musical is better known. I'll be comparing the two to the 1930's film in part as well, partly because it's better known than L. Frank Baum's book (which I have yet to read) and also because the screenplay for "OtGaP" is based on the movie, not the book. Phew, now that's out of the way, TO THE REVIEW! (This review will contain spoilers for the musical and both movies)

Now, I'm not sure if you know this, but I like to write things (That's a joke, I never freakin shut up about writing). I would like to write as a profession, if anyone will have me. This is mostly because I like stories and always have (probably always will). So, dear readers, it frustrates me somewhat to see people who have much more experience and expertise than I making rookie mistakes when it comes to storytelling. I will acknowledge that prequels are difficult to do well. I've already spoken on this but, again, as someone who may or may not currently be writing a novel that is somewhat prequel-esque, I care about this in particular. I know that it's a struggle but that's why you need to put extra effort in. So, speaking of effort, lets take a look at OtGaP in terms of prequels and general storytelling.

It's probably already obvious to you that this movie didn't do this very well. However, allow me to elaborate. In OtGaP, we follow Oscar AKA Oz (played by James Franco) as he is transported to Oz where he finds out that there's some prophecy saying a great and powerful wizard will come and save the day or something. Along the way, we meet Theodora (played by Mila Kunis and our not-green Elphaba/Wicked Witch equivalent), Evanora (played by Rachel Weisz and the Nessa/Wicked Witch of the East equivalent, though it's not really made clear) and Glinda (played by Michelle Williams). The story in a nutshell: There's a whole big kerfuffle over who's good and who's evil despite the fact that it's pretty damn obvious, there's a Zach Braff monkey and a talking china doll for some reason, Oscar is a jackass and tries it on with all three witches, Mila Kunis eats and apple that makes her green and evil because Oscar fucked her then didn't commit, there's a war, Oscar's a floating head and the bad witches run screaming into the night. The End.

Can you see what I'm getting at when I say it's a bit of a mess? Here's a trailer to help you visualise things.

Where to begin. Most of the problems with the plot of the movie lie with where it tries to create stakes. It tries to create stakes by saying that Glinda is a bad witch, which fails because anyone familiar with the 1930's movie (ie. everyone in the movie watching universe) knows that she's not. It tries to create stakes in the battle between the witches and the good guys, when everyone knows that the wizard must gain control of the city by the beginning of the original timeline, as well as knowing that both the bad witches must survive this one, as they're alive when Dorothy shows up. They try to create romantic stakes but there's no build up so we don't care, as well as that fact that the wizard from the original is pretty decidedly romantically uninvolved (and, not to sound mean, but for clear reasons). They try to create drama with Theodora's apple eating antics but the motivation behind it is so flimsy and has such a lack of build up that it is effectively impossibly to care. There are no stakes, as is the case with most prequels.

"But Rachel," I hear you say, "How can they have a prequel without dulling the stakes a little? Surely the audience can suspend the part of their brain that knows the original in order to enjoy this work. Your expectations are far too high for them to be practical."

I'm so glad you said that, hypothetical reader. It CAN be done! And we have a prime example of this in "Wicked". Instead of shying away from the blatant fact that people are familiar with the original story, Wicked uses it to its advantage. Throughout the entirety of the play, there are little references to the original story and to things that will happen in the musical itself. Relistening to the soundtrack, all the references are increasingly noticeable, it's essentially "foreshadowing and dramatic irony the musical" and it works so very well. For example, in one of Elphaba's early scenes she claims to have had a vision that "...someday there'll be a celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with [her]". This little reference to the whole "Ding dong the witch is dead" idea from the original (as well as the musical beginning with the news of her death, benefiting unfamiliar viewers) is simultaneously funny and intriguing to the audience. The fact that we know Elphaba will one day be known as a Wicked Witch piques our interest because she seems so reasonable at the beginning. We want to know how the original story comes to be and that keeps us invested. That, and the fact that the characters are interesting and well developed.

Speaking of, let's compare the two Wicked Witches of the West(s?). Elphaba, Wicked's WWW has been green all her life, for reasons unexplained (in the musical anyway, though Maguire's reason it is hinted at in the first scene. For those of you who want to know: Elphaba is the wizard's daughter, born of a one night affair between the wizard and her mother (this is depicted at the beginning of the musical). The potion he gave Elphaba's mother on the night of her conception caused some kind of anomaly, making her green and the fact that she is of both the regular world and Oz is the reason for her magical powers.)

Elphaba has been shunned and reviled her whole life for being different and has become introverted and cautious because of it. She has to mind her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose and desperately seeks the approval of her father, who treats her like a disappointment. When she discovers that she has some natural magical powers, she begins to dream about one day working with the wizard and being respected by the people of Oz who previously despised her. All this is shown to us within the first fifteen minutes of meeting Elphaba.

In contrast, the first fifteen minutes of meeting Theodora consist of:
1. She serves as exposition for Oscar about a (generally badly explained and inconsequential) prophecy doohicky
2. We find out she's a witch (though not much about what this means).
3. She and Oscar get chased by a flying baboon, dance, presumably screw (I must assume, given the framing) and then they go off to the Emerald City.
4. On the journey, she is full of talk about how he'll be king and she his queen (and he feels uneasy at her pressure to commit)

There is a serious difference here between the two characters, in the worst possible way. Like, the difference between a well developed, useful character and a two dimensional plot convenience. Which, don't get me wrong, is fine. Sometimes characters can't be fully fleshed out because there simply isn't time. And as a writer, I understand that you need to inform your audience of the world laws somehow, "exposition fairies" can be a good method of doing so in a more or less natural way. However, this is THE Wicked Witch of the West, whether the audience knows it yet or not. She is the primary antagonist of the traditional Wizard of Oz story, surely she deserves more character than "naive with no reason to be, exposition spouting, instant love interest girl".

Let us compare. Both Elphaba and Theodora are framed as sheltered; naive and idealistic in their own way. Elphaba is this way because she has never truly fit in, so some social customs are odd to her. However, she is still intelligent. She reads and looks after her sister, so she is not unfamiliar with people and how they operate. She is somewhat naive in her faith in the wizard, but no more so than the other citizens of Oz. And if your life had been as crappy as Elphaba's up til that point you would probably have some kind of underlying hope that one day you'd be accepted and appreciated by your cold shouldered peers and father. This help to make Elphaba a realistic character and one that we can relate to.

She seems to have more hat than character.
Stupid bad screenwriting. There's
this crazy concept called "build up and payoff".
Here? Whole lotta nuthin'.

Theodora also seems to have been sheltered (and much of this extrapolation is perhaps giving the film too much credit, but I'll do what I can). She and her sister, Evanora, do not seem to have any living parents, so it can be assumed that they are dead or... gone off somewhere, I guess. Probably dead, knowing these stories. Anyway, judging by the level of trust Theodora has in her older sister (but somehow very little knowledge of her actions and everyday doings... sorry, sorry, must not pick holes. Focus on the bigger holes- the characters. Bad-um tss!) Theodora has been raised by her sister; and her sister, being the wicked one (a label which is thrown meaninglessly around waaay too much, by the way) has kept her in the dark about the true goings on in Oz and filling her head with lies. Honestly, though, Theodora's behaviour does not at all add up. The levels of stupid and generally unaware that she displays at times, in comparison to her competence and intelligence in other scenes? Does not compute! She seems more like a child than a grown-ass woman and her sheltered-ness cannot be wholly blamed. Then, halfway through the movie, it decides they need to (to use Wicked's term) "greenify" her. This is the total character turnaround that was not in any way being built up to (I mean that in all honestly, it's totally out of left field). Evanora gives her a green apple that will make her evil... or something. It's really stupid. She eats it because it will apparently make the pain of a dude she's known for less than 24 hours not wanting to marry her, go away. I swear, she did at one point seem like a normal, rational thinking human. Blink and you might've missed it, but it was definitely there. So yeah, Theodora goes Anakin because she sees Oz trying it on with Glinda (who is very clearly not evil) and her tears burn her (why? This is not a plot point. Never is the water thing mentioned, ever) and she wants the pain to stop. So you obviously trust the sister offering you the biblical reference and telling you how your hear will shrivel up. I also love how they try to do the "tree of knowledge thing" because the moment she takes a bite Theodora's all "Wait a second, you're the evil one!". Like, dude! Was that not obvious? Like, at all? After that though, all her anger at her sister (you know, the one who's been lying to you pretty much your whole life?) is forgotten and that rage is aimed at the MAN. She's instantly the Wicked Witch from the 1930's film. Just like that, boom, total 180 degree character turn around.

Now, because I said I was being fair I will do some more comparison. One might argue that the original wicked witch was not particularly well developed in terms of motivation or her reason for being evil either. Honestly, I have to disagree. Part of the reason she's perhaps under-explored in terms of character, is because the film follows Dorothy, who knows very little about the witch and doesn't exactly have an opportunity to get to know her. Also, at the time it wasn't  hugely common to show moral ambiguity in films, especially those aimed at younger audiences (which is still mostly true today). Villains were painted as irredeemable and thoroughly evil because it was easier for the heroes to kill them that way. And death is the easiest way to remove a threat. Killing a morally ambiguous character is questionable but if that character is truly, drowning puppies evil then it's perfectly okay. All this is aside from the notion that the entire thing might be a figment of Dorothy's imagination and the witch is based on her mean neighbour, who she also doesn't know much about (other than the puppy stealing)

There's still the motivation qualm but that's easier still to understand. You've just had a sister brutally crushed by a house and the bitch who dropped it is struttin' around in your dead sister's shoes. Not only are they now presumably your property (again, no apparent parents or relatives to mention) but this bitch has insulted your sister's memory by taking them. There's some sentimental value there. Don't tell me you wouldn't be pissed.

Compare this (anger at theft, manslaughter and added insult to memory of a loved one) to Theodora's primary motive (he doesn't like me like that) and we have a little bit of disconnect. Yeah, you might be a wee bit annoyed if the dude you slept with (I assume) hightailed it but c'mon now woman, selling your soul is a little extreme, don't you think? To complete the witch trio, Elphaba's motives are much similar to those of the 1930's witch- those shoes have a sentimental value to her and she'd rather not have them flaunted like a trophy. On top of that, she's been falsely labeled as a terrorist for her activism against animal cruelty and against the oppressive regime the wizard has in place. No, really. It's actually pretty fucking awesome.

Speaking of, let's talk about the protagonist of "Oz the Great and Powerful", Oz himself. Believe me, I'd much rather ignore the man behind the curtain, but in this rare case he's the protagonist, so I guess I have to take a look at him. But first, here's what I knew about the wizard going into OtGaP: In The Wizard of Oz he was a bumbling magician, scared out of his wits by the wicked witch of the west (quite possibly because she can see he's not really a wizard) and tricking people into adoring him and pretending to help with their problems (dude, da fuq is a lion gonna do with a diploma?). In Wicked, he's a very similar character, only slightly more cunning politically with his spin doctor Madame Morrible at his side. This wizard is somewhat of an idealist but he's not about to stand for threats to his power (such as a real wizard or witch) and he knows he can use people's fears to his advantage. I'm going to break my own rule briefly to discuss the wizard in the book version of wicked. That guy is a shrewd and cruel dictator, crushing any opposition with his secret police the Gale Force and Madame Morrible, serving a pseudo-Goebbels/Himmler figure. He's the real villain, but at least the book recognises that.

This wizard is, in this work, possibly the worst. Not solely because of his deeds but because of his framing.

Indeed

Oscar (because they felt the need to name him Oz, possibly in some strange tie in to the dream theory, despite the fact that he never leaves Oz in the film so it makes no sense) is a conman and a charlatan in a travelling fair, tricking random girls into being his assistants and presumably sleeping with them before moving on. He mistreats his assistant and is a general prick to everyone until the universe decides "Y'know what, asshole, have a tornado sandwich" and drops him in Oz...where everyone adores him and trusts him and he gets a happy ending despite still being the same terrible person by the end. Dammit tornado, why'd you have to drop him in the ONE place with a prophecy about a dude called Oz saving them all? That's just bad planning, tornado, shame on you.

Whilst I have my problems with Theodora's "arc" in this movie, Oz's is so much worse, because IT'S NONEXISTENT! There is a HUGE amount of set up for him to change his ways, showing how he's a misogynist, a compulsive liar, manipulative, borderline abusive, unappreciative... then it has him use all these things to save the day! I'm not even joking, Glinda actually tells him to keep lying when she realises he's not an real wizard and she's meant to be the voice of reason! And while usually I hate the "liar revealed to create drama" plot device, this doesn't even have that comeuppance because the 1930's film dictates that the Ozians have to think he's a wizard. I cannot understand the baffling moral standpoint this film takes. When compared with the sweeping moral and social commentary of its rivaling prequel, which questions the nature of good and evil, explores the idea of standing up for what you believe in despite persecution, shows us the willingness of people to create black and white villains and heroes for the sake of ease... compared to that "lying is okay for the right reasons" looks puny and incredibly misguided, especially when the "right reasons" include getting a room full of gold to roll around in like Scrooge MacDuck.

♪ We're off to see the Aslan, the wonderful
Christ allegory of Narnia! ♪

Come to think of it, it should be obvious why no one had thought to make a movie centred on Oz before: Because Oz is not a hero. Hell, in the original movie he's shown as fairly pathetic, a trembling coward who sends little girls to do his dirty work for him and has to cheat and deceive the citizens of Oz for his own selfish gain. He's not a morally strong character, and there's no way you can make him one in a prequel because he'd have to revert somehow at the end. There's also a bit of disconnect in the timeline because for some reason Hollywood decided to get a young, attractive actor to play the bumbling , pathetic wizard. Hmm, I wonder why. There seemed to be a huge contrast in the timelines as well. At the beginning of this film, Oscar is in a travelling circus in the year 1905. This is where things get timeline crossover-y. While the original film was made in 1939, L Frank Baum's book was first published in 1900, set in that time, roundabouts. So, according to the book and therefore the canon (as the movie doesn't state) Dorothy left Kansas before Oz? Or, giving a little leeway, even if the wizard arrived in Oz a few years before her, he'd need to age at five times the normal speed to get to the age he was in the original texts! What, is Oz like Narnia? You age while your there but no real world time passes? This was never mentioned! Also, if some twenty years had passed, why had no progress been made? Surely people wouldn't put up with all the terrorism from the witches for that long. At the end of  OtGaP it wasn't like they made a truce or anything, Theodora was still pretty damn pissed. Ugh, my guess is they completely ignored the old man aspect present in the other versions so they could have the sex appeal and write in the crappy romance plotline. The fact that in Wicked he's Elphaba's oblivious father then here he and Theodora screw? Just... *shudder*. Bad feelings, man. Not cool.

There're also references to the end of the 1930's film by having characters from the start of the film voice or play other characters. Glinda is played by the same woman as the "not-love-interest" in the real world and the put-upon assistant is played by Zack Braff who later voices the put-upon flying monkey assistant. However, this makes no sense as there's no pay-off. Oz doesn't return to Kansas so there is no scene explaining this with a dream and an "and you were there, and you, and you." I guess I'm nit-picking a little here but it just felt pointless, like they wasted time here where they could've been making the dialogue sound like things real people would say. Oh yeah, let's talk about the script. It's suuuuuper melodramatic. Nothing sounds like something from a normal conversation. I understand that it's a magical world and everything, and some explanation is needed but even the conversations between two sisters feel incredibly forced. You just can't remove yourself from the idea that they're actors reciting a script at each other.

Then there are the messages trying to be put forward. Both Wicked and OtGaP mention the term "Wicked" and "Good" a lot. The musical uses this well, to highlight the idea that both are subjective and not necessarily part of who you are but equal parts the choices you make and the way people see you for them. It strays from the black and white and asks the question "What is wicked?". It shows the hypocrisy in people who want the worst for those they see as wicked or wrong. Two songs that highlight this in particular are "No Good Deed" and "Thank Goodness"sung by Elphaba and Glinda (with the chorus) respectively. No Good Deed talks about how Elphaba is persecuted no matter what she does so she decided to do what she believes in and throw all regard to the wind. Thank goodness is Glinda talking about how well everything is going for her and how being "good" will always result in happiness, all the while not sure she believes what she is saying. Both are well thought out songs and interesting points to make, especially considering that they don't answer the questions posed (well, not definitively). Is it better to be seen as that bad guy for doing what you believe in? Or better to betray your beliefs to follow the rules and succeed? Oz the Great and Powerful, on the other hand, throws the words "Wicked" and "Good" around like simply using the words is clever. Pose deep and thought-provoking questions?

Even in Theodora's introduction, she refers to herself as "Theodora the good" like that means something. Then she and Evanora talk about being wicked and how Theodora is susceptible to wickedness, ignoring completely what the idea of wickedness entails. I suppose I shouldn't expect intelligent commentary from a movie that goes "Oh, you're evil now" to one of their main characters and never questions it. *Sigh* 

Finally, I'll talk briefly about the side characters (then you can all go home, yaaay!) In OtGaP,they introduced other characters which actually worked quite well. There's a little China girl (as in made of porcelain, I'm not  just being racist) and the aforementioned Zach Braff flying monkey. These characters are decent additions if not merely vessels for showing Oz's "growth". The China girl serves as someone for Oz to use to look good in front of Glinda and the Braff monkey is bullied by Oz throughout. There's also a scene near the beginning where a lion attacks the Braff monkey and Oz scares it away with a cheap magic trick, yelling "coward!" at it for running away. That's it. That is our only lazy link to three of the most memorable characters from the original movie. Really movie? Really? 

In contrast, Wicked also features the lion, plus the Tin-man and the Scarecrow. SPOILERS ahead. Wicked cleverly integrates these three into the story about animal rights and the nature of good and evil. The lion is introduced in a classroom where Dr. Dillamond (a teacher who's also a goat, slowly losing the power of speech thanks to the wizard's oppression) is teaching. The lion has been rescued from the wild because he was injured and probably wouldn't survive. Elphaba and Fiyero (Glinda's (and later Elphaba's) love interest) set the cub free when his leg has healed. Later in the musical, during the song "march of the witch-hunters", the Tin-man speculates that if Elphaba had let the lion fight his own battles when he was young, he wouldn't have grown up to be a coward. This works very well as a wink to those familiar with the source material (as well as bringing up an interesting moral argument about animals being released back into the wild), and doesn't feel shoehorned in like OtGaP's version. The Tin-man in Wicked, not mentioned at all in OtGaP, is the way he is after literally losing his heart when Nessarose (the "wicked witch of the east") miscast a spell to make him stay with her. Elphaba cast another spell, turning him to tin so that he would not die, but he misunderstands and resents this, causing him to chase down the witch later in the play. 

Finally, the Scarecrow. I'm going to use this as an example of how one can make a prequel work. Fiyero, a Winkie prince, is introduced early in the play as the dashing but somewhat ditsy near instant love interest for Glinda. He sings a song about "dancing through life" with lines like "life's painless, for the brainless" and "why thing too hard, when it's so soothing dancing through life". The character is likable but shallow. However, as we get to know him better (as does Elphaba) we learn that there is more beneath the surface, and puts on the shallow act because it's what's expected of a handsome prince like him. He has a kind heart and strong moral convictions, much like Elphaba. As the play progresses, Elphaba shunned, he and Glinda married, the two old friends (Elphaba and Fiyero, that is) run into each other and have a brief affair, as Fiyero realises that keeping up appearances isn't worth denying his true connection with Elphaba. They sing the song "As long as you're mine" featuring a line "maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise" from Fiyero. Shortly after, they're discovered by Oz's soldiers and Fiyero captured and beaten. Elphaba frantically casts the first spell she finds, to prevent harm coming to him, saying "may his bones never break... may he feel no pain... let him never die". 

And he becomes the Straw-man.

He then works with Elphaba to make the people of Oz believe she is dead, be spreading rumours that water can melt her, and making sure that Dorothy makes that her weapon of choice. Ok, the story doesn't fit perfectly but holy shit is it a good way of making a prequel interesting. When he's introduced, we assume he's a disposable love interest, because he's not in the original. We miss all the signs because we're not looking for them and then... it all comes rushing back with that final twist. Like I said, "Foreshadowing: the musical". THIS is what prequels should strive to do. Take advantage of the fact that we've seen the original, play with those expectations instead of trying to push them away. They could have done this with OtGaP, making Theodora normal looking at the start was a decent start. But it's all in the delivery, and that's where Oz the Great and Powerful utterly fails. 

I think I'ma finish up here, this review has gone on waaay longer than I thought it would. 

Well done if you got this far, now take us home!

Embrace the Madness