The much-anticipated film of the year made its debut this weekend, garnering generally enthusiastic reviews, although one particular aspect has sparked some debate.
The movie, starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey, has left audiences around the world deeply moved.
Yet, as is often the case, some social media users have been quick to find fault with certain elements of the film.
Criticism has been directed towards the color grading of Wicked, especially when compared to that of The Wizard of Oz, which serves as its prequel. One Twitter user remarked: “(Time to be a hater for just a few seconds) If Wicked looked like this….the five stars would have been guaranteed. Unfortunately, the lighting and color grading…are….well…odd. And I know Technicolor is impossible now, but why was there so much backlighting? WHAT WAS THE REASON???
“But still, I actually really enjoyed it! Took me back to my Theater Kid roots! I even cried.”
“Wicked could have been a 10 but who the fuck took care of the color grading because wtf??????” chimed in another user.
A third person commented: “Color grading in Wicked is fine in person but there was an obvious choice to like grade everything down to make certain musical number pop more, which is an understandable thought process but still the wrong choice.”
Mail Online didn’t miss the opportunity to label it as the film’s ‘biggest flaw’.
Director Jon M. Chu has since responded to the criticism regarding the film’s color grading.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Chu defended the choice, stating ‘there’s color all over it’ and explaining that the goal was to ‘immerse people into Oz’ and portray it as ‘a real place’.
He elaborated: “Because if it was a fake place, if it was a dream in someone’s mind, then the real relationships and the stakes that these two girls are going through wouldn’t feel real.
“It’s also [presented in] a way we have not experienced Oz before. It’s been a matte painting. It’s been a video game digital world. But for us, I want to feel the dirt. I want to feel the wear and tear of it. And that means it’s not plastic.
“We have the environment. The sun is the main source of light. You see the vast landscapes. You see the air. You see creatures exist here.”
Chu emphasized the importance of Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande)’s ‘relationship with the land’ given the wizard’s impact on it and how that dynamic evolves over the course of the two films.
Chu remarked: “The [colour] contrast goes up over time because that is what Elphaba brings to this world.”
However, audiences will need to wait until November 2025 to witness the grading contrast in the film’s second installment.