This one is for my musical theatre fans out there. The film adaptation of the renowned Broadway show Wicked came out on November 22 of 2024. It was highly anticipated by many individuals such as myself. I went to see the film last year in theaters and let me tell you, I left that theater a changed woman. I had never seen such a successful film adaptation of a Broadway musical since I last saw Les Miserables (2012) and West Side Story (2021).
Before reviewing this movie, I would like to clarify that I will be reviewing this movie as a standalone, and unfortunately not in reference to the original Broadway musical. I feel it is only right since I have not had the privilege to fly over to New York and witness the iconic show live.
Now I went into this movie completely blind. I was familiar with the musical as well as the Broadway world, but I have never watched the show in its entirety. That’s right, I don’t even know what happens in the second half of the show that will be in the sequel later this year, but I think that’s what makes this review better since this was my first impression of it.
Wicked is a spin-off story on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” It is the story that shows the timeline of the friendship between two girls, Elphaba and Glinda, who cross paths at a University named Shiz. This fictional university is magical, with majors such as sorcery and even animal professors teaching classes.
Elphaba, who is played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, who is played by Ariana Grande, start as rivals due to the outstanding differences they have. Glinda is a professional people pleaser and naturally charming, yet graciously awkward. Elphaba is guarded and sharp. She is used to people judging her because her green skin color is seen as unusual and therefore has made her seem “unworthy” to her peers, but she is bright with supernatural gifts. The two end up loathing each other by the start of their school year and are forced to share a suite. The two would eventually end up becoming friends after a revelation they come to together.
Throughout this period, Elphaba receives private lessons from Headmistress Madame Morrible, who is also supernaturally gifted, so she can learn to foster and control her powers.
While this is happening, there is an ongoing discrimination and danger to the remaining minority of animals who are teaching at Shiz. Their jobs were being threatened because many people believed them to be scapegoats for the land’s problems, such as a major drought, and deemed them as the enemy. Elphaba, who finds similarity with the feeling of discrimination and hate, becomes passionate about defending the animals.
This film had many subtle and not-so-subtle allegories throughout. It called out the issues within society at Shiz, which held some likeness to our past and present states of our world.
On a different note, I think that it’s impossible to not mention how funny this film was, specifically Ariana Grande’s humor during her song Popular. I loved her little improvisations and the ironic bits she added, which added to the element of her and Elphaba’s blooming friendship. She really went off.
Also, this film surprisingly had some drama in it. Glinda was quite literally in love with a new student named Fiyero, played by Jonathon Bailey. (I completely get her.) BUT, after a mini animal rescue mission with Fiyero, Elphaba slowly realizes that she is also in love with Fiyero, but defeatedly accepts that she will never be with him because she’s not “that girl.” I have to admit that I did shed a few tears when she sang her ballad, “I’m Not That Girl” while eating my popcorn.
Now Elphaba and Glinda are friends, and Elphaba receives the opportunity to travel to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard of Oz, who has the ability to grant her her heart’s desire. What makes the Wizard of Oz so special is his ability to read a sacred book called “The Grimmerie” which according to a prophecy, determines that he is the “chosen one” and is why so many people follow him and look up to him as their leader. But HELLO PLOT TWIST? The Wizard of Oz is actually a fraud who CAN’T read the Grimmerie and he’s the one who is making the animals a common enemy to the people. And it turns out that the actual chosen one is Elphaba, who IS able to read the Grimmerie (I know this is crazy.) This is where Elphaba takes matters into her own hands and departs from Glinda, who is unable to agree with her choices, and flies off into the distance with her iconic song, Defying Gravity (Yes I did cry at this part too).
The movie really had banger after banger on their soundtrack. (I literally memorized the whole soundtrack in a week.) The vocals were superior and there was so much emotion and passion infused into every note that was sung.
Immediately after watching this movie I was so compelled by the absolute talent and beauty of the costuming. There was so much detail and attention behind the looks, and I appreciated how much time was dedicated to the pieces.
Another thing that absolutely blew my mind when watching this movie in theaters was the fact that all of the sets were practical. I found it so refreshing that in a world where many movie directors rely solely on CGI for their sets, Jon Chu did what many others neglect and had all of his sets (which were insane by the way) physically built.
The casting was brilliant. When considering Elphaba, there was no one else who would have conveyed such emotion and musical talent as Cynthia Erivo was able to. And when it comes to Ariana Grande, I don’t want to sound dramatic, but she really was born for this role. Both of these women’s interpretations and understanding of their characters was so obvious in the film, and I really appreciated their dedication to their roles.
If you aren’t very fond of musicals, this is a really fun one to watch. It even got my dad to enjoy it, who had no idea what he signed up for when he took me to see it. The movie is almost three hours long, but it was worth every minute watching. If you’re a hardcore movie critic, I’d suggest watching this movie freely with an open mind. This film encapsulates the pure beauty of friendship and love, and made me personally reflect on the parallels of our society that were in it. That can be up to your interpretation, but I highly recommend watching this movie, especially if you’re up for karaoke afterwards.
