Movie Review - Universal's Wicked

Everyone deserves a chance to fly.

Wicked is a 2024 epic musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu, written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, produced by Universal Pictures and Marc Platt Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is based off of Stephen Schwartz's 2003 musical of the same name, which, in turn, is based off of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The film acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It will be followed by Wicked: Part Two.

"Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" - Galinda Upland

Plot

Before they were Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, Galinda Upland and Elphaba Thropp were roommates at Shiz University. As the two witches go from hating each other to best friends, Elphaba begins to search for the source of a mysterious problem inside of Oz, leading her straight to the Wizard himself.

The Sweet

For those who don't know, Wicked was my most anticipated movie of the year. I absolutely adore the stage musical. I've been a Wicked fan my entire life, and I've always thought it would work great on the big screen, so when they finally moved forward with the film adaptation, I was ecstatic...but also nervous. Adapting a musical to the big screen is tough sledding, especially with something as iconic and Broadway-like as Wicked.

I get very excited about movies, but it is very rare that they live up to my expectations. That is usually not the fault of the movie; my excitement level is usually through the roof and its tough for a film to live up to that. I can enjoy a movie that I'm excited for, but only a select few (Avengers: Endgame being the most recent) really live up to my expectations.

Wicked may have genuinely exceeded my expectations.

Jon M. Chu is the hero of this film. As soon as he was announced as director, I was excited, because both In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians are great films. With this movie, he may have catapulted himself into the list of my favorite directors. He absolutely nails basically every aspect of this film. He clearly has a lot of love for the source material, because he gives every iconic moment from the show the true cinematic treatment. Defying Gravity is one of the most incredible stage sequences ever...and now Jon M. Chu has given us a film version to match that. He just pours his heart and soul into this movie, and it allows for everything else to succeed.

The production design and locations are absolutely stunning. I cannot remember the last time a film had sets and props and costumes that popped like this. Everything is just crafted with so much detail and care. It is a stark juxtaposition to these $300 million films that look like garbage, because Wicked costs $150 million and looks absolutely dazzling.

Speaking of dazzling...these performances are ridiculous. I don't think people take Ariana Grande very seriously because of her start on Nickelodeon and because singers don't always have the greatest track record in terms of acting. She is fantastic. She doesn't copy Kristin Chenoweth. She really does her own thing with the role. She can be really funny at times but also bring legitimate emotional weight. Sometimes, she can be really funny and emotional at the same time, which is just really impressive.

But the real star here is, of course, Cynthia Erivo. Like Grande, Erivo does not just mimic Idina Menzel. She very much does her own version of Elphaba. She brings the sarcasm and braininess that the character is meant to have, but from the moment she's on screen, you can see the pain behind her eyes. She constantly finds herself being underestimated and disliked because she's green, and Erivo brings that to the performance. She is able to communicate so many emotions throughout the runtime, which is so difficult to do. If she is not nominated for an Oscar...I don't even know, man.

This story is also really fantastic. When people talk about Wicked, the characters, the spectacle, and the musical numbers are usually the highlights. People often skip over the story, which is so well done. It does not break the continuity or the story of The Wizard of Oz...it just tells this alternate version of it by showing that the Wicked Witch of the West was not actually evil. The way it does this is through really heavy and emotional beats that hit very hard. Elphaba is such a likable protagonist because she's such an underdog, and we just feel for her as all of these terrible things continuously happen. The story is really the core of the film. Defying Gravity is such a powerful song because of its moment in the story. The film also adds a few minor elements to the story that were not in the musical that just elevate its emotions and stakes a bit, and I really appreciated that.

This movie also feels massive. Wicked is an epic story that takes us across all of Oz and spans years, and the film clearly understood that. Again, credit to Jon M. Chu for being able to have this huge story feel huge. I was a little bit iffy on them splitting the musical into two parts, but, after having seen the first part, I understand that decision. This film has such a deeply complex and large story that it just works better as a two-parter. And Chu is able to bring all the feelings of a true epic to this movie.

And, of course, you cannot talk about Wicked without talking about the musical numbers. Wicked has one of Broadway's most recognizable and iconic soundtracks, so adapting these songs for a movie is a monumental task. And, boy, do they nail it. Each song is set in a different, exciting location with fantastic choreography and visuals to accompany the obviously great singing. I think we all knew that Grande and Erivo could sing, but knowing it and watching it are two different experiences. At the end of The Wizard and I and Defying Gravity, my theater broke into applause. After almost every major number, I wanted to stand up and cheer. It is so well done. Even the lesser known numbers like One Short Day or Something Bad are given something memorable and unique about them that makes them interesting. It was just so perfect. So, so perfect.

If you are a fan of Wicked, you are about to lose your mind. This is probably the best musical adaptation I have ever seen by a large margin...and I love Chicago and In the Heights. This is a true, faithful translation to the big screen that works so damn well. It feels like it nails all of the beloved moments from the show while also adding some fun easter eggs and nods to the musical that will have fans losing it. I had sky high expectations for this movie. And it absolutely soars above those.

The Sour

There are two minor negatives that I can think of, and they are both really just nitpicks. First off, I don't think this movie needs to necessarily be two hours and forty minutes. That's a long runtime, especially for something that is one half of a story. Did it take away from my experience watching the film at all? Of course not. But there were a few instances where I felt a scene dragging on or something could've been cut. I don't think this really detracts from the film as a whole, but if you are not a diehard Wicked fan, I can see that annoying you a bit.

Secondly, I think this film does a weird thing where it breaks apart the songs a bit. All of the sequences with musical numbers are great, but they really are sequences, because the songs are constantly broken up with dialogue. This is where the film stretched itself a bit. It doesn't need to have a scene in the middle of a song. This was most distracting during Popular, where it felt like we took three or four breaks in the middle of the number to have some dialogue and other stuff. Again, did this really affect my enjoyment of the film? No. But it is the closest thing I have to a true criticism.

Final Thoughts and Score

I have not felt this excited about a movie leaving the theater since Avengers: Endgame. I was so hyped for Wicked and this film still managed to blow my mind with immaculate production, fantastic performances, and genuinely jaw-dropping musical numbers. This is, without question, my favorite film of the year.

I am going Sweet. Age range is 10+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)

"Wicked"

Fun Factor: 10/10

Acting: 9/10

Story: 9.5/10

Characters: 9.5/10

Quality: 9.5/10

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Rated PG for disturbing themes and images, minor violence, thematic elements

Released on November 22, 2024

2 hours and 40 minutes

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp

Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible

Jeff Goldblum as Oscar Diggs / The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar

Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp

Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman

Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond

Andy Nyman as Frexspar Thropp

Bowen Yang as Pfannee

Bronwyn James as ShenShen

Keala Settle as Miss Coddle

Courtney Mae-Briggs as Melena Thropp