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Wicked Movie Review

Wicked is a 2024 musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. It’s an exceptional adaptation and one of the best movies of the year.

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“The best way to bring folks together

is to give them a real good enemy“

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Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship will reach a crossroad. This movie is based on one of the most famous Broadway productions of all time. I don’t live in America, so I haven’t seen it, but I am very well acquainted with its basic contents, so I was very excited to finally see it in the cinematic format. And I am happy to say that the end result will rank among the best stage adaptations ever and a future genre classic by all means.

This type of story was always meant to appeal to me as it is after all a Broadway musical mixed with fantasy storytelling and a famous IP, all of which I absolutely adore. Shiz University very much has a feel of Hogwarts in its charm, lived-in atmosphere and sense of magic. I also loved the Emerald City and how properly detailed and just enchanting it looked. A sense of place and wonder is crucial for any fantasy story and this movie got that in spades.

Yes, the fan service was overwhelming. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ references got too numerous toward the end, making the movie not feel subtle at all. But I am a big fan of this source material, so they got me with all those references and I was having a blast connecting all the dots in my head and learning the backstories of all the characters and famous places. The movie just worked as a fantasy due to its superb technical aspects and a feel of a fairy tale that it evoked in its numerous frames. Magic isn’t explored a lot in this first film, but what we got was instantly intriguing nonetheless.

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Wicked is also a musical and in that area it also largely worked, though not to the extent that it did as the other genre. The score is fantastic and quite lively, comedic or enchanting depending on the emotions conveyed within each scene. The soundtrack is iconic for a reason, though most of its numbers are actually more solid than truly great. I liked the vast majority of these songs, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t call them classics with the exception of a few.

No One Mourns the Wicked is operatic and memorable, serving as a solid opener. The Wizard and I is quite well sung and effective for the most part. Dancing Through Life isn’t the greatest in lyrics, but it does have a fun chorus and exceptional choreography with the clockwork section being the most impressive moment in the film that could equal the classic musicals from the fifties. One Short Day is a lot of fun and it’s one of those perfect numbers that defines a place visited in that scene so well.

Most of the other songs are quite forgettable and only serviceable, but the two standout numbers have to be Popular and Defying Gravity. The former is the Glinda highlight. It perfectly defines her character, it’s bright and colorful, and it’s just such a breezy, fun and funny number that does what it sets out to do and does it so well. But the latter song is obviously the greatest in this entire soundtrack and famous for being one of the best Broadway songs of all time for a reason. It’s a great ode to self-love and determination while also being just gorgeously sung and featuring a very memorable and pleasing refrain. Superbly written and performed, this song also was accompanied by some intense action scenes and finally an unforgettable Elphaba moment where she soars to the sky on a broom, finally choosing her own path. It’s a perfect ending to this first part of a two-part story and it really could not have ended better than this.

Wicked has a phenomenal cast with every single person being perfectly chosen for their respective roles. Much has been said about Ariana Grande and I have to concur that she surprised us all as this unexpectedly competent performer of not just songs, but also lines of dialogue and humor. This marks one of the best breakthrough roles for a singer turned actor. Glinda is actually a hilarious character as this seemingly ditzy and very conceited blonde who just wants to be popular. You can find the subtext of virtue signaling employed through this character and I thought it was ingenious and quite contemporary.

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The story is about a lot of things, exploring the fight for justice and equality, whether we are born good or bad or if we are made to become that, and of course it’s about discrimination, privilege and the importance of belonging but also finding your own identity. But I would also say that the main difference between these two lies in their place in society and how one wants to belong and be popular at all costs while the other is content to forge her own path no matter the consequences. The corrupt system going against her only further made the delineation between right and wrong complex in this story that is very much about what it means to go against the system and how it will inevitably affect your life.

Cynthia Erivo did a wonderful job as Elphaba. She is the soul of the movie and her performance is very touching, especially in her emotive eyes. She also sang the hell out of her numbers, proving how talented of a singer she is. The thorny friendship between the two is phenomenally established and quite moving. It further reminds us what a rip-off Disney’s ‘Frozen’ was in its central theme and relationship.

Jonathan Bailey was the highlight of the supporting cast. He’s a great dancer and a naturally charismatic and suave performer. Bowen Yang got a very small role, but was funny at times. Peter Dinklage voiced the goat professor and that animal subplot was heartbreaking, especially in the origin story of the flying monkeys. Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh were both very believable and so well cast in their respective roles, but their lines toward the end were too unsubtle in their villainy. That entire turn felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped.

Yes, Wicked is quite a long movie at almost three hours of runtime, but it doesn’t feel like it at all, quite the opposite. It’s one of the most purely entertaining movies of the year that actually had a rushed conclusion of all things. Some of the dialogue is unsubtle and some characters are painted in overly broad strokes, but most of them are well developed and the humorous touches were lovely. Glinda is a genuinely funny character and most of her scenes in the first half were genuinely hilarious. The film’s tone that turns from childlike and amusing to moving and dark was quite well defined.

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Technically, this is a marvel. Yes, the CGI isn’t the greatest at times, but I still loved most of the animal designs and how some of the backgrounds looked polished and cinematic, but still retaining their stage origins in feel and aesthetics. The cinematography is pretty good, the directing from Chu is also surprisingly competent and the movie soars in the areas of production design (incredible sets) and costumes (pink and green colors abound). It’s very beautiful to look at, cozy and oh so charming.