When you think of the most… popular… Broadway musicals, Wicked is probably near the top of that list. It’s shocking that it took over 20 years for a film adaptation to make its way to the screen, but now that it has, it’s clear that it’s worth the wait. Directed by Jon M. Chu (In the Heights), Wicked is a wonderful movie musical offering an amazing blend of old-school glitz and glamor with modern technique and technology.
Wicked Review
Wicked adapts the first half of the beloved show, a clever inversion of The Wizard of Oz. It follows Elphaba (who will come to be known as the “Wicked Witch of the West”) and Glinda (“the Good Witch”) as they become unlikely friends and allies at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, sending them on a larger than life adventure.
At 2 hours and 40 minutes, Wicked — which only tells the first half of the story — is longer than the entirety of the stage show. This caused many to fret, wondering if the movie would feel bloated, but this couldn’t be further from the case. Wicked is such an immersive, engaging film that viewers will be swept away, and the runtime flies by.
It is worth noting that, unlike many musical adaptations, Wicked does not add any new musical numbers beyond the soundtrack of the stage show. However, when you have music and lyrics as strong as those of Stephen Schwartz, it’s understandable that a filmmaker wouldn’t want to mess with that magic. And this first half contains several of the show’s signature songs, including “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.”
Jon M. Chu’s film delivers these musical numbers with a level of creativity and energy that many movie musicals have tried and failed to capture in the past. The “Dancing Through Life” sequence is one of the most impressively acrobatic musical numbers that has ever been committed to film, with staging that will leave audiences in awe of how it was pulled off from a performance and production standpoint.
The adaptation uses the extra runtime to add more development to the themes, world, and characters of Shiz and Oz. In something exceedingly rare in musicals, the dialogue-driven portions of the movie are just as compelling as the musical ones, and this is because of how much the film manages to get viewers invested in these characters and their journeys.
One of the other sources of hesitance towards Wicked was its visual effects, which were lambasted online when the trailer was released, but the final product looks pretty incredible. The CGI work by Industrial Light & Magic does wonders to immerse viewers in the larger-than-life world of Oz. Combined with production design, costume design, hair and make-up, and cinematography that are all top-form, Wicked is one of the most impressive technical feats of the year.
In the lead role, Cynthia Erivo delivers a phenomenally nuanced turn. This character is all about subverting expectations, and Erivo really leans into this aspect of the role. There is no doubt about the musicality of the Tony Award winner’s performance, but what allows Erivo to stun is the emotional depth she brings to the character, balancing strength and sadness beautifully.
As Erivo’s foil, Ariana Grande is genuinely perfect as Glinda the Good Witch. In many ways, the ditsy public persona that Grande presents to the world is staggeringly similar to Glinda’s. It’s a performance that feels so effortless and natural that it’s like she was born to play this role. Considering her background as a pop singer, it should come as no surprise that Grande more than has the pipes it takes to pull off the role.
Apart from its two leads, Wicked has a massive ensemble, the members of which each gets moments to shine. Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum each have one musical number in which they impress; Michelle Yeoh is very strong in her mostly non-musical role; and Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater both show potential to be solid performances should their roles be expanded in the second film.
Is Wicked Worth Watching?
With every aspect at top form, from its music to its visuals and cast, Wicked is one of the best movie musicals in recent memory. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the show or experiencing it for the first time through this movie, Wicked will surely be absolutely joyous.
Wicked hits theaters on November 22.
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