Wicked Defied the Gravity of My Low Expectations

This Film IS for:

• Fans of the original musical
• Anyone looking to journey back to the wonderful Land of Oz

This Film Is NOT for:

• People who don’t want 90% of their plot through song and interpretive dance
• Those who are frightened that powerful women might ruin their fragile image of masculinity

Brief Review With Minor Spoilers

Ah yes, I’m finally getting around to the film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical Wicked. I didn’t end up seeing Wicked last month as I had just watched the traveling Broadway show a few weeks before it hit theaters and frankly, I was left disappointed. Watching the traveling show, I felt that the story was nonsense—even by musical standards—the songs were just alright, and the environment (children kicking my seat, rampant phone usage, and an older man with plague behind me) wasn’t conducive to a positive experience. Thankfully, I had the exact opposite reaction to the film. While still nonsense, Wicked takes the Broadway show and improves on it in enough ways to stand on its own.

No shade to the actors in the traveling company for Wicked, they were great, but no one even comes close to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, especially the latter. Every once in a while, it’s clear someone was born to play a role, and that’s Grande as Glinda the Good Witch. She steals every scene she’s in, her vocals are pitch-perfect, and every mannerism feels calculated to be the perfect brand of well-wishing, self-centered, blonde that is Glinda. Watching her was an absolute delight.  Likewise, Erivo brings dimensionality to the character Elphaba which I found lacking in the traveling performance.

I hate to admit this, but Wicked is a rare case where splitting the film in two was the right choice. The Broadway show runs around two and a half hours, and if we assume both movies will be the same length, they will be about double that runtime. This allows for smaller beats between songs and an extra layer of motivation for the characters. The plot is still by no means Shakespeare and can often feel like fan fiction, but it does feel more believable. Simple changes like (minor spoiler) Elphaba not being enrolled at Shiz University and only being admitted after a display of magic (end spoiler) add consistency.

Another benefit to the film is that the dialogue is crystal clear, and the songs are at their absolute best. Broadway shows can often suffer from sound inconsistency, in my experience, and the film had the benefit of each song being the best take. I had the songs stuck in my head for the next several days, and I’m still wondering how Erivo and Grande can do the things that they do with their voices. Seriously, the movie is about magic, but one of those actresses had to make a dark bargain for a voice like that.

When Wicked used practical sets, the world felt immersive and alive. Thankfully, that’s a good portion of the movie, but the CGI-heavy scenes felt bland. The Wizard of Oz’s nightmare-inducing flying monkeys might not have been perfect, but they were better than the digital crap we ended up with for this film. Disney seems to think they have cracked the code with their animated animals (there are two ‘live-action’ Lion King movies now), but I still find them lacking. Luckily, impressive set design and beautiful costumes with intricate details make up for any faux pas committed by the animation department.

I don’t think Wicked will convert anyone who isn’t a musical fan, but it will delight those open to the genre. The songs are catchy as hell, the characters are ridiculous in all the right ways, and the world of Oz is lovingly recreated. At two hours and forty minutes, the film is long, but I can honestly say I was never bored. Those with kids might need to take a cue from the original and throw in an intermission. Wicked Part 2 is dropping in November 2025, and I can’t wait.

4.5/5 – Everyone deserves the chance to fly, but not those monkeys, that just felt mean

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End-of-summer camping is supposed to be a peaceful experience. Jen just wants her parents to stop fighting long enough to roast s’mores, Donna is scheming to overcharge rubes for fireside tarot readings, and Jerry is looking to finish a few cheap beers in peace. But at Lake Lobo, not everything is as it seems. Beneath the dark waters, evil is rising—and if the campers want to make it out alive, they’ll have to fight for their lives.