Wicked Review
When I was around ten or so, I went to see a movie, and one of the previews attached to it was a trailer for a musical called Wicked. Based on a 1995 book that told the life story of The Wizard of Oz‘s famed Wicked Witch of the West, it left quite an impression on me. Like many people, I had seen The Wizard of Oz as a kid, and was (probably) terrified by the Witch. The idea of a story telling us how she came to be the way she was felt like such a novel concept to me! I wanted to see it for years, but since I never got the chance, hearing it was being made into a movie was like a dream come true. And while it only covers the musical’s first half, I can wholeheartedly say that Wicked is a wickedly beautiful film!
And yes, it’s also an allegory about the dangers of despotic regimes and oppression and standing up for what’s right, but let’s focus on the story first.
An Unlikely Friendship Changes a Land+
First things first: going back to the original 1900 book, The Wizard of Oz has been a franchise filled with metaphors and allegories. The original book was an allegory for issues America faced at the turn of the century. The 1939 can be seen as a form of escapism in a time when America dealt with the Depression while the rest of the world was gearing up for war. The 1995 book that spawned the Wicked musical warned against oppressive, fascist governments. The deeper meaning’s always been there. But at its core, Wicked is a story about an unlikely friendship that changes two young women and the world around them. And I’m happy to say that Cynthia Eviro and Ariana Grande did a fantastic job of bringing that friendship to the big screen.
I’ve never heard of Cynthia Eviro before Wicked, but based on her performance as Elphaba, she has a good grasp on the character. As Elphaba undergoes her transformation from a girl who’s insecure about who she is to the powerful Witch and rebel she’s meant to be, Cynthia does an excellent job making the whole thing believable. If you look at her face as she dances by herself at the Ozdust Ballroom, you can see how she’s barely holding it together as everyone mocks her. And when Galinda steps up to dance with her, I could vividly see the tears falling down her face. That’s some great acting right there!
Speaking of Galinda (later Glinda), I was a little skeptical of Ariana Grande at first, but then I remembered her resume. While she’s famous for being a pop star these days, Ariana got her start as an actress on shows like Nickelodeon’s Victorious and Sam & Cat. I could be reaching, but it feels like she channeled a lot of Cat’s bubbly, airheaded nature into playing Glinda. Even when she starts Wicked playing this self-absorbed girl, she does it without being too overtly mean, just too much of a people-pleaser. She does change for the better after befriending Elphaba, but she never fully shakes that need to make everyone like her, leading her to (very reluctantly) decline the former’s offer to rebel against the Wizard during the “Defying Gravity” number. It’s sad, but a believable choice since recognizing one’s negative traits doesn’t mean you lose them overnight.
Speaking of “Defying Gravity”…
They Made the Right Choice to Make This Extra Long
One of the most surprising aspects of Wicked might be it’s length. The film is a hefty 2 hours, 40 minutes long, just five minutes short of the musical it’s adapting. And Wicked only covers the first half of the story; the second half will come out in November 2025! Some might say that they’re stretching things out further than they have to, but once you see the film, you’ll (hopefully) understand that this was a good choice.
Wicked is one of the most famous Broadway productions of all time, which means people had high expectations for a film adaptation. Director Jon M. Chu knew that, and that if he was going to do this, he couldn’t do it half-baked. As he explained on Twitter in 2022, they didn’t want to compromise anything. So, they decided to split it into two films.
My opinion: they made the right choice. By stretching the story into two films, Wicked is able to tell the story the way fans have imagined it for years, and it shows! Like I said at the start, I’ve never seen the musical before, but I can tell that the extra resources of being a film did well for Wicked. The set pieces are gorgeous, the dance’s are as grand as they need to be. And, of course, we have the legendary “Defying Gravity,” which goes above and beyond to make it as exhilarating as we could hope to imagine. I was practically breathless as I saw that famous moment play out on the big screen! You get so caught up in the story that you almost forget that this is the origin story of a vilified rebel!
Everyone Cooked for Wicked
Yes, Wicked is an allegory about doing what’s right even if everyone hates you for it, and why dictatorial regime’s are bad. The musical wasn’t subtle about that, and analogues of the plight of the Talking Animals (which is genuinely disturbing) to history aren’t lost on me. But that’s not what makes Wicked so great. What makes it great is the characters at the heart of its story. Not just Elphaba and Glinda, but the supporting cast does a fantastic job. Jonathan Bailey is a perfect choice for royal heartthrob Fiyero. Peter Dinklage gives Dr. Dillamond a tragic sense of dignity, and it’s nice hearing his voice, as always. And having Jeff Goldblum play the Wizard with his trademark awkwardness only makes the reveal about his true nature all the more unsettling.
To sum everything up: Wicked cooked; the people behind it cooked. And if you’re doing anything this holiday season, go see it on the big screen where it belongs. And while you’re at it, go see Gladiator II! Make this a sequel to Barbenheimer!
