This movie was going to be nearly impossible for me not to love. I love the musical and the music so much, it is in my bones at this point. So any experience where I get to be in that world and listen to the songs is time well spent. I’ve been waiting years for this movie. I bought my tickets for *the day before opening day* months in advance. However, with any adaptation of a beloved property, there are, of course, some nerves. Will it live up to the mountainous expectations?

In short, yes. It’s hard to put into words how much I loved this movie. Every song gave me full body chills. A select few brought me to tears. In the 20 minutes just leading up to “Defying Gravity”, my heart started beating out of my chest just with the anticipation of the religious experience that is that song. When the movie ended, my friends and I all sat there, shell shocked and overwhelmed by what we had just seen, unable to move. I laughed, I cried, I was shaking and sweating and felt like I just got a shot of adrenaline straight to the bloodstream. There has not been a moment that has passed since my initial viewing where I haven’t had one of the songs stuck in my head (having the soundtrack on repeat hasn’t helped this cause). Am I being dramatic? Yes, of course. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. And what better place to be dramatic than in reference to musical theater? 

In my little bubble of a world (unintentional Glinda reference), everyone knows and loves Wicked. But if you are somehow not familiar with the story… in 1995, Gregory Maguire wrote a book called “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”. The book was based on the 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum and its 1939 film adaptation starring Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz. With me so far? In 2003, Maguire’s book was loosely adapted into a stage musical known as “Wicked”. The Broadway production, which originally starred Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and won multiple Tony Awards, takes place before, during, and after the events of The Wizard of Oz and charts the unlikely friendship of the green-skinned Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West) and the perky, pink-loving Galinda (eventually dubbed Glinda the Good). While it wasn’t the first to do it, Maguire’s book popularized the idea of centering a well-known villain in a story and humanizing them by exploring their backstory. “How does wickedness happen? Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” This trend has since taken off and occupies much of our film and television stories today (just look at some of my most recent reviews). The show also introduced such classics as “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” and “For Good” into popular culture (and for that we are forever grateful). Now, 21 years later, the smash hit musical finally hits the big screen.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth left enormous shoes (ruby red slippers… sorry, the references are just right there!) to fill with their portrayals of the lead roles of Elphaba and Galinda, respectively. They were the blueprint, the originals, the people we pictured in our heads when thinking of the characters and the voices we’ve been listening to on the soundtrack for 20 years. But if anyone was up to the task of trying to match that, it was Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. If you’re a Broadway fan, you are probably more familiar with Cynthia than others, but one thing is abundantly clear. Her voice speaks for itself. It’s what sends chills up and down your entire body and brings you to tears. I’m being so serious when I say I have chills right now just thinking about it. Much of the singing in the film was done live on set, so imagining Cynthia singing “Defying Gravity” while flying through the air on a harness is truly unbelievable. Aside from her incredible voice, Cynthia brings the perfect amount of tough exterior and broken interior to Elphaba. Her eyes are filled with so much emotion, constantly giving away her true feelings despite what her words say to hide them. The counterweight to Cynthia’s Elphaba is Ariana Grande’s Galinda. The story is really a two-hander but, to me, Ariana walked away with it. Her performance absolutely blew me away. We already knew she was astonishingly talented vocally. I never doubted her ability to sing these songs. But she was firing on all cylinders in this film. Her vocals were better than ever, her comic timing was one of the best parts of the film, and her ability to toggle between funny, callous moments and genuine, heartfelt ones is the core of what this movie is about. That there is always more to a person than what we see on the surface. In the Galinda-showcase song, “Popular”, Ariana just sets the screen on fire. It can be easy to forget that before she was a pop star, she was an actress. But we will never forget again. I thought she jumped off the screen more than anyone in the film, she was born to play this role, and I am officially onboard the Ariana Oscar train. These two managed the seemingly impossible challenge of paying homage to the original performances while still making the characters their own with unique and individual takes. They are not doing cheap imitations of Idina and Kristin. They are embodying Elphaba and Galinda. They ARE Elphaba and Galinda.

It’s not just the two leads who are giving their all in this movie. Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero exudes more charisma than should be legally allowed for one human. His leading number, “Dancing Through Life”, is a sweeping, spirited spectacle that is just so much fun to watch. SNL’s Bowen Yang plays Pfannee, a Galinda disciple at Shiz University. As a long time Las Culturistas fan (Bowen’s podcast with pal Matt Rogers), I felt like a proud mother hearing the crowd respond so positively to Bowen. He’s so funny and I know he improvised many of his best lines. But the casting pièce de résistance comes during “One Short Day”. [Warning: spoiler to follow!!!] This song is extended to include a more comprehensive history of Oz and how the Wizard came to be. And who did they get to sing it? None other than Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth themselves, appearing as two members of an Emerald City theater troupe playing Oz’s Wise Ones. My theater erupted in shock when they appeared. Most people I have spoken to had no idea they were in the movie and I cannot believe that secret was successfully kept. It was a really beautiful moment to have them in this film that owes so much to their original performances and also give them a moment to pass the torch of these characters to Cynthia and Ariana. Also, Idina singing her famous “Defying Gravity” riff was pure gold.

Because Wicked is such a huge cultural touchpoint, it’s to be expected that people have a lot of opinions. I think the performances are mostly agreed upon as impressive, but it’s the look and feel of the movie that is giving some viewers pause. The color palette has been a topic of conversation since the first shots of the film were released. Fans were worried about how pale it all looked. While the color definitely looks much better in the actual film than it did in the photos and trailers, it still could have used a touch more Technicolor. The vibrancy of Oz that made the inspiration, The Wizard of Oz, so visually innovative. Much of the film just feels unnecessarily overexposed. On that note, Galinda needed a lot more blush. And by a lot more I mean literally any at all. Hello, pink is her signature color! People were also unhappy about the extensive use of CGI. Anecdotally, I think this is something that bothers professional critics and film Twitter more than the average person but, still, I understand where they’re coming from. You want the world to feel real and not like an animated, cartoonish mess. The CGI in Wicked mostly didn’t bother me, though. I know they did build a lot of real sets and I thought the set designs and costumes were stunning and felt lived-in. They actually planted 9 million tulips just for the movie. That’s insane and I really respect the effort.

Fans will always get their backs up when anything from the original (read: sacred) text is changed in any way. Usually it’s when things are cut. Splitting this story into 2 parts was meant to avoid that issue. So instead of cuts, we get expansion. Most of these extended moments contribute to deeper character development than a stage production is capable of. But one specific part has not been so well received. At the very, very end of the film, the last stanza of “Defying Gravity” is broken up by the addition of a reprise of a few lines of the “Unlimited” section of the song. Instead of the original, “Tell them how I am defying gravity / I’m flying high, defying gravity / And soon, I’ll match them in renown / And nobody in all of Oz / No wizard that there is or was / Is ever gonna bring me down,” the new version goes, “Tell them how I am defying gravity / I’m flying high, defying gravity / And soon I’ll match them in renown / Unlimited / Unlimited / Unlimited / And nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was / Is ever gonna bring me down.” I’ll be honest, on my first watch, I was so caught up in the emotion of it all that I don’t think I even noticed the change. But in listening to the soundtrack, I’ve started to agree with the critics. The added lyrics interrupt the momentum of that major moment. The point of that song is the build, and pulling back at the very end works against that. Another addition I didn’t like was when The Wizard talks to Elphaba and Glinda about choosing the color for the brick road that will connect all of Oz. They go through many color options before landing on yellow. I like a reference when it’s subtler. Like Galinda picking up ruby slippers during “Popular” and clicking them together three times. Or Elphaba riding a bike with the lion cub in a basket on the back. But the Yellow Brick Road scene just felt overly winking and unnecessary to me.

Loving The Wizard of Oz and loving the musical “Wicked” as much as I do, I was already predisposed to like this movie. As were most of my friends and family. But I was curious to see how critics and general audiences, including people who never saw the show, would react to the film. Obviously, I have not been able to talk to many of these people and ask them (“I can’t hear your guesses because this is a letter”), but, from the reviews and record-breaking box office numbers, the reaction seems to be overwhelmingly positive. The film is just really well done. It’s funny but with a lot of heart. No one in my theater sang (thankfully), but everyone did clap and cheer after each song like we were seeing the show live on Broadway. And, honestly, the performances were so good you felt compelled to start clapping. It was a natural instinct. This camaraderie created by the experience of seeing this story is a big reason why it has been so loved and successful and why it could land the film an Oscar win. Big blockbusters like this are not usually the films that Oscar voters choose to reward, but, following the election, we’re living in precarious times. Early Oscar predictions barely included Wicked on their lists, but post-election it has shot up to a potential winner. Oscar voters often gravitate toward films that offer hope and optimism during times of societal or political turbulence. Wicked presents a universal message of friendship, resilience, and defiance of the odds, themes that could strike a chord with audiences amid today’s climate of polarization. A feel-good message for uncertain times. Do I personally think it’s the best movie of the year? …no? It’s definitely one of my favorites but I don’t necessarily think it’s the most well-made. I would love to see it get nominated as well as the actors because I do think it deserves to be recognized (and I also want a performance at the awards ceremony… what song do you think they’d sing?) but I’m not sure it deserves to win (Ariana does though). 

Wicked: Part 2, which will cover the events of Act 2 from the original musical, will open on November 21, 2025, almost exactly a year after Part 1. I was initially worried about splitting the story into 2 halves but Part 1, at least, is satisfying enough to stand alone. I mean, walking out of the theater after “Defying Gravity” will have you ready to run through a brick wall (yellow brick? Someone stop me). Universal Studios, if you are listening, I am asking you to have double feature screenings of Part 1 and Part 2 in theaters with an intermission when the second half comes out next year. Because I will be there. And I know for a fact I’m not alone. Anything to spend as much time as humanly possible in this magical (in every sense of the word) universe. Until then, catch me singing “Defying Gravity” in the shower, practicing the “What Is This Feeling?” book-ography in my living room, and at the theater for endless repeat viewings (Author’s Note: I have now seen this film 3 times in theaters). If it wasn’t clear by now, see this astoundifying movie.

2024 Count: 29 seasons/specials, 62 movies