After a little over two decades, the Broadway musical “Wicked” has finally gotten its long overdue adaptation on the silver screen.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: Part One,” which releases Nov. 22, tells the story of unlikely friends Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, The Good Witch of the North, and what all happened before Dorothy’s story in “The Wizard of Oz.”
I have been waiting for this movie adaptation for 11 years after discovering the musical when I was 8 years old. “Wicked” has been my favorite musical for as long as I can remember and I have been stoked about the film ever since Chu was announced as the director and, of course, when Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) were cast.
From the moment the movie started, I was in tears. The opening melody of “No One Mourns The Wicked” gets me everytime, but the cinematography was unadulterated. When we first see Grande as Glinda, we know right away she has put her soul into this character, and this is only the first 10 minutes of the film.
As we go back in time to Elphaba and Glinda’s year at Shiz University, we start to get a sense as to why this movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long. When Chu announced the film would be split into two parts, he said it was because they were bringing in elements of the original 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire and that is obvious right away.
Grande has made Glinda her own, while also honoring the countless women who have played Glinda, especially Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda on Broadway. Glinda has always been your typical cliche entitled popular blonde in the first half of the musical, but Grande took the character to a whole other level.
The movie version of Glinda is almost a startling reflection of how Glinda is in the original novel –entitled blonde and cruel, even though she should know better – which I absolutely loved as I am a huge fan of the book. While she may have her entitled, mean girl moments, Glinda is still as comedic as she always has been.
Then we meet Elphaba, and right away those who love the stage version can instantly recognize that Erivo has made our green girl her own. Erivo’s Elphaba still honors the stage version and Idina Menzel, but she reminds me so much more of the book version of this beloved character.
When we first meet Elphaba in the stage version, she makes a dramatic introduction as she quickly explains why her skin is green, making a spectacle of herself. She even says this herself later on in the musical and movie, “I don’t cause commotions, I am one.” When the movie Elphaba explains why her skin is green, it is much more calm but also speaks her mind, just like her book counterpart.
Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Ethan Slater (Boq), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard of Oz) and Marissa Bode (Nessarose) were cast perfectly in their roles. I had absolutely no complaints.
I didn’t know until recently how much musical experience Bailey had prior to “Wicked,” but even before that, I was excited about his casting. Bailey has absolutely become my favorite Fiyero.
I have always hated The Wizard in “Wicked,” not only for how awful the character is, but I have always found him annoying. Goldblum’s acting however made me fall in love with the Wizard, and while I still hate the character, for once I can actually appreciate him.
The iconic “Defying Gravity” sequence, normally an 11-minute number on stage, was about 20 minutes, or at least it felt like it. Everything about the scene, from the way it was filmed, the effects and Erivo’s vocals, left me trembling and in tears.
“Defying Gravity” has always made me cry, but nothing could prepare me for how big my reaction was in the theater. If I could have openly sobbed, I would have. It took me until I was back in my car to stop shaking. The film’s “Defying Gravity” was, in my opinion, better than the stage version.
Hollywood has not had a movie like “Wicked” in years, and you can tell so much work went into this film. The movie adaptation is truly a love letter to the original, musical theater and Hollywood.
While many have said this could be the next “Titanic,” I don’t think nothing could ever reach “Titanic” status, but “Wicked” could absolutely be right under it. I know this will generate more love for this story, and I can’t wait for kids to grow up with this film. I knew this would take the spot as my favorite movie, and it absolutely did.
The only complaint I have is the year-long wait we have for “Wicked: Part Two” which will give the second act of the musical its time on the screen. “Wicked: Part Two” will hit theaters Nov. 21, 2025. While I wait, I can certainly say that I have been changed for good.
