Wicked movie review (2024)

Wicked is a must-see 2024 cinematic experience. This stunning and magical adaptation of the beloved Broadway hit should be a major player through the award season that should culminate in more than a few Oscar wins.

Not just because it hits all the right notes for critic groups, but because it’s such a fun, vibrant extravaganza that’s worth witnessing on the big screen.

The best musicals can bring a certain cinematic quality to the stage in spite of its limitations. But it takes a filmmaker with a clear vision on how to adapt the stage presentation to make a special film. Wicked has such a filmmaker in director Jon M. Chu (In the Heights), who’s no stranger to translating popular musicals to the big screen.

Dana Fox joins Wicked playwright Winnie Holzman and composer Stephen Schwartz in adapting Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel (available now on Amazon).

Banking on the play’s popularity and lengthy Broadway run, distributor Universal Pictures opted to make Wicked a two-part saga with this chapter featuring events from the first act. That works out nicely since the intermission makes for a natural “To Be Continued” break point.

Wicked is the tale of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, Harriet), told by her former friend, Glinda (Ariana Grande), the now revered Good Witch. The realm is euphoric over the news that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead.

Glinda is swept up in the moment, but she’s not fully thrilled with the news as she’s prompted to explain her “it’s complicated” history with the Wicked Witch.

Elphaba had a rough childhood. She was born with bright green skin, which caused no shortage of shock. Elphaba was also ostracized by her father (Andy Nyman) stemming from her being the product of an affair her mother had with a traveling salesman. For her early years she was largely raised by a bear nursemaid, which fostered her deep love for animals.

Despite her father’s clear favoritism, Elphaba was very close to little sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode).

With Nessarose set to attend Shiz University, Elphaba accompanies her and catches the eye of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Morrible catches Elphaba momentarily losing control of her magic abilities and thinks she has the potential to become a very special student. One who warrants Morrible’s personal attention. This draws the envy of Galinda — Glinda’s original name — who was jockeying to learn from the Dean of Sorcery Studies herself.

Elphaba is ecstatic at the idea of being accepted despite her skin tone. It’s the first time she’s been treated different for a good reason. Morrible sweetens the deal by suggesting Elphaba could actually meet The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), one of her heroes.

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Forced to co-exist as roommates, Galinda and Elphaba couldn’t be bigger opposites. Their passive aggressive rivalry is played out well over the course of several musical numbers.

Erivo and Grande are phenomenal singers capably matching up with the original Broadway performers Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The film has a nice moment acknowledging the impact of Menzel and Chenoweth on the play’s success.

Wicked hits another level once Elphaba and Galinda embrace their differences and become unlikely BFFs as they attempt to learn what is happening with the animals in Oz.

Erivo seems destined to be on the short list for all Best Actresses nomination lists. She’s dazzling and fully commanding in this role giving Elphaba a quiet sense of dignity and confidence that she won’t be an outcast again. Art imitated life and back again in the real world as Erivo had to deal with racists mocking her casting, which largely served to underscore Elphaba’s plight in Wicked. Given that context it makes Erivo’s performance all the more irresistible.

This lines up well with a subplot where the animal instructors at Shiz are facing discrimination over if they should have the right to teach students the full truth about the history of the university. No, that doesn’t sound relevant today at all…

The script feels surprisingly timely given some themes of being an outcast due to skin color and a class of citizens no longer being wanted in the land. Those underlined themes are there but are also not being hammered constantly to be obnoxious.

Like Erivo, Grande should at least be a lock for every Best Supporting Actress nomination. For those who missed her work in the underrated Fox series Scream Queens, Grande has amazing comedic timing with a surprising knack for making a vain character likable. Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) has a solid supporting role as Fiyero, a rogue prince skilled at thumbing his nose at authorities for the sake of a good time. And Yeoh and Goldblum are not surprisingly fantastic in their performances.

Chu does superb work with the grandiose musical numbers giving them an equal measure of spectacle and heart. Chu’s sweeping shots and savvy close ups of Erivo and Grande offer both majestic and intimate perspectives that provides the best of both the theater and film presentations.

Paul Tazewell (Hamilton, West Side Story) and Lee Sandales should certainly be in the mix for Best Costuming and Best Set Decorator awards respectively.

At 2 hours and 40 minutes, Wicked isn’t a short movie though Chu paces the film in a way that it doesn’t feel crushingly long and tedious. There is not a plethora of obvious scenes or moments that could have been shortened or cut altogether suggesting Chu didn’t just pad out the film as long as he could just because he had no restraints.

Wicked’s final act is wonderful with Erivo fully seizing the moment on one of 2024’s best scenes in one of the year’s best. Even for viewers who would describe themselves as casual musical fans, this is well worth watching.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Photo Credit: Universal

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