Popular Indeed: A Wicked Movie Review

Lights, camera, ACTION! The camera begins to run and pans down onto a winding Yellow Brick Road, poppies blowing in the breeze. A young girl skips down it with companions on either side, gazing at a magnificent emerald city in the distance. Monkeys fly through the sky, and one can hear the ringing of bells and cheering of people. A young child runs through the tall grasses, announcing at the top of its lungs that ‘Good news! She’s dead!’ Voices begin to harmonize, and the chords of a well-tuned orchestra enter, starting the opening number of Wicked, the untold true story of the Witches of Oz, “No one mourns the Wicked.”

Wicked, Universal Pictures.

I have been obsessed with Wicked ever since I was five years old. The colors, characters, and, most importantly, songs, have lived in my head for over ten years. I remember clearly asking my mom when there would be a movie version of Wicked that I could see. Finally, in 2024, this happened. Wicked released in theaters on November 22, 2024, and has been a smash hit ever since. Starring talents such as Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey, the movie is a film representation of the Broadway show, which, in turn, was based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. The movie has a running time of a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes, but every second is worth it. It encompasses the first act of the Broadway production, with the second part set to come out next year. 

When I first walked into the theater, everyone was buzzing. Even though I had to wait a few weeks before seeing it (everything was sold out), the theater was still packed for the show. Immediately, you’re sucked into the magical world of Oz, with the bright colors, costumes, and musical numbers feeling out of this world. It stays true to the story of two witches, G(a)linda and 

Elphaba, who will eventually go on to become the ‘Wicked’ Witch of the West and the ‘Good’ Witch of the North, featured in the movie and book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I know, there’s a lot of adaptations of this story.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) was born with an anomaly, green skin, and is therefore ostracized by the rest of the world because of it. Wicked details her years at Shiz, the Ozian university, as well as that of Galinda (Ariana Grande). Due to a mishap, the two end up being roommates, and let's just say that they are…less than happy about that. Singing and dancing occur, and, eventually, the two become close friends. However, throughout Oz, animals are being subjugated and losing their ability to speak. Elphaba is connected to the animals, as they are both ostracized for traits that they cannot control. This all comes to a climax when Elphaba and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) save a young lion cub from being caged for life leading up to her departure for the Emerald City. Elphaba is a magical prodigy, and, due to that, is taken to see the Wizard (Jeff Golblum) by the headmistress of Shiz, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). I don’t want to spoil anything, but this doesn’t go as planned…

Galinda (Ariana Grande) -- Image via Universal.

As well as being a fun musical and a touching story about two young women, Wicked is a not so subtle metaphor about corrupt governments using scapegoats and the effects of racial discrimination, shown in a way that everyone can understand. Elphaba is bullied due to the color of her skin, and the animals are, despite being full citizens of Oz, treated as ‘the enemy’. These important discussions are extremely relevant today, and it is lovely to see how conversations about heavy issues can be shown in one of the most popular –pun intended– musicals today. 

The casting is amazing, with all of the actors really embodying their roles. In fact, there’s a cameo from two stars from the Broadway production, so keep a look out for them! The dancing is mesmerizing, the costumes are gorgeous, and it is altogether an amazing experience to watch. I laughed, cried, and will absolutely be going back to see it again. 

Wicked was released by Universal Pictures and has been available in theatres since November 22 2024. It is rated PG and runs for 160 minutes.