On November 22, the movie Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the main characters Elphaba and Glinda, hit the box office. It has taken over theaters, enjoyed by both lovers of the musical and new watchers alike who are invested in the vocals, storyline and choreography.
Wicked is a fantastical adaptation of the musical “Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz,” a tale of the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba describes how the world of Oz known in “The Wizard of Oz” came to be. It uses its movie format to put maximum effort into the costumes, effects and dance. The production was one of experimental freedom; a movie with such extreme changes in set, costumes and special effects — not to mention the editing — transports the audience into the World of Oz, surpassing the limits of imagination like no other.
The movie has a near three-hour run time, surpassing even the original musical. While it is no longer such a shock that a movie could be three hours long, this is only the first part of Wicked, with the second coming out in November of 2025.
People naturally went into the movie worrying that the story would drag because of the run time, but Cynthia Francis (II) was too encapsulated by the plot to notice: “It was a three-hour movie so I was really expecting to get bored, but it didn’t even feel like three hours!”
The plot is not the only aspect engaging to the viewer, as the amazing vocals also keep them on the edge of their seat. The harmonies match beautifully, and Erivo’s and Grande’s talents are on full display during “Defying Gravity,” a song which left many speechless, and, as Matilda Sherman (II) confesses, “with chills.”
Sherman, who also saw the musical, notices the remarkable combination of the two mediums. He explains that they did “a really good job of bringing the magic of the stage show to the screen,” something that Sherman claims is “really hard to do well.”
The actors themselves took freedom in their performances and singing. In the song “Popular,” Hanna Flynn (II) notes, “Ariana added a few parts that weren’t part of the original recording of the stage musical, which I really liked.”
While the vocals were spectacular, the romance plot, while entertaining, seemed to have flaws. A love triangle wove its way into the story between the best friends, Elphaba and Glinda, and Prince Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey, surprising many viewers. In a movie that centers around Elphaba and her development into becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, some find the love triangle to be an unnecessary addition.
Sharing those sentiments, Conor Carlson-O’Fallon (II) states, “The awkward love triangle that they made between the characters made very little sense and contributed very little to the plot.” Francis also voiced that it felt strange to watch the romance form: “I wasn’t expecting her love interest to be her best friend’s boyfriend.” This situation made things awkward at times.
The movie turned out to be a stunning adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical with fantastic sets and costumes that throw the viewer into the encapsulating world of Oz. Even if the romance may be a little unappealing for some viewers, Wicked is undeniably an incredible movie that showcases very talented actors of many different skills, both behind and in front of the camera.