The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
Warning: Review contains spoilers for Wicked
2024 was quite the year for musical movies with films like Mean Girls, Joker: Folie à Deux, and Moana 2, but as a massive musical theatre fan, Wicked was one of my most highly anticipated films of the year. Wicked was originally a Broadway musical about the lead-up to the iconic film The Wizard of Oz and how all of the characters we know and love came to be. Musical to film adaptations aren’t uncommon, with Mamma Mia! and Rent being great examples, and Wicked was one of many shows to have consistent asks by fans for a film adaptation. Finally, it was announced in 2016 that the film was in the works and was originally set to release in 2019, but then kept getting delayed because filming took longer than expected as well as the pandemic shutting down movie theaters for a long time. 2024 was an amazing year for films and Wicked added to that long list of must-watches. Everything about the film makes it so addicting—from the cast chemistry to the set of the film—making it one of the best musical adaptations I’ve seen in a long time, and was definitely worth the almost decade-long wait.
In 2022, I was fortunate enough to see Wicked in Chicago. Having the on-stage theater experience to compare and contrast with the film was very interesting and made for an even cooler watching experience. When I look back on parts of the stage show, I think about how well it transformed into the film, like the massive puppet/robot The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) maneuvers becoming so much more massive and life-like. Both versions hold a special place in my heart and I could compare the set pieces and portrayals for hours, but neither version is better than the other. Wicked as a Broadway show and film has different unique features and that’s the beauty in adaptations.
What is This Feeling? Chemistry!
A common problem in the film industry is the lack of cast chemistry within projects, which can harm a film extremely. If cast members can’t get along on set, it can seep through into the film and cause some awkward chemistry on camera and ruin the film. In the case of Wicked, this was not an issue in the slightest. The cast chemistry in this film was so off the charts that while watching the film, I could see through the characters and see the actors clearly enjoying their time on set. Glinda (Ariana Grande) and her posse, Pfanne (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James) stole the show in the first act of the film—perfecting the attitude of popular kids in high school—plus their banter throughout the film was a hilarious addition. The love triangle between Glinda, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) was captured so perfectly by each actor, with Glinda being oblivious to the obvious tension between Fiyero and Elphaba as well as Elphaba’s certainty that someone as handsome and charming as Fiyero could never love her.
It’s obvious from the press tour that the actors got very close throughout the filming of the film and it goes to show that the actors were cast very meticulously. Ariana Grande has been on record for decades saying she’s always wanted to participate in the adaptation of Wicked whenever it happened and getting to see her hard work pay off was very heartwarming. This goes to show that when an actor puts their heart and soul into a character, the audiences can feel it, too. The entire main and supporting cast are what make the film so stunning. Everyone takes on their roles so perfectly and it contributes a huge part to why the film performed so well.
Dancing Through the Music
The soundtrack was easily the film's best part, which makes sense as it’s a musical adaptation. “No One Mourns the Wicked” is a strong start to the film, with Glinda hitting operatic yet powerful notes. The song switches back and forth from the end of Elphaba’s life to the beginning of her life and the song changes pace with the story. The entire supporting cast does their part as well, making the entire number a mesmerizing opening scene, and throwing you right into the deep end as the film starts. “Dancing Through Life” and “Popular” are fan favorites for a reason. They’re catchy, and the actor's performances always add unique quirks to their portrayals of the characters. In “Dancing Through Life,” Jonathan Bailey’s charm as Fiyero adds so much fluidity to his character, making it easy to understand why so many people fall for him. Ariana Grande’s dedication to the role of Glinda makes “Popular” entertaining to watch because she takes on the bubbly role of Glinda so easily. “What is This Feeling?” took social media by storm due to the choreography of the scenes, but the duet between Glinda and Elphaba is severely underrated. Their voices blend together in such a way that makes the song so addictive and it immediately caught my eyes and ears when watching the film. Sitting in the theater watching that scene, all I could think of was how perfectly the choreography and music work well together. It’s one of the best scenes in the film.
“Defying Gravity” is such an iconic song to come from this musical and Cynthia Erivo really stepped up to execute it. Parts of the song were used in promotional clips for the film so I wasn’t going in completely blind, but nothing would have prepared me for the entire song within the film. Knowing the plot of the film and the placement of the songs, it felt as if the entire film was building up for the entire sequence of “Defying Gravity” and when the time came, it truly was a show-stopping finale.
The only gripe I have with the music is the fact that some of the actors were cast for their status, not so much their singing capabilities. Michelle Yeoh is a phenomenal actress, but it’s very clear they cast her because she’s "The Michelle Yeoh," rather than for her ability to sing and perform as Madame Morrible. The beginning of “The Wizard and I” felt very dull due to Michelle Yeoh partially singing through her solo. Similarly, Jeff Goldblum was amazing as the wizard, but unfortunately the music fell flat for him as well. In “No One Mourns the Wicked,” Jeff Goldblum’s voice seems to be auto-tuned slightly and it gives this weird pitchy tone that makes it a bit hard to listen to. “A Sentimental Man” is widely disliked by Broadway fans, and his performance in the film solidifies that opinion even more. Yeoh and Goldblum’s portrayals of the characters were outstanding, but I do wish a bit more consideration would have gone into the music as it is a musical movie.
No One Mourns the Pacing
One of the reasons Wicked took so long to release was that filming took longer than expected, which then gave the director, Jon M. Chu, the idea to split the story into two separate films. Because of this decision and to make sure both acts could be their own films, some of the scenes were elongated to get a full-length runtime, which both harmed and helped the film. Some scenes in the film seem a bit awkward and poorly paced. The scene where Elphaba and Fiyero release the lion cub into the wild is my biggest complaint because there’s a good chunk of that scene that’s just spent in silence, which made it a hard watch. In other instances, this silence adds humor to the scene, like when Elphaba and Glinda start to bond and talk about their biggest secrets in their room. Glinda's long, dramatic pauses add a lot of humor to the scene and break Elphaba's heavy confession about feeling responsible for her sister's disability with lightheartedness and raw emotions from both actors in the scene. It feels as though some scenes were stretched just by adding unnecessary pauses in dialogue, which could have easily been removed as the two-and-a-half-hour runtime is a bit bulky. Besides the awkward pauses, the film follows the first act of the Broadway show pretty faithfully and sets up the second part of the film very nicely for its release in late 2025.
One Short Film
It comes as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Wicked, as I’ve loved the musical for years, but my expectations were blown out of the water with this film. The story stays very faithful to the source material and the slight changes that they did make—for example, the extended ending of “Popular” and Pfanne being played by a man—felt like a collective agreement from the filmmakers that benefited the film instead of trying to make its own voice for the story. The cameos from Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth, the original actors for the Broadway show, came as a huge surprise and made me incredibly happy that something as big as those cameos was able to be kept a secret. This made my theater experience exponentially more exciting. The second part Wicked: For Good is set to release in November 2025, wrapping up the story with the second act of the show. If the first film is anything to go off of, it will be just as successful.
Graphic created by Willow Emig with image provided by Wicked's promotional material.
Sources: IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, WickedTheMusical, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, TikTok, Spotify, IMDb, Spotify, Spotify, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb
Photos: Wicked, Wicked, Wicked
Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or @s.jasionowski on Instagram.
