★★★★★
Wicked is pure cinematic magic! A masterpiece of classic Hollywood musical filmmaking! Wicked left me speechless! I’m floored, I knew I was going to love it going in… but I didn’t expect to adore it this much! Like… woah… it was incredible! I need to see it again right away, this is easily one of my favourites of the year, if not of all time! (I love my musicals so much!) Truthfully, I don’t quite know how to find the right words to describe how much I adored this film. It swept me off my feet. Wicked is my movie of the year. The high that you feel after watching it is unexplainable. I’m just so in love with this movie and had the time of my life! It was the shortest 2 hours and 40 minutes of my life (could have even gone on longer). I was spellbound. It is made with pure and unadulterated love for these characters and this world. Infectious and energetic, Wicked blew me away. I thought I’d like it, but did not expect to be so emotional and struck by its weight. All my minor issues with the film fall away in the face of just how emotionally epic the whole thing is. There's so much to love about Wicked but the last 14 minutes during “Defying Gravity” go so fucking hard - I was shaking and enthralled; stunned and breathless. A film that sends you out the door feeling like you’re soaring is exactly what I needed right now!
Wicked was the most breathtaking, awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, and utterly unforgettable movie I’ve ever seen. That’s it in a nutshell. To me, it was perfection — exactly what I wanted. Wicked is everything I hoped for and then some. It’s the ideal adaptation — one that is oozing with love and reverence for the musical but also seizes opportunities to enhance it via the new medium. Every ounce of this movie is dazzling — buzzing with energy and brimming with next-level craftsmanship. There’s so much to love here, but it’s a movie that does feel like it hinges on its lead duo, and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are just absolute perfection as Elphaba and Glinda. They are the Elphaba and Glinda everyone already knows and loves from Broadway, but also versions of the characters that feel unique to Erivo and Grande. Erivo delivers such soulful work with a beautiful intensity, and Grande’s spot-on comedic timing and tone, and all-around effervescence. Their chemistry together is also off the charts. Easily one of my favourite big-screen pairings of 2024. And BOTH deserve Oscar recognition. I’ve never been a fan of either, frankly, I haven’t seen or heard enough of their work to be one. I was doubtful when I heard about their casting. But after seeing Wicked, I am eating my words – they are perfect in these roles. And don’t even get me started on Jonathan Bailey, who radiates pure charm and confidence as Fiyero, making him absolutely swoon-worthy for all.
After more than 20 years, Jon M. Chu has finally given Wicked the feature-length adaptation it deserves, or at least the first half of it. A dazzling green and pink explosion of euphoric energy and grandeur, Chu brings Oz, Shiz, and their inhabitants to life in spectacular fashion, with wondrous designs and impressively assembled musical numbers that will have audiences cheering multiple times. (I know I was resisting cheering after each like at a Broadway performance!) What Jon M. Chu has done for Wicked is what Peter Jackson did for The Lord of the Rings.
Jon M. Chu’s direction deserves all the praise in the world. Every single detail feels intentional and lovingly crafted to honour the heart of the story while elevating it to new heights, from the dazzling costumes to the exciting choreography and the mind-blowing sets (Nathan Crowley and his team went insane with the extensive practical sets and creative art design). It is abundantly clear that Jon M. Chu and the incredibly talented artists poured so much passion and creativity into this first part of the adaptation. The grand spectacle is such a delight to behold while giving room for the emotional power of the story to shine. Under Jon Chu’s visionary direction, each scene feels like it’s defying gravity, lifting the story’s emotional depth and visual splendour to breathtaking new heights. The production design is a marvel, setting a new standard in cinematic beauty and immersion. It’s vibrant, mesmerizing, an experience you won’t forget—leaving you craving every second and wanting more.
The musical numbers are beautifully performed across the board, perfectly complimented by staggering costumes, production design, cinematography, and choreography. It is a shame that the lighting and visual effects are not as consistently up to par, but the energy in these scenes is palpable. This is what happens when you have people who know how to make musicals!
I think as a a society we really need to spend some time this weekend reveling in the existence of Jon M. Chu. We now have a top-tier, A-list filmmaker who seems primarily interested in making big, splashy joyful musicals and large-scale rom-coms. That is huge in a way I haven't seen enough people talking about. His last 3 films (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and now Wicked), have all well exceeded expectations. After this, I can’t wait to see what he does next!
Having never seen Wicked on stage, I knew the music but not much else. Finally getting to experience the story in this grand fashion was a wondrous experience and I truly was enthralled for the entire runtime. From the music, to the narrative beats, to the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, I just couldn’t get enough. The runtime never once bothered me, in fact, I was surprised that 2.5 hours had passed when it ended, I didn’t feel it once (pacing is remarkable). I was worried about splitting this into two films when it was announced, but having now seen Part One, I fully understand and love that this choice was made; it is absolutely needed to tell the depth of the story that Chu is telling. I was also really surprised with how funny the movie was!
I also cannot overstate how perfect the timing is for this movie to come out. It is a message we all need. What happens when we let fear of those who are different dictate our beliefs in a fraudulent man hungry for power. Also emphasizing the silence and complicity of those like Glinda in a system built for them compared to someone like Elphaba villainized for being the other who doesn’t conform.
This adaptation of Wicked will go down in history alongside some of the all time great musical adaptations such as The Sound of Music, Chicago, West Side Story, Mamma Mia, In the Heights, and more! As a fan of musicals, I gotta say I love finally having a musical that general audiences are loving and rallying behind - I’ve seen so many lately (that I loved) like Spielberg’s West Side Story, In the Heights, and Tick Tick Boom that were so good but never got as much love as they deserved. When we talk about classic films in 40 years, Wicked will be on the list. A loving tribute to Old Hollywood and the 1939 film (with some fun easter eggs hidden throughout the film).
Wicked is a cinematic spectacle. I was spellbound and I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it. I can’t wait to see it again and again! Wicked truly lives up to the hype and then some! Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey deliver electrifying performances that pull you deep into their magical world, filled with charm, intensity, and unforgettable moments. The wizardry and love of Jon M. Chu & co in Wicked fill in the limitations of the stage with an unlimited dream yet intimate anecdote of female friendship and what it means to finally feel seen in a world that shows you wickedness. This film is truly special and I won’t be surprised when this gets a lot of awards attention. Everything from the performances, sets, costumes, cinematography, musical numbers… perfection in my eyes!
I cannot wait for Part 2 next year!
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Premise: Misunderstood because of her green skin, a young woman named Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.
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Universal
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Screenplay by Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox
Music and Lyrics Written by Stephen Schwartz
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage
Runtime: 2hr 40min
Rating: PG
Fantasy, Musical, Romance
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IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
RT Audience Score: 96%
RT Critic Average: 7.8/10
RT Audience Average: 4.8/5
Metacritic Score: 73
CinemaScore: A
Letterboxd: 4.1/5
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Fun Fact: Practical sets were built and supplemented with CGI rather than being filmed on green or blue screens. Director Jon M. Chu wanted the world of Oz to feel like a real place rather than just a computer-generated background. This included planting 9 million tulips to serve as part of the landscape for Munchkinland.
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Trailer:
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