“Wicked” started as a novel, written by Gregory Macguire, that acted as a prequel to the events of 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz,” also based on the book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. The novel was loosely adapted into the Broadway musical in 2003, which originally starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. The 2024 film adaptation stars Ariana Grande as Glinda, “the good witch,” and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, “the wicked witch.” The film is directed by Jon M. Chu (who also directed “In the Heights”) and releases on Nov. 22.

The film follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who was born with green skin and is faced with discrimination from others around her, including her own family. She meets Glinda (Ariana Grande) at Shiz University, who takes an initial dislike to her. Glinda is forced to share a dorm with Elphaba and becomes jealous of her due to her powers and training by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). They eventually go on a journey to see the wizard (Jeff Goldblum), who wants to see Elphaba about her powers. The film also stars Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode and Peter Dinklage.

I saw the film at an early screening and people were dressed up as Glinda and Elphaba. After the most iconic dance numbers, people were clapping and cheering as if we were actually watching a Broadway musical. There were also two cameos you won’t want to miss that got the audience to applaud.

I haven’t watched the Broadway musical, so I didn’t know what to expect going into this film. But, might I just say, I was blown away. The film boasts a two-hour and 40-minute runtime but certainly doesn’t feel that way. It creates this incredible spectacle when you first enter Oz and see the beautiful scenery. A lot of the visuals were done practically rather than relying heavily on CGI. The cinematography and color palette of the film are gorgeous.

Grande does an amazing job as the “popular girl,” Glinda. She gives off that “mean girl” energy, but her character develops throughout the film to befriend Elphaba. She wasn’t the only one who auditioned for the role, with Amanda Seyfried and Dove Cameron also being in the running. Since this is Ariana Grande, we know we are in for a treat when it comes to her singing voice, and as usual, she does not disappoint. However, Cynthia Erivo is the real stand out of the film. Her vocals are gorgeous and gave me chills when she first sang her rendition of “Defying Gravity.” Her acting is also spot-on, making the audience sympathize with her character.

Jonathan Bailey plays Fiyero, who acts as the love interest for both Glinda and Elphaba, but he builds a deeper connection with the latter. He has an amazing dance number where he sings, “Dancing Through Life.” The musical numbers in the movie are fast and snappy, with a lot going on.

Another standout is the film’s costume design. The filmmakers did an incredible job bringing Glinda’s and Elphaba’s costumes to life, as they bring so much iconography. All the extras and backup dancers are all clad in beautifully designed costumes, especially during the Emerald City scenes, where there are characters on stilts.
My one and only criticism of the film is that it’s only part one, and it was not advertised as such. “Wicked Part Two” will be released on Nov. 21, 2025 and is currently in post-production, as the two movies were filmed back-to-back.