In November of 2024, the new movie adaptation of iconic Broadway hit musical Wicked premiered across the globe.
Titled Wicked: Part I, as it is only the first act of the stage production, this film tells the backstory and unlikely friendship of Glinda and Elphaba, who are best known as “Glinda the Good Witch” and “The Wicked Witch of the West” in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Wicked featured Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and other stars such as Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey, Peter Dinklage and Jeff Goldblum.
Creating a film adaptation of an iconic musical that has only ever been seen on stage is not an easy task, but director Jon M. Chu seamlessly portrayed the classic “enemies to best friends” trope in a way that left viewers leaving the theatre weeping. The emotional turmoil throughout the movie was heartfelt and touching, with gentle music originally composed by Stephen Schwartz playing at just the right times in order to tug heartstrings everywhere.
The more intense scenes of the film were intense to watch, with impressive CGI effects supervised by Pablo Helman to portray the magic that was happening on screen. Schwartz’s music added to this ambiance, leaving the audience at the edge of their seats multiple times throughout the film.
Grande and Erivo were the perfect duo to portray this iconic friendship, as their chemistry on screen was apparent to all. Both the emotional and intense scenes were executed flawlessly, with real tears, real smiles and the right amount of dramatic acting for a musical-to-film adaptation. Both of their vocals had great range and perfect pitch and were able to work together in heartwarming duets.
Overall, this film was incredible; from the acting to the directing to the special effects, Wicked: Part I was emotional, hilarious and anxiety-inducing in the best way. Bravo.
