- Director: Jon M. Chu
- Screenplay: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
- Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum
- Cinematography: Alice Brooks
- Editing: Myron Kerstein
- Score: John Powell, Stephen Schwartz
- Genre: Musical fantasy
- Runtime: 160 minutes
Oh my Oz! Here comes the epic cinematic adaptation of the hit musical. It’s the famous ‘Wizard of Oz‘ story taken from a different angle – the exploration of the backstory of the emerald-hued Elphaba, the iconic Wicked Witch of the West (played in this by Cynthia Erivo).
Turns out, she went to Shiz University alongside spoiled brat Galinda (Ariana Grande), the future Good Witch of the North. Immediately at odds with one another, they later bond in spite of the outright racism directly towards Elphaba and its potential to damage Galinda’s social status as queen bee. There’s shades of ‘Glee‘ (students casually breaking into song every five seconds) and ‘Legally Blonde‘ (Galinda perpetually clad in pink, Elle Woods-style, minus any of the charm).
The entire cast is note-perfect, especially Erivo. Maybe she should spend more time singing than getting butthurt about fan-made AI posters. The songs are catchy, the set pieces are stunning and there’s apt cameos from stage show originators Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (or is that Adele Dazeem?) – there’d be no ‘Wicked‘ without these talented leading ladies.
However, I take issue with the plot as a whole. When I saw the OG ‘Wizard of Oz‘ film aged 11 years old, I was enthralled by this technicolour fantasy world. ‘Wicked‘ takes everything involved with the original classic, adding a handful of new elements (such as the characters Madame Morrible and Nessarose), then chucks it all in a blender. This is what we’re left with. I feel it messes with the uncomplicated canonical storyline, beloved by many for generations.
A bladder-bursting 160 minutes long (even longer than the recent ‘Gladiator II‘), this is just the first half. ‘Wicked: Part 2‘ releases in November 2025 so instead of a short intermission to buy ice creams from the usherette tray, we have to wait a year to wrap this thing up. More Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard in the second half, please. That would be magic.
My rating: 5 / 10
SilverScreen 