WICKED (2024) review

written by: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
produced by: Marc Platt and David Stone
directed by: John M. Chu
rated: PG (for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material)
runtime: 160 min.
U.S. release date: November 22, 2024

Universal Pictures doesn’t want you to know that “Wicked” is actually “Wicked: Part 1” until you’re seated in the theater. Such labeling was nowhere to be found in the extensive marketing, and it didn’t become known until screenings of the movie occurred leading up to its release. Typically, breaking up a storyline into two parts usually happens when a franchise hopes to extend its closure, like the “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” series. Still, Warner Bros. Pictures recently did the same thing when the first “Dune” movie came out in 2021. There was a blink-and-you-missed-it “Part One” text in that movie, and now in “Wicked,” it appears in small letters in the lower right of the screen. It’s as if the studios are afraid the audience knows beforehand that what they’re starting will be split in two. But, if the stories already have a massive fanbase and the movies are good, as is the case with “Dune” and “Wicked,” what are they afraid of?

I prefer a story kick-off with a two-parter rather than one that closes out a saga. If the movie is good, then you have my interest for more. If I’m ready for all of it to be over, I’m not revved up for a “Part Two.” As it stands, the ending of both “Dune: Part Two” (released last spring) and “Wicked: Part One” delivered the goods and left me curious for more, even if the stories could’ve easily ended there.

These properties probably have more in common than the fact that both are inspired by books written a while back by two totally different guys named Frank, and both revolve around protagonists who are mostly underestimated, disregarded, and envied. Still, I’m not getting into all of that.

It is fascinating that both Dune and The Wizard of Oz have spawned so many spin-off and expansion stories, one of which was the best-selling 1995 novel Wicked by Gregory Maguire, which started a quartet of stories that took a darker, more adult-themed approach to the material, providing a dense backstory to the Wicked Witch of the West.

Those books were adapted into a Broadway musical event in 2003 by
writer Winnie Holzman, accompanied by music and lyrics from Steven Schwartz. That’s when Wicked became a massive hit, introducing many to actors/singers Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (both of whom make appearances here) and launching various tours, revivals, and “Junior” middle school adaptations. A movie adaptation has been rumored for some time. Now, after multiple delays and a pandemic, we get “Part One” of “Wicked” (with “Part Two,” called “Wicked: For Good,” dropping next November), written by Holzman and Dana Fox (“Cruella”) with John M. Chu at the helm, after previously directing the 2021 musical “In the Heights” and 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians.”

The movie’s runtime may be longer than the stage musical – and again, this is only “Part One” – but it provides an opportunity for cinematic immersion and unexpectedly intimate character moments that only a camera can offer. Working with cinematographer Alice Brooks (who also worked on “In the Heights”), Chu brings viewers to a richly realized Oz that boasts a combination of marvelous technical achievements and colorful production design. Viewers like me, who go in knowing next to nothing about the story, will still be entertained, while longtime fans should be equally satiated.

“Part One” opens with the death of the Wicked Witch, syncing audiences to the end of the beloved 1939 classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” as the triumphant quartet makes their merry way back to the Emerald City. News of the Wicked Witch’s demise travels across the kingdom of Oz as Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) appears to the various denizens to proclaim the news. When Glinda arrives in Munchkinland, she floats inside her bubble and is greeted with cheers and applause. After all, the green-skinned witch was Wicked, right?

When one Munchkin asks Glinda, “Weren’t you her friend?” the crowd goes quiet, and like a record scratch, the crowd goes quiet. With a pause and a wan smile, Glinda admits that she knew of each other and proceeds to tell them her backstory. We know the two witches were more than acquaintances, and it’s clear that the rest of the movie will find Chu taking audiences to the time well before Dorothy arrives in Oz.

This is where we’re introduced to the Wicked Witch as a young girl known as Elphaba (Karis Musongole), born with magical powers and an emerald hue. Elphaba is the first-born daughter of Munchkinland Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman) and older sister to Nessarose (Marissa Bode), whom she’s been looking after since their mother died delivering Nessaroe. Due to the mysterious circumstances related to her birth, Elphaba has grown up enduring a constant stream of ridicule from others. It doesn’t help that her father’s love is partial to the paraplegic Nessarose; part of that could be because Elphaba and Nessarose only share the same mother. Nevertheless, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has formed a protective bond with her sister despite how others malign her.

When it comes time for Nessaroe to pursue her education further, Elphaba escorts her to the oddly-named Shiz University located in the Land of Oz and winds up inadvertently making a spectacle of herself. No one there has ever seen a green-skinned individual before, and Elphaba is met with the kind of reaction she’s grown accustomed to. She also earns the attention of the Dean of Sorcery, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), after Elphaba’s emotions trigger an impressive display of magic. Morrible’s curiosity leads her to invite Elphaba to stay on at Shiz as a student under her exclusive tutelage and assigns her to a room with Galinda (Grande), a conceited privileged young woman who is popular throughout campus. Galinda isn’t used to sharing space with others, but her desire to be noticed by Morrible and conjure magic finds her relenting despite her jealousy towards Elphaba.

At first, the two roommates are understandably at odds, but they eventually learn to cooperate and actually become friends. At the same time, Elphaba discovers strange happenings related to animals in the land, especially the anthropomorphic kind, which sets her on a path to the enigmatic Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) for assistance and hopefully answers.

“Wicked” definitely has a narrative that explores the complexities of sisterhood and friendship and the fight for power and injustice. Yet, it is indeed first and foremost a musical. Much of the same songs by Stephan Schwartz (who also works with composer John Powell for the incidental score of the movie) are incorporated for “Part 1”, but they are bound to feel different when adapted to the big screen. There is cinematic choreography to consider, along with the close-up intimacy you don’t get from a stage production. It’s fair to say that any rabid fan of the musical is bound to get something new out of this colorful and ambitious endeavor.

The songs performed by Erivo and Grande are the most memorable, whether solo or performed together, and the two absolutely command the screen with undeniable confidence, humor, and vulnerability. Erivo communicates volumes with her nuanced expressions, and her song delivery packs an undeniable emotional punch. However, what stands out the most is how she conveys Elphaba’s pathos and pain while pushing through it all as the character advocates for the oppressed. Erivo has two highlight moments in the movie, one in which she surprises fellow students at the Ozdust Ballroom party thrown hunky transfer student Fiyero Tigelaar (a charming Jonathan Bailey), with a unique and emotional dance, and of course, the movie’s show-stopping song “Defying Gravity” that closes “Part 1.”

Perhaps Grande is the delightful surprise here, primarily because this is her first significant movie role after a brief cameo in 2021’s “Don’t Look Up”. However, anyone who’s seen her Saturday Night Live appearances knows she has some comedy chops. As Galinda (her decision to change her name to Glinda is one of many funny moments), Grande portrays someone desperate to be liked and perceived as good, who effortlessly uses her popularity and beauty to mask her insecurities. She’s fun to watch, especially with her two “college-age” followers (hilariously played by Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James) shadowing her every move. Still, Grande conveys more than just vapid narcissism through her wordless responses and distinctive physical behavior.

Most of the “Part 1” does indeed take place at Shiz U, which is where we are introduced to some supporting players that flesh out the world-building Chu works on throughout. There’s Boq Woodsman (Ethan Slater), a Munchkin and fellow classmate who has hopeless crush on Galinda and Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage) a wise goat who teaches at the school in a time where secretive scrutiny towards animals (especially ones that talk and use their intellect) is spreading across the land. These interesting characters are treated as lesser-than, and the subplot involving Oz’s controversial history and possible future is fascinating, albeit undeveloped, as a reminder that this is “Part 1”.

Chu and his crew set out to present a bustling Oz that’s teaming with energy and imaginative visuals, making a return to Baum’s fantasy world an immersive delight. Production designer Nathan Crowley goes all out with the Shiz and Emerald City sets, however they don’t feel as lived-in as anything you’d find in Hogwarts or a Middle-Earth Shire. Regardless, Chu knows that keeping his camera fixed on the Elphaba/Galinda dynamic is where it’s at, and he is no doubt confident that the pair genuinely holds the feature together. We’ll have to wait until next fall to see how well this all comes together, but so far, this “Wicked” tale is off to a great start.

RATING: ***1/2