Katelyn Benschoter-

One of the most anticipated movies in recent history is finally here. The film adaptation of the iconic musical Wicked has officially been released in theaters, on Nov. 22nd. After months of seeing leaked photos from the set, drama around the actors, and holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity, there has been quite a buildup. Over this year’s Thanksgiving break, I grabbed some popcorn and had to see if this film was worth the wait. And let me tell you, it was fantastic. If you still haven’t found the time to see this film, make the time. It is loads of fun, from the music to the larger-than-life set design. And let me remind you that this is only movie one out of two, so there is more to be excited about. 

I am a self-proclaimed musical lover. That being said, movie musicals are not always done well. They are meant to be a fun adaptation that is accessible to the public, but they tend to fall short. The concepts are fun but they simply do not compare to seeing the real thing on stage. While watching the film adaptation of Wicked is still different than on the stage, director Jon Chu did not make the typical mistakes that movie musicals so often make. One of my biggest pet peeves with movie musicals is the “pop-ification” of classic Broadway pieces. This is something that can be seen in the 2024 Mean Girls movie musical. They took Broadway-style songs and added new background music and effects on the singers’ voices. While a key component of movie musicals is giving them a new life, that feels like too much change. People want to hear the classic show tunes they know and love– not another “new” pop song. This was very much a concern amongst Broadway Wicked fans with pop star Ariana Grande being involved. But they kept true to the roots of Wicked and did beautiful renditions of the classic songs. Another common mistake made is making the show into too much of a movie. That may sound strange, but what I mean is not letting the theatrical elements speak for themselves. When there is an ensemble dance number, oftentimes movie musicals disregard the great dancing. Rather, they have close-up shots on the actors’ faces. Yet the whole point of the scene is the dance number. That being said, Wicked did not make this mistake. They use a lot of wide or tracking shots to reveal the entire dance number. In terms of if this was a good adaptation of a classic, it was. Chu absolutely pulled it off, which makes me even more excited for the second film.

Now, to get into the content and what made this a good film. The cast as a whole is incredible. Cynthia Erivo is a legend in the musical theater space, and she certainly lived up to it in this movie. Her voice is incredible. She sounds great, but what is even more incredible is that she did most of the singing we hear in the film live on set, as opposed to in a recording booth like most. Alongside Erivo as Elphaba was Ariana Grande as Glinda. Grande’s comedic timing was one of my favorite aspects of the film. She was hilarious. Grande did an excellent job at paying homage to the original character whilst still making it her own. The casting of this film was just overall exquisite. Another fun aspect of this film was both the costume and set designs; both were done super well. The costumes, like Grande’s performance, pay homage to the on-stage production but bring in some modern elements. This can be seen in the styling of Elphaba; she still wears her classic glasses but they now have their own fun twist (literally!). On top of these amazing things, the world-building of Oz and the Emerald City are outstanding. While green screens were utilized, a lot of the film was filmed on real sets. This could not have been an easy task, as these worlds are fantastical and over the top. But it shows the dedication the whole team had to making sure this film was done right. Through all of the film elements and the way the cast has talked about this film- it is clear they wanted to do the classic musical justice.

This film certainly has gotten the hype it deserves. I personally have not seen movie theaters this full in a long time. Even when I saw Barbie, the theater was not as packed. Wicked has created a phenomenon. As a longtime musical theater fan, I am glad to see it. Going out to the movies was really a fun time. Almost everyone in my theater was wearing green or pink. There were groups of sisters, friends, moms and daughters. Events like this film bring people together and remind us to allow ourselves to have fun. So, let down your guard, and maybe try defying gravity…

Speaking of which, this would not be a proper film review of Wicked if I did not touch on Defying Gravity. This film, as mentioned prior, is only one of two films later to be released. The final scene of part one being the Defying Gravity number was very impactful. The whole film built up to that number, and Erivo crushed it. Her vocals and rendition of the iconic battle cry left me speechless. If I am being fully honest, I may have become a little misty-eyed. The film is jam-packed with fun, but at the end of the day, it has a beautiful message; everyone deserves a chance to fly. Did someone cut an onion in here? But really, it was the perfect ending spot, because it instantly left me wanting more. I do not see the Wicked hype dying down anytime soon. So, go see this film on the big screen while you can, you will not regret it.