*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS* I've been a Wicked fan since 2010. My expectations for this film were extremely high! And I was blown away by how Jon M. Chu was able to bring this story a new life. Everyone involved did an excellent job! The choice to sing live paid off! Not one note was out of tune! Bowen Yang & Bronwyn James were absolutely hilarious as Phannee & Shen Shen. Marissa Bode was fantastic as Nessarose. Can't wait to see her story continue in Part 2. I hope they include "Wicked Witch of the East" in the Part 2 Soundtrack. Ethan Slater was great as Boq. I'm excited to see how he becomes the Tin Man in Part 2 because that's not shown on stage. He transforms behind the cabinet but I hope we actually see it in Part 2. Michelle Yeoh was great in every scene as Madam Morrible. She was very Wicked! Jeff Goldblum was amazing as The Wizard! I loved the new version of The Grimmerie! The way it opened was very cool! Jonathan Bailey was incredibly charming as Fiyero! Dancing Through Life was very well choreographed and his singing was great! Loved the way he met Elphaba in this version. I'm very intrigued to see him become The Scarecrow in Part 2. Ariana Grande was absolutely phenomenal as Glinda! She embodied everything about Glinda! Loved her homages to past Glindas in Popular. Her voice was very Angelic. You can tell that she studied a lot for this role. Can't wait to hear her "I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)". Cynthia Erivo stole the show as Elphaba Thropp. She poured her heart into this character! I'm so excited to hear "No Good Deed" in Part 2! She was incredible! As for the Cameos in One Short Day, Loved seeing Stephen Schwartz as The Guard & Winnie Holtzman as an Emerald City Resident. Love the expansion of the Wizomania show to include Kristin & Idina telling the story of The Grimmerie. Loved that Idina did her Elphie Battle Cry. It didn't take away from Cynthia's at the End. The Film was meant to happen in 2024. Had it come out in 2016 or 2019, I don't think it would've been as well done as it was! I can't wait to see Part 2 and how much of The Wizard of Oz they include. I hope we get to see Dorothy's Face. 10/10 No Notes.

OK, so I'm going to be swimming against the tide a bit with this, but I didn't love it. We start where the "Wizard of Oz" story finishes off, only without the catchy "Ding Dong the Witch is...". Instead we get an ensemble dance number that is energetically performed, colourful and expertly choreographed but instantly forgettable. Then we meet "Galinda" (Ariana Grande) who arrives in her pink bubble to confirm the news and enjoy the celebrations. Turns out, though, that she and the erstwhile "Wicked Witch of the West" were once friends and so back in time we go to the birth of a little green baby who may (or may not) have been conceived within the bounds of happily married wedlock. Scoot on many years more and we discover that said green person - "Elphaba" (Cynthia Erivo) is accompanying her wheelchair bound sister "Nessarose" (Marissa Bode) to the "Ozian" equivalent of "Hogwarts" where she encounters the snobbish "Galinda" and a fairly comprehensive degree of hostility. Luckily for her, the legendary sorceress "Madame Morrible" (Michelle Yeoh) spots some hidden talent in this young woman and soon she is sharing rooms with her new nemesis and finding herself the butt of school jokes. Then enter the mischievous prince "Fiyero" (Jonathan Bailey) who tends to treat everyone the same and who's been kicked out of more schools that he can shake a sceptre at. He does, however, manage to create an environment in which everyone can get along and that's when things begin to change for an "Elphaba" who is to be made likeable by her now pally roomie. When a letter arrives from the all-powerful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) summoning her to the "Emerald City", then they set off hoping to find answers to all of their questions, only to find that nothing there is as it seems... I have to admit that JB has been a friend of mine for many years, so I ain't going to be saying anything bad about the man who might just be the next "007", and both Erivo and Grande do well enough with the set piece musical numbers - especially the lively and cleverly written "Populer/lar", but the rest of this just struck me as "Harry Potter" goes to the musicals where it meets "Mean Girls". Goldblum makes his presence felt, but in the same slightly affected fashion that he aways does, and though the visual effects are all fantastic, somehow they are all just so much more sterile to watch than when you see them within the confines of a theatrical stage - where this works so much better, and without the need for the commercially exploitative part 1 and part 2 released months apart. To be fair, everyone looks like they are enjoying themselves, there's a fun number from Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and Bailey brings some much needed charm to the proceedings but I'd probably just prefer a director's cut that offered us the whole story in one three hour chunk so we can get that mediocre "Defying Gravity" power ballad out of the way (repeatedly) in one fell swoop. It's a very polished production, and maybe the hype has just got to me, but I can't pretend I wasn't disappointed by this. Wilted more than wicked, sorry.

Very good! I enjoyed <em>'Wicked'</em>. Always impressive when a long run time flashes by - no doubt a sign of a sturdy movie. 2hr 40mins is how long this one lasts, I thought I might have felt that whilst watching but, honestly, I didn't. Since sharing my reviews online I have appreciated musicals much more, to the point that when I learn a film is from this genre it barely registers. I have never seen the stage musical, in fact the only detail I knew for certain was that it was from the world of <em>'The Wizard of Oz'</em> - which, in turn, I only know from the 1939 and 2013 movies, as well as one or two other flicks. As such, I wasn't actually sure where they were heading with the Wicked Witch of the West - but I approve. Cynthia Erivo impresses as the aforementioned. I have to say, mind, that Ariana Grande is the person onscreen that stood out most. She does an excellent job at making her character's self-centered quirks so convincing, while also producing a few amusing moments too. Jonathan Bailey and Peter Dinklage are good, while Jeff Goldblum certainly fits his role. The ending, whilst perfectly fine and pleasing, is possibly a bit rushed/abrupt, though that's to be expected given it's only part one. The same can be said for most films that are split into multiple productions, to be fair. I am intrigued to see where part two goes, bring on this time next year. The music is, as one would expect, also a positive. Granted I don't think I'll be adding any of the tracks to my playlist, but I still had a pleasant time hearing all the songs come and go - not one sticks out like a sore thumb, so that's good. Elsewhere, visually and plot-wise I have no real complaints.

https://good.film/guide/haters-will-tell-you-wicked-sucks-heres-why-theyre-wrong Broadway hits rely on a suspension of disbelief. With the right ingredients, even the oddest of ideas can take flight on stage… but in the delicate translation to screen, they crash-land. Take Cats: something about that core premise of humans playing felines – which theatre audiences lapped up (sorry) for decades – just didn’t work at the movies. From the outside, it’s easy to paint Wicked with the same brush. Isn’t it all a bit… silly? There’s a blonde Godiva who floats in a bubble. A green woman who was raised by a bear (and whose father may or may not be a wizard). And when they meet at a Hogwarts-style university, we find out their professor, Dr. Dillamond, is a talking goat. These aren’t exactly the trappings of a thoughtful, award-winning piece of drama. But peel back the colours of any GOOD fantasy and you’ll usually find the allegories are rich and meaningful. With its themes of parental guilt, absent fatherhood, disability, discrimination and class supremacy, Wicked is no exception. Look, we’re not saying Wicked’s perfect. At 2 hours 40 minutes, it’s knocking HARD on the “too long, wrap it up!” door. And there’s characters that either overdo it a bit (Governor Thropp) or arguably, don’t add much at all (oh Pfannee, do you even go to this school?). But that’s a bit like complaining about a scratch on a speedboat. A sleek, wondrous craft that can whiz you somewhere thrilling, and change you along the way. We didn’t have crazy high expectations – hey, the everyday moviegoer isn’t a hardcore Broadway fan – but honestly? You don’t need to be. Wicked is a movie for anyone. And maybe that’s why it feels so GOOD.

Movie Review: Wicked (2024) A vivid and meticulously crafted introduction to Oz, with rich production design and striking visual effects. Its light-hearted tone and confident pacing build to an exhilarating finale that will delight long time fans. A polished, enjoyable adaptation. Rating: 7/10