Musicals are an interesting art form. They combine music with acting, dancing, and singing to tell a story. In the past, cinema has seen both original and adapted musicals brought to life on screen. Original musicals composed specifically for Hollywood include the likes of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and more recently La La Land. Some movie musicals use pre-existing music to tell a new story, such as An American In Paris and Singing In The Rain. Film adaptations of stage musicals range from Oklahoma, The King and I, West Side Story, Cabaret, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Les Miserables, and Tick Tick Boom, and these have all gained critical and commercial success. Then there are big-screen efforts that flop at the box office, such as the Village People’s biopic Can’t Stop The Music, Joel Schumacher’s bloated, highly-stylized take on Phantom of the Opera, Julie Taymor’s visually-arresting but thinly-plotted Beatles-fused musical Across the Universe, and the misguided adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. But what happens when you take a beloved twenty- year old musical and split it into two parts?

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Now, in 2024, Wicked is the latest musical film adaptation that Hollywood has to offer. Directed by filmmaker Jon M. Chu (In The Heights), this cinematic offering is based on Stephen Schwartz’s popular Broadway musical of the same name, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz book series, and the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. Wicked serves as both a prequel and side story to the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, but this delivers a somewhat different take on that land just over the rainbow. The movie poses the question of what causes a person to be evil, whether it is already predestined by blood, whether one is molded by the environment they are raised in, or if said individual is woefully misunderstood. It also provides a social commentary on matters of racism and prejudice.

Beginning moments after The Wizard of Oz’s climax, the story opens with the Munchkins
celebrating the watery death of the Wicked Witch of the West by singing “No One Mourns the Wicked.” It is apparent that everyone feels liberated after the passing of this supposed tyrant. Yet questions abound regarding the person who destroyed the Witch, and the “Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz” has suddenly vanished under mysterious circumstances. Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) arrives to make the news official, and she urges the citizens to remember that goodness triumphs over evil. When Glinda is asked what makes a person wicked, this causes her to have a flashback to her days at Shiz University.

During freshman year, Glinda was known as Galinda Upland, the spoiled, pampered daughter of a rich family. On registration day, she encounters Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), who is the Governor of Munchkinland’s eldest daughter. Almost immediately, Elphaba stands out due to her green skin, and she feels all-too aware of everyone’s stares and gossip. She is there at Shiz to help her younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) settle into school, but her budding magic abilities catch the interest of the headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who teaches a course in sorcery. When learning these powers could be a force for good, Elphaba becomes ecstatic at the possibility of meeting the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), who appears to be a seemingly-mysterious yet benevolent unseen ruler of the county. Her goal is to finally be accepted and possibly find a way to remove her green skin tone. Madame Morrible arranges for Elphaba to be enrolled as a student and also become her protégé.

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Elphaba and Galinda are forced to become roommates. Although they have a rough start, the two slowly develop a friendship as the school year progresses. Galinda longs to become a sorcerer, but Madame Morrible feels she is neither worthy or possessing the ability. Meanwhile, Nessarose wants to fit in with her classmates and be accepted. While she’s paraplegic and relying on a wheelchair, she does not want to be pitied or have people feeling sorry for her. Boq Woodman (Ethan Slater) harbors an obvious crush on Galinda, but she takes no notice of him. Another newcomer arrives at Shiz in the form of Fiyero Tygelaar (Jonathan Bailey), a Munchkin prince from the Vinkus (or “Winkie”) Country. Having been expelled from various schools, Fiyero urges students to stop worrying and to just enjoy themselves in an elaborate number titled “Dancing Through Life”. Despite butting heads with Elphaba in their first meeting, he develops a quiet respect for her while striking up a relationship with Galinda. Sensing an opportunity to help out fellow students, Galinda suggests that Boq ask Nessarose out dancing, to which he agrees. This leads to Nessarose opening up and becoming less withdrawn.

Seeking a chance for gaining acceptance, Elphaba decides to join her peers at the Ozdust
Ballroom, a glitzy underground nightclub that Fiyero urges everyone to attend. Galinda is peer pressured by fellow classmates to play a practical joke on Elphaba by giving her a familiar pointed black hat to wear. This leads to the latter being humiliated at the club, which results in Galinda feeling remorseful for her actions. Gradually, she becomes closer to Elphaba, who helps her study in the art of sorcery. Over time, they begin to confide in each other and share secrets. Approximately twenty years before the story’s events, Elphaba’s mother had an extramarital affair with a mysterious stranger who gave her a green elixir to drink. This potion is supposedly the reason why she was born with green skin, but it also led to Elphaba’s father hating her and forcing his wife to take experimental treatments to ensure no further green-skinned children are born. Said treatments caused Nessarone to be born with a normal skin tone yet crippled, and her mother died in childbirth. As a result, Elphaba feels that she is the cause of her mother’s death and the source of her father’s anger, but Galinda assures her that she is not to blame.

It soon becomes apparent this is not “the merry old land of Oz” as previous adaptations have suggested. Discrimination against talking animals is common, and certain Ozians hold the view that “Animals should be seen and not heard.” Elphaba’s favorite teacher is the history professor Doctor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), who just so happens to be a talking goat. He warns her that something sinister is happening in Oz, because various animals are losing their jobs and disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Not long afterwards, Dillamond is fired and forcibly removed from the university. Although some students like Fiyero are visibly concerned, the majority of the populace are either uncaring, indifferent, or afraid to attempt making a difference. Elphaba resolves to help the animals and bring about change by seeking out the Wizard and urging for social reforms. This decision sets her and Galinda on a path that will test their friendship and pull them in vastly opposite directions.

Cynthia Erivo shines in the role of Elphaba. Her vocal performance of the songs is equally
impressive and moving. In Elphaba’s introductory “The Wizard and I” song, Erivo sings with
passion and longing for universal acceptance and understanding. The lyrics are both strong and somewhat sad, especially with not-so-subtle foreshadowing in lines such as “I’d be so happy I could melt” and “When people see me, they’ll scream.” Erivo’s take on Elphaba is that of an introverted young woman who desires to be treated as an equal, yet she’s frustrated by the prejudice and misconceptions of others. But it is her gradual transformation into a confident freedom fighter over the course of the film that is most impressive, culminating in the anthemic number “Defying Gravity.” On the list of strongest cinematic debuts, Erivo makes a very strong case for being the most shining example in this category.

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Ariana Grande delivers a stunning performance as Galinda. Initially vain and self-absorbed,
viewers come to see there is a kind person buried inside her stuffy, rich girl persona who truly does care about others. The scenes of Galinda being taken down a peg by Madame Morrible show a more vulnerable side to the character. Her rendition of the song “Popular” is a hilarious delight to watch, and it proves that Grande has a natural comic timing. While some skeptics question the idea of a pop star in the role, it must be noted that Grande started her career in musical theatre as a teenager, and she has undergone professional vocal training for this film. Similar to Erivo, this film also serves as Grande’s big-screen debut, and what a debut it is.

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Perhaps the most welcome surprise to the movie is Jonathan Bailey’s easygoing Fiyero. The star of Netflix’s Bridgerton shines as a suave, laid-back song-and-dance man from the moment he first appears onscreen. Indeed, he feels like a younger version of Hugh Jackman in both appearance and presence. Bailey succeeds in making the character realistic and believable, as well as very smooth and charismatic. One of his deepest moments is Fiyero’s heart-to-heart conversation when Elphaba calls him out on his carefree, careless world view, and he does not contradict or deny her opinion. This scene suggests he is a somewhat unhappy individual who adopts a devil-may-care attitude to as a coping mechanism.

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The rest of the cast does well with the material they’re given to work with. Michelle Yeoh
(Everything, Everywhere All At Once) gives a stern yet layered performance as Madame
Morrible. Yeoh’s firm, strict demeanour contrasts with her encouragement of Elphaba learning magic. By the third act, Morrible’s status as a power-broker in Oz hint at a more complex, shady aspect of her true character. Ethan Slater is both socially-awkward and adorable as Boq, and one cannot help but feel for him as he pines for Grande’s Galinda (coincidentally, his real-life partner). He comes off as both likeable and sympathetic. Marissa Bode is likeable and empathetic as Nessarone, who struggles being the favoured daughter while attempting to assert herself. Bode’s interactions with Slater are some of the sweetest in the film, and it makes one anticipate how this will be played out in the sequel. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) makes the most of his screen time as Doctor Dillamond as a wise mentor type, and his scenes with Elphaba are some of the most heartwarming moments in the movie. Finally, Jeff Goldblum makes an interesting, endearing Wizard of Oz. While he appears late in the story, the veteran character actor brings a certain affability and charm to the role. His tender performance of “A Sentimental Man” hints this Wizard is a lonely man who longs to become a father and thus tries to fill that void by serving as the country’s ruler. Initially friendly and seemingly harmless, there is a darker undertone that suggests at his true nature.

Jon M. Chu does well in the director’s chair. Previously having made In The Heights, he proves that he knows his way around musicals. Chu also has explored the topics of race relations and identity in the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, which shows that he understands the social commentary of Wicked. Rather than going overboard on visuals, the filmmaker keeps the characters and their interactions rooted firmly in the foreground. He also uses physical sets and practical effects throughout the film, so as to focus on the plot and characterizations. While there are CGI visual effects, these only serve to enhance the story rather than distract form it. Chu has firmly established himself as one of the best working directors in Hollywood, and the sky is the limit as to where his career could go next.

As with film adaptations, there are some noticeable changes for this cinematic take on Wicked. Screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox remain faithful to the original musical, but there are a couple alterations for the film. First, the plot covers the first act of the musical, and the next movie will focus on the second act. Since the movie clocks in at 160 minutes, it is understandable why they chose to split the musical into a two-part film adaptation. Except for a short reprise of “The Wizard and I” being cut, all the songs in the movie are from the stage musical, albeit with a few differences. For example, Fiyero’s character-establishing song “Dancing Through Life” is expanded considerably for the screen; whereas it was seven and a half minutes, it is now an elaborate sequence lasting roughly twenty minutes in length. Composter John Powell does well in bringing Schwartz’ songs to life by enhancing the feel and sound of the score. During the third act, there is an additional portion of “One Short Day” created especially for the film, which adds to the backstory of the universe and further fleshes out Ozian lore. The script also introduces a prophecy in which a powerful figure would someday arrive and be able to read the sacred spellbook known as the Grimmerie, thus bringing about great change to Oz. While it may suggest this is meant to be the Wizard, the story implies that the prophecy could very well be referring to someone totally different.

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The movie features a number of interesting cameos, in-jokes and references to other works. In the opening credits, the Universal logo is done in the vintage 1930s style, albeit with a green and pink color scheme. There is also a brief glimpse of four characters walking down the Yellow Brick Road, which hints at what viewers might get to see in the next film. Although people familiar with Oz immediately think of the ruby red shoes, they might be surprised to see Nessarose wearing a pair of silver slippers instead, which is in keeping with the musical and the original Oz books. Due to MGM holding copyright on the 1939 film, the red shoes are not legally able to be in this adaptation, but in a nice allusion, the silver slippers are delivered in a ruby-colored box. Like the classic 1939 film, Grande’s Galinda travels through the air in a large pink bubble, albeit this version features the addition of a chair. The initials “OM NE” featured prominently in the Emerald City are really a reference to Omaha, Nebraska, which offers a hint as to the Wizard’s true identity. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original leads of the Wicked musical, appear as Ozians in a scene where they get to interact onscreen with Erivo and Grande, and this serves as a nice passing-of-the-torch moment for the actresses. In addition, Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz has a small cameo as the Wizard’s bodyguard, and he even gets to address his characters.

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Overall, Wicked is a great film adaptation and a powerful story about perceptions. Erivo and
Grande deliver stellar performances as Elphaba and Galinda. Bailey proves himself as both a solid presence and leading man. The music is vast, operatic and epic. Now, the countdown is on for Wicked: Part II, which comes out in November 2025. Four out of four stars.