After eight years of production, a change of director and multiple delayed releases, “Wicked” has finally made its way to the silver screen, proving that good things come to those who wait. The film has made $372.9 million worldwide at the box office since its Nov. 22 release and is expected to receive multiple nominations at next year’s Academy Awards.
The film is directed by Jon M. Chu, the creative mind behind “Crazy Rich Asians” and the film adaptation of the Tony-winning “In the Heights.” “Wicked,” which is based on the 2003 Broadway musical, depicts the backstory behind the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and how the film’s villain became the Wicked Witch of the West. It follows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), the eldest — and greenest — daughter of the governor of Munchkinland during her first year at Shiz University, where she rooms with the pink-loving, perky Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) as she tries to explore her magic abilities and uncover the secrets behind the oppression of animals in Oz.
With three powerful, belty songs to pull off throughout the musical, the role of Elphaba is arguably one of the most vocally demanding on Broadway, and bringing the role to the big screen is no easy feat. Erivo delivers in every way possible, bringing the emotional range necessary to embody the iconic character. From intimate moments in “I’m Not That Girl” to humorous scenes in “What Is This Feeling?” to astonishing displays of vocal strength in “Defying Gravity,” Erivo is rightfully in contention for an Oscar nomination — one that, if she wins, would make her the youngest performer to ever receive EGOT status.
The other leading role, Galinda, is played by Grande-Butera, who — although now known for her singing endeavors — started her career on stage in “13: The Musical” in 2008. In “Wicked,” Grande-Butera’s theatrical roots are on full display, bringing new life to the perfectly perky character. Among these high points, the singer effortlessly delivers the movie’s funniest scene with “Popular,” translating its chaos and absurdity to the big screen.
One of the film’s strongest elements is its costuming, particularly for Galinda. The film opens with Galinda wearing a stunning pink ballgown as she floats down into Munchkinland in a bubble, giving her the appearance of an almost ethereal being. However, if the costume designers were going for musical accuracy, the opening dress technically should have been blue, but they changed it for the movie to better emulate Galinda’s iconic look in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.”
The vibrancy of Galinda’s costumes correlates with her sincerity across different scenes. In her earlier scenes, her outfits are a paler shade of pink, signifying that she is putting on her cold, mean-girl facade; however, as she becomes kinder and more friendly toward Elphaba, her costumes become brighter. Some of her most outstanding looks include a pink and orange dress in a sentimental scene in “Dancing Through Life” where the pair overcome their differences, as well as a hot pink robe in “Popular” as she attempts to help Elphaba fit in at Shiz.
Before the film’s release, many took to social media to raise their criticisms of the film’s color grading, saying it felt dull and “desaturated.” Although the trailer seemed to pale in comparison, the film itself is rather bright. The vibrant colors shine through the most in the opening scenes in Munchkinland and in the final third of the movie in the Emerald City, with a rich shade of green filling nearly every corner of the screen.
For the film adaptation, the story of “Wicked” was separated into two movies, with the 2024 installment only covering the Broadway show’s first act, while the second part (to be released next November), will cover the second act. Chu wrote on X in 2022 that the movie was split in half to properly delve into each character without sacrificing songs or elements of the story; however, this argument doesn’t hold up when considering that, without a 15-minute intermission, the stage version’s runtime comes in at about two hours and 30 minutes. This is just seven minutes longer than the average movie runtime last year of two hours and 23 minutes, according to Box Office Mojo and IMDb. If the musical could fully depict the story without cutting songs or scenes, the movie could have done it too.
Despite a drawn-out runtime, the immensely talented cast of “Wicked,” alongside its vibrant, colorful costumes and scenery, brings the world of Oz and the story of the Wicked Witch of the West to the big screen in the most beautiful, poignant way possible.
