brendan halpin

Though Wicked has a cult following, I’m not part of the cult. I read the book at some point in the late 90’s, didn’t like it, and never saw the musical.

So I went into this movie with no expectations, except that I thought it was going to feel way too long. It didn’t, and more on this later. Also: it knocked me out.

First: SPECTACLE! You want bright colors, large song and dance numbers, and outrageous costumes? You came to the right movie!

Second: the performances are excellent. I was pleasantly surprised by Ariana Grande, who I’ve always found kind of bland. She does a fantastic job making Glinda shallow and vain and redeemable. Not a bad trick.

Cynthia Erivo nails the vulnerability behind Elphaba’s tough exterior, and she’s a really likeable presence throughout the movie.

Also, both leads are fantastic singers.

Bowen Yang steals every scene he’s in as one of Glinda’s mean hangers-on, Jonathan Bailey is a suitably charming Fiyero, and Jeff Goldblum does his best Jeff Goldblum.

Okay, so the movie looks fantastic, sounds fantastic, and is filled with winning performances (oh yeah, also Michelle Yeoh and Marissa Bode are great, though of course Michelle Yeoh will never top the tofu fight in Wing Chun), but does it have to be so damn long?

I am a fierce short movie partisan, so it pains me to say this, but yeah. I think it did need to be this long. It never drags and, indeed, felt way shorter to me than the many MCU movies that sail past the 2 hour mark. I have no idea what was added, but whatever it was, it makes the Glinda/Elphaba friendship feel rich and believable and really helps make the movie immersive. Oz never feels like just a colorful backdrop—it’s a fully realized world.

Mild spoilers ahead.

This fully realized world means that when Elphaba discovers the evil at the heart of it, we feel the pain too, and we believe in it, and we know that Elphaba has to choose being her authentic self over falling in line with evil. I know that Maguire was originally just exploring the idea of evil, but WOW did a powerful woman who refuses to be co-opted by an evil fascist feel topical.

Anyway, it’s great, go see it!