Wicked is based off the Broadway Musical about the origins of Elphaba and Glinda and how they first met. The film stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Andy Nyman, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, and Keala Settle.

Wicked was one of the movies I was most excited for 2024, and I was not disappointed. I read the books that the musical is based off of. There were four books in the series. Wicked was the first book. Subsequent sequels followed various characters after Wicked. I never got a chance to see the Broadway show. I was hoping to see it before the movie, but it just did not work out. I enjoyed Wicked immensely. The cast does a fantastic job. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande really embody their roles. Ariana Grande really shines as Glinda. Cynthia Erivo shines vocally especially with her performance for Defying Gravity. The whole cast does a great job vocally as well.

The sets are spectacular. It was said that there were a lot of practical sets which I think helped immerse the audience into the world of Oz. It is nice that not everything relies on CGI or greenscreen. The costumes are also fantastic.

It looked like the whole cast enjoyed themselves filming the movie. That energy shows and I think helped make the movie more enjoyable.

Wicked clocks in around three hours including twenty minutes of previews. It was not noticeable at all. The movie holds the audience’s attention from the opening moments. The whole cast does a stellar job, but the heart of the movie relies on Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. They really shine carrying the whole movie. Their relationship really is the centerpiece of the movie.  

Wicked is a fantastic movie and one of the best musicals in a long time. It is funny, heartwarming, heart wrenching, emotional, and spectacular. I am excited to see where the story goes and what happens next with the characters in Part Two.