Ruby slippers, a yellow brick road, and a wicked witch, oh my! The Wizard of Oz is a classic that will never get old. This 1939 film features Judy Garland and her trip to find the Wizard of Oz. This film features the antagonist, the Wicked Witch of the West, who we did not know much about until now.
This classic film spawned the story of Wicked, a 1995 novel, then a 2003 hit Broadway musical. This story has now been turned into a movie, making it more accessible for people to find out what caused the Wicked Witch to die. This reimagined fairytale chronicles the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West–better known as Elphaba–and the struggles that got her to the point where no one in Munchkinland liked her.
Initially, this story started as a book titled Wicked by Gregory Maguire. This book inspired the composer Stephen Schwartz, who saw the potential in making the story an on-stage adaptation. When the musical hit Broadway in 2003, it instantly became a smash hit. Since then, it has become the second-highest-grossing musical on Broadway.
In November of 2021, Universal Pictures announced the cast of the movie musical, which fans worldwide were anticipating. This film features Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The movie starts in Munchkinland with the song “No One Mourns the Wicked,” showing how everyone is happy that the Elphaba is dead.
As Glinda confirms that Elphaba is dead, she is asked if they have ever crossed paths. As she tells the citizens how she and Elphaba were friends, the audience gets taken down the path of Glinda and Elphaba meeting at Shiz University.
For once, a movie musical changed almost nothing compared to the on-stage version. They executed some things that are usually implied or happen offstage perfectly. This allows a more in-depth look at what is happening in this magical world.
Although Wicked is 2 hours and 40 minutes, the movie flies by like Elphaba defying gravity. Everything in this movie is paced very nicely, and I did not get bored.
Although some people did not like Ariana Grande being cast as Galinda, I think she was perfect. Not only can she hit notes higher than in the original movie, but she’s just very “Galinda.” This casting was very spot-on, given Grande’s very girly persona and the pop music she makes.
If I had to rate this movie, I would give it a 4.5 out of 5. I really enjoyed this movie, but the fact that is was only the first half of the story while still running the length of the regular stage musical, threw me for a loop. In my opinion, nothing will beat the stage production, as the emotions actors bring to live theater cannot compare to movies.
Overall, Wicked was a pop-u-lar movie and surpassed expectations for any movie musical. From Kansas to Oz, Wicked is loved by every munchkin, witch, and flying monkey across the land. At the 97th Academy awards–or the Oscars–Wicked was nominated for 10 Oscars, including best picture.
Theater fans all over the world are ecstatic for Wicked: For Good to come out November 21, 2025. With Wicked: For Good on its way, the journey through Oz is just beginning.
