On November 22, Universal Pictures’ Wicked (2024) was released in theaters. Directed by Jon M. Chu, fans were anxiously awaiting the movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical.
The busy and—let’s just call it, interesting—press tour left fans wondering what could’ve made lead actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande so emotional during their interviews. I, myself, was quite curious, so I decided to venture to my local movie theater and check it out.
The film begins with Glinda the Good Witch (played by Grande) descending to Munchkinland in her bubble. She delivers the news that Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West (played by Erivo), is dead. Overjoyed, the Munchkins and Glinda gleefully celebrate the Wicked Witch’s death with a song titled “No One Mourns the Wicked.” The celebration is then followed by a young Munchkin asking Glinda if she and the Wicked Witch were once friends, in which Glinda goes on to tell them the story of how the two met.
Throughout the course of the film, viewers watch Elphaba and Glinda explore their relationship while living as roommates at Shiz University. They go from enemies to close friends, even involving themselves in a love triangle.
Eventually, Elphaba’s powers gain the attention of the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), in which he invites her on a trip to the famous Emerald City. On a whim, Glinda decides to join Elphaba on this journey, and the friends meet the Wizard in his emerald palace.
Once it’s discovered that the Wizard has no real power, Glinda and Elphaba learn that their Shiz professor, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), orchestrated events to manipulate Elphaba into using her powers to help the Wizard prevent the animals of Oz from speaking. When Elphaba refuses and runs away, Madame Morrible announces to all of Oz that her student is wicked, launching a manhunt at the end of the film. This scene sparks Erivo’s song, “Defying Gravity.”
Though I knew the film would only contain the events from Act 1 of the musical, I was still saddened to see the credits roll at the end of “Defying Gravity.” Now, fans are forced to wait to see the events of Act 2 play out on screen.
Wicked (2024) was nothing short of magnificent. Erivo and Grande captivated audiences with their portrayals of Elphaba and Glinda, highlighted by their on (and off) screen chemistry and ability to sing the beloved soundtrack live. It’s safe to say that Wicked fans easily could have sat in the theaters for another two hours and 40 minutes to see the entire story unfold at once.
See you next year for Wicked Part 2!
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, watch us on TikTok, and read our latest Tweets!