Wicked (2024)

"Guess what? 
I cant… hear… your guesses…
because… this… is… a letter." 

I was really concerned about seeing this film due to the press-messes prior to release and having been a huge fan of Ariana Grande's music in the past, while also not being the biggest fan of musicals. I was worried, like many others, that I would only see Ariana Grande running around on-screen for two hours and forty minutes, while waiting for song-after-song to conclude. This, gratefully, was not the case at all, and I was pleasantly surprised. 

I've never seen Wicked on Broadway, so I went into this totally blind, aside from knowing The Wizard of Oz and reading what I could of the Broadway summary online. It's an interesting story, with a lot of symbolism, and I think that they did a really good job in the storytelling. The sets, effects, and dialogues were really well executed, much to my surprise. 

My only complaint about this film was I have no idea how it ended up being an entire two hours and forty minutes long, when the Broadway play itself is only three hours — I suppose they took more from the book and I know they wanted to elaborate on it, but the theater-fatigue really hit, especially around the two hours and fifteen minute mark. I could feel myself start to get antsy in my seat, starting to ask "okay but how much longer?" which is never a good sign, but I must give people and the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, the people that have been waiting probably didn't mind the length at all. I believe it was moreso a me problem than a universal issue, but one I had nonetheless. 

I'm really glad that Ariana took care of Galinda the way that she said she would in the press conferences and interviews. I was really worried that it was going to be Ariana Grande running around for almost three hours, but I really could not tell the difference between Ariana and the character she was playing. While there were hints of her and previous roles she's played in the past, I really did only see Galinda during the showing, which was much to my satisfaction. Her quippy comedic timing and one-liners really made the film, I love all the TikTok edits I've been seeing of "Galinda Core." 

Cynthia Erivo, as much as she botched the public relations side of things, did a fantastic job. I can understand why she was so defensive about this film now, not that it's justified, but more understood; also why Ariana and Cynthia are crying, holding onto each other for dear life in every interview. This film means a lot to them, and after viewing, I can understand why and how much work they put into it. 

The symbolism is incredible, especiallly with the climate that we're in today. I won't get into the symbolism and politics of it all, but the people that don't think this is a political movie, could not be farther from the truth. I question whether or not some of the people on my social media who I've been seeing post this film understand that they would not, in fact, have stood up for Elphaba and would have absolutely, in fact, fallen for the wizard's deceptions. The symbolism is amazing, in which you could really start a discussion about the film after digesting, which I love in a film. 

I'm not much of a musical person, but I really did enjoy watching this. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's vocals as well as potrayals are truly stunning, along with Jonathan Bailey's performance as the himbo prince, where I agree with other reviewers that "he could have chemistry with a stick." The casting was remarkably well done, the set designs were truly amazing, and I must give Michelle Yeoh her own compliments, as she absolutely kills it while serving the entire film. I did not go into the theater with high hopes, moreso "just to see it" and be able to talk about it because I knew it'd be a popular one, but I found myself really enjoying it for the runtime. 

I look forward to seeing Wicked Act 2, in which I had no idea until about two days prior to the film that this was only Act 1. I hope that Act 2 is just as good or even better, that it doesn't take too long to be released, and that, hopefully, it won't have as long of a runtime as Act 1. Even though it was almost three hours sitting in a theater, it was worth it, and I'm sure Act 2 will be even if they decide not to shave off any time for Act 2. I look forward to everyone returning to their roles and seeing how they portray Act 2 roles and plot development.