Two brave souls, Managing Editor Travis O’Daniel and Editor-in-Chief Nikki Keating, ventured into the enchanting, twisted world of Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu. Armed with a shared love for musicals, green-and-pink ensembles, and the promise of Lupitas Mexican Restaurant afterward, they set out to experience the magic and the music. Together, they’ve crafted this review, filled with theater kid expertise, Ariana Grande admiration, and the firm belief that Jonathan Bailey could play any role and steal their hearts. Here’s what they thought!
How invested were you in the Wicked franchise before seeing the film.
TO: VERY! Wicked holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of the first musicals I ever saw with my dad, and one of the first majorly gay things I did when I was younger was to dress up as Glinda and give performances of “Popular” to my sister’s friends. In fact, that song was one of three that I owned and downloaded on my Kindle Fire growing up.
NK: I was interested in Wicked as a musical theater nerd BUT I hated most people who said it was their favorite musical. So I never truly got invested. I definitely listened to the album a lot before the movie came out just to jog my memory, as well as refreshed myself on the book, as I enjoyed it a lot. I think I was excited to see it as a grown up, as when I was a kid a lot of the themes and complex messaging flew over my head.
What were your expectations going in?
TO: I was definitely scared. Like I said, I’ve been obsessed with this musical my whole life, and I am a firm believer that stage shows will never be better when translated onto a screen. While I still believe this to be true, I was pleasantly surprised by Wicked — so much so that I saw it twice during the opening weekend, and would definitely see it again.
NK: I think the excitement of those around me was infectious. My friend group beforehand divided up who was wearing pink and who was wearing green, which definitely made me excited. As for expectations of how the movie itself would be — I really tried to keep an open mind. We are in an era where movie musicals are not good, for example Mean Girls and Dear Evan Hansen, and so while I was optimistic due to the sheer amount of money thrown at the film, I knew to keep my hopes in check.
What surprised you?
TO: Ariana Grande totally blew me away. She was perhaps what I was most worried about, but it was clear that she really loved this character. I thought she remained true to the role enough, while also adapting it and making it her own. I was also surprised that they didn’t really cut anything from the musical! It is all too common these days for musical adaptations to edit or cut plot elements for times sake, but they only expanded on plot points in Wicked. While it is really annoying that it’s two parts, it is certainly a relief to know that it’s for the sake of staying true to the source material.
NK: The dancing! It was so, so, so good. Which is probably obvious due to all of the TikTok trends. But I was really impressed with how the sets were almost tailored for the choreography to really shine. I think I was also surprised at how funny the whole movie was — I wasn’t expecting to be laughing throughout the whole thing, and was even more surprised at how funny Ariana Grande was! I also loved the costumes.
Anything you didn’t like or would change?
TO: Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. Morrible has always been one of my favorite characters in the show, and I felt that Yeoh really didn’t do her justice. I’ve always viewed the character as a drag queen of sorts — she is always wearing outrageous, flamboyant costumes and making witty remarks. Yeoh played her much more reserved, like she was plotting from the very beginning. While this certainly makes sense in the latter half of the film, I feel that her change in character is best emphasized when she is over-the-top personable and funny in the first half. So that made me a little sad. I will say though, the slow-mo villain walking with the monkeys behind her was badass.
NK: I think my only thing isn’t really something I would change but something that comes to mind — the second movie is going to be very depressing. When you watch on stage, Act 1 and Act 2 are natural progressions that also mimic most musicals. Really happy “everything going to be alright” Act 1 and then “OMG everyone’s dead and sad and I’m crying” Act 2. Wicked is just like that (not to spoil). But the difference here is that intermission is a year long. So, I don’t know. I hope that people are like “W TF” when watching Act 2 because it is very jarring.
Final thoughts and rating?
TO: I think that for casual fans or new fans of the franchise, the Wicked film is fabulous. I think it is super fun and true to the story, while still making it more palatable for modern audiences. For the die-hards like me who have YouTube playlists of their favorite stage Elphabas and Glindas, there could definitely be room for improvement. But I can also acknowledge that probably no movie version would ever satisfy me completely. There is just something so thrillifying about seeing the Time Dragon Clock light up on stage with the first few powerful chords from the orchestra. So personally, 7.5/10. Generally, 9.5/10.
NK: For a movie musical? 9.5/10. Travis kinda hit the nail on the head. For those who are new to the franchise or just musical theater in general, it is an amazing film. I also think it shows what can happen when we get a cast who truly loves what they are doing and have so much respect and adoration for the original script and music. I haven’t decided what I would rate it personally if I am being honest. I don’t know what criteria I would put it to. Call me a bad movie critic, which makes sense because I don’t do movie critiques.
