Wicked Review (Part 1)

Graphic by Chase Grivna

The well-awaited movie adaptation of the musical, “Wicked”, hit theaters Oct. 30, 21 years after the Broadway opening. 

The film centers around the untold story of the witches of oz, a whimsical place that is well-known from “The Wizard of Oz”. “Wicked”, the musical, had its official Broadway opening on Oct. 30, 2003, according to Playbill’s website. Making the show the 4th longest-running show in Broadway history. 

The story focuses on a misunderstood, green Elphaba and a popular, blonde Glinda who are forced into residing together at school. In the movie, Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba and Glinda is portrayed by Ariana Grande. 

University of Minnesota students appreciated the well-produced portrayal of the movie.

Leslie Bleess, a journalism student at the university, said she had already seen the movie twice because she liked it so much. 

“I thought they executed it so well, I was not expecting it to be as good as it was,” Bleess said. “I absolutely fell in love with it.”

Bleess said she thinks Cynthia Erivo did a great job portraying her role. Erivo received a Tony Award following her Broadway debut in “The Color Purple” and is also known for starring in the movie “Harriet”.

 “I love Cynthia Erivo,” Bleess said. “I had no clue who she was before “Wicked” and the way she played the role was spot on and so different from Idina Menzel, the original Elphaba.” 

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth starred as Elphaba and Glinda in the original Broadway cast and guest starred in the film in honor of their previous roles. Bleess said she saw the musical when she was young, but thinks the movie stuck with her more. 

The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu, the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In The Heights”. The soundtrack of the movie follows that of the musical with slight changes to tone and lyrics. 

Bleess said it is difficult to choose her favorite song but she really enjoyed how “Defying Gravity” was done. 

“I can't get over ‘Defying Gravity’,” Bleess said. “Just the way that it wasn’t just the song, there were little scenes within the song during the movie.”

Erin Howard, a biology student at the university, said she loved all of the music but she specifically enjoyed one song and the correlating scenes in the movie. 

“My favorite song was ‘What Is This Feeling’,” Howard said. “Where Ariana Grande is holding the books.” 

Following the release, a trend on TikTok has been to recreate the scene from the song where Grande and other cast members dance using stacks of books as their props.

Bleess said she was pleasantly surprised by how Ariana Grande portrayed Glinda in the film. Going into the movie, she was worried she would find Glinda annoying. 

“She was a little full of herself, it wasn't over the top where I thought, ‘oh this is annoying,’” Bleess said. “I thought it was so perfectly done, the way that Ariana Grande did it.” 

“Wicked” has a play time of two hours and 40 minutes. Victoria Andreano, a nursing student, said she thought it was a bit long, but produced very well. 

The movie was the first part of a two-part series. The second movie is projected to be released Nov. 2025. 

“I am really excited to see the second half to see those songs,” Bleess said. 

So, if you have not seen the movie yet, take a trip to Munchkinland and remember to follow the yellow brick road all the way there.