“You’re gonna be popular!” On Friday, November 22, Wicked Part One was released in theaters. Directed by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who also directed Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, the 2-hour 40-minute movie is the first of a two-part series. This story details the backstory of Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch, two characters from the classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, and follows the two as they first meet at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. The two roommates gradually move from acquaintances, to enemies, to best friends. Together, they discover a danger to the talking animals of Oz, and travel to the Emerald City. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, along with a cast of Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, among others, cover a wide variety of characters and come from varied backgrounds, including Broadway, television, and the music industry. It also featured surprise cameos from Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, the original Glinda and Elphaba, from the Broadway production.
I went and saw the movie the night it was released and had been looking forward to the movie for a long time. I had never seen the Broadway production before, or read the book, but I knew the general plot of the story as well as some of the more popular songs. Wicked was thoroughly promoted before the release of the movie, especially via collaborations with Ariana Grande’s brand, R.E.M Beauty, and Target.
I was fully engrossed throughout the movie, and thought it had a good mixture of humor and important messages.
I was fully engrossed throughout the movie, and thought it had a good mixture of humor and important messages. Grande and Erivo had great chemistry on screen, and the music was amazing. During filming, the actors requested to sing live during shooting, which really showcases their natural talent. There were a few sudden intensity changes, which were startling, and it was difficult to sit through the length of the movie, but overall, it was an stellar production that I plan on seeing again.
“My favorite part of the movie was the song Defying Gravity, because of the meaning behind it. To me the song means going above and beyond expectations and pushing boundaries to fight for what you believe in, knowing that sometimes that's all you can do to make a difference. I thought the movie was good because you get to hear about the true story of the beginning of Oz, and there is a lot of themes of female empowerment in a male dominated world,” explained Grace Redman (12), who also saw the movie.
So far, Wicked has had a record-breaking debut, bringing in $164 million globally, beating out Gladiator 2 and Red One. Wicked Part II is set to release November 21, 2025, but until then, I would recommend going to go see Wicked Part I. Bring your theater nerd, grab some popcorn, and settle in for an amazing immersive experience of music and laughter.
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