“Wicked” was easily one of the most anticipated movies of 2024 with its Broadway fame, celebrity cast members and months-long press tour. It entered theatres on November 22nd, making $164 million dollars that first weekend (Newsweek). Fifteen days later on December 7th, at AMC Theatres Woodlands, wearing head-to-toe green, I entered Theatre 11 and was changed for good.
MOST UNEXPECTED SHOWSTOPPER: The Wizard and I
From the beginning to the end, “Wicked” was for the vocalists. Between Ariana Grande’s (Glinda) operatic singing and Cynthia Erivo’s (Elphaba) powerful belting, each song featuring them appeared seamless and effortless. Erivo’s vocals are well-known, most notably from her iconic end note in the song “Defying Gravity”, which she has sung on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show as well as a Target ad. Before entering the movie theatre, I was familiar with that note of Erivo’s, and only that note. So, when Erivo effortlessly hit the high endnotes of the song “The Wizard and I”, singing passionately enough to raise goosebumps, I was genuinely shocked. I actually raised my hands to clap as soon as the song ended, feeling the need to express my wonder out loud. Fortunately for the rest of the audience, I regained control over my arms before actually clapping and contented myself with hyperfocusing on the rest of Erivo’s singing throughout the movie.
MOST JAW-DROPPING SET: Shiz University
From the second that Galinda glided into Shiz on a boat, her hand running through the clear blue river that led up to the university doors, I knew we were in for a gorgeous setting. Approaching your school by boat is ideal in any circumstance, but I think the voyage would be much more enjoyable if your school is Shiz University. As if Hogwarts had met the setting of The Little Mermaid, the university’s old grandeur clashed brilliantly with the castle’s teal coloring and vivid waterways. I completely understand why Elphaba’s hesitation to stay at the school vanished so quickly; who wouldn’t want to live in such a fantastical place? In a vlog by Ariana Grande, she revealed the set of Shiz which was built from the ground up for authenticity. I mean, the Emerald City and Munchkin Land were nice and all, but if I had to spend one short day anywhere, you would find me at Shiz.
CATCHIEST VOCALS: “What Is This Feeling?”
“What Is This Feeling” was one of the few songs I knew going into the movie, specifically the snippet that goes, “Dear Galinda, you are just too good! How do you stand it? I don’t think I could!” It had been stuck in my head for days and was one of my most anticipated songs. The moment did not disappoint, with the Shiz students clapping their books and stomping their boots to add satisfying percussion to the already-catchy lyrics. What’s more, I think this was the best Glinda and Elphaba duet. While I’ve heard arguments for “Defying Gravity”, I really think Erivo took control of that piece and outshone Grande. In “What Is This Feeling”, we got individual moments from both of them, pretty harmonies, and a funny dynamic between their characters. This is what really sold the song for me, because while “Defying Gravity” is probably the best-known song on the track list, it is really Elphaba’s song rather than both of theirs.
MOST UNDERRATED PERFORMANCE: “Dancing Through Life”
If anyone said Jonathan Bailey wouldn’t live up to his role as Prince Fiyero, they would be eating their words after having seen “Dancing Through Life.” It had the perfect buildup and Bailey’s vocals were so well suited to the song. My absolute favorite part of the number (maybe even the movie) was when Fiyero slid on a book through the crowd of students in the Shiz library to deliver the searing end note of his line, “Woes are fleeing, blows are glancing when you’re dancing… through life!” This moment was ridiculously underrated (my family could not even remember it (!) when I brought it up as soon as we left the theatre). The satisfying musical resolution that came with the words “through liiiiiife” left me wanting more and wishing that was the chorus to the song.
CONFUSIFYINGEST MOMENT: “Defying Gravity”
If you asked any “Wicked” connoisseur what the most show stopping number is, “Defying Gravity” would be their answer. I mean, I even knew the song and I watched the “Wicked” musical once when I was eight. Did the performance live up to my expectations? Yes. Were Erivo’s vocals everything and more? Absolutely. The music itself is not what puzzled me. It was the total 180 that took place midway through the song, from Elphaba and Glinda apparently deciding on running away together to Elphaba flying away alone while Glinda was left on the balcony of the Wizard of Oz’s palace. I mean, within the span of a minute, we go from “Together, we’ll be the greatest team there’s ever been” to “If I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free”. I just want to know the thought process going through Elphaba’s head when Glinda switched from holding on to Elphaba’s flying broomstick to holding on to Madame Morrible (the real villain). I knew their moment of separation had to come at some point as it’s central to the Wizard of Oz, but either some context was missing from this moment or as a “Wicked” neophyte I did not understand it.
MOST MORALLY GRAY CHARACTER: Glinda
This may be a controversial stand, picking Glinda as the most morally gray character. I would be open to hearing out arguments for Madame Morrible, the Wizard or even Nessa. However, by the end of the movie all three of these characters were essentially (in my mind) evil. Glinda was the only one whom, when exiting the theatre, I still had doubts about. On one hand, she was the quintessential mean girl, turning the Shiz students against Elphaba initially. However, once they became friends, Glinda seemed to be Elphaba’s biggest supporter, helping her gain popularity and encouraging her as she received an invitation to meet the Wizard. By the end, I would have been totally convinced of Glinda’s goodness except for the fact that she stayed behind while Elphaba escaped. Because the movie is only Part 1 of “Wicked”, we don’t get to see what Glinda does after she escapes, but we know she eventually becomes Glinda the Good Witch and rejoices among the Ozians after Elphaba is killed. Glinda remaining with the Wizard and Madame Morrible instead of running away with Elphaba left me pondering how far she would go to feed her own ambition, even if her best friend’s life was at stake.
BEST OZIAN VOCAB WORD: Scandalacious
To me, it felt like most of the unique Ozian vocabulary was essentially just adjectives with extra syllables thrust into them. However, I am not complaining, as ‘scandalacious’ perfectly describes this movie. From Glinda and Elphaba’s enemies-to-friends-to-enemies arc, to Fiyero and Elphaba’s secret moment in the Shiz forest, to the Wizard’s plot to cage all the animals in Oz, the movie was chock-full of scandals. If you are looking for entertainment, “Wicked” is definitely the movie to choose. Overall, it was two and a half hours of shock, laughter, gorgeous vocals and tears, and I am wildly anticipating “Wicked” Part 2.
