Another musical movie adaption has released and this time it is the beloved broadway musical Wicked directed by Jon M. Chu. This movie is definitely worth watching. 

Many people became scared when it was announced that Wicked will have a movie adaption. They didn’t know if it would live up to the glory of the original musical especially as many other movie musicals did not do well  but their fears were proved wrong as it is just as magical as its predecessor. 

The whole internet is obsessed over the new movie adaptation, the addictive songs and the hilarious memes from it are all anyone sees on their feeds. The movie had the amazing voices, choreography, and acting that made the original so loved and cherished, which led to its $496 million made in box offices. 

The original Wicked musical comes from the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was written by Gregory Maguire. With no spoilers, the story is about Elphaba, the “Wicked Witch of the West” from the story The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of the beginnings of a profound friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and the Good Witch of the South, Glinda. 

The one-up that the movie has on the musical was its ability to fully visualize the world that the book was trying to create. The world of Oz felt so well-built, as if this was a real world one could visit. The special effects and practical effects made the viewing so magical and viewers became fully immersed in Oz. 

Another thing the movie is doing better is the pacing of the story. There were many criticisms of the musical for trying to cram a complex story into a two-hour play. How the movie fixes this is splitting the movie into two so that they can fully flesh out the story without having to worry about run time. 

What makes it even better are the stars of the movie, famous pop star Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Both these women could fully disappear and become their roles, during the movie Grande could leave behind her famous image as a popstar and fully became the popular girl, Glinda. Erivo could also disappear from who she was and even went with practical effects to become the Elphaba, green skin and all. 

They pulled a showstopper performance, especially with their vocal skills that made their songs addictive to listen to. 

However, they were not the only ones who became highlights of the movie. Jonathan Bailey, who plays the party boy, Prince Fiyero. Bailey’s performance, especially with his dancing, gave the movie even more charm, and it even has people recreating his dance on social media. Another character that people have gone crazy for and certainly added some extra enchantment was The Wizard that was played by Jeff Goldblum, who fully embodied the trickster. 

There are still many notable actors who all helped create the magical place of Oz, such as Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond. 

So far, Wicked has been nominated for several Critics Choice Awards and for the Golden Globes since audiences have highly received it. This movie would be 4.5/5 stars for me, the same rating that was given on Rotten Tomatoes. It is full of charm and songs that will be stuck in your head all day. Now fans will have to wait for more magic in the second movie coming out November 2025.