Wicked the Movie: Defying the Curse of the Musical Movie Adaptation
Wicked Promo Photo
By: Isabella Quintero
As longtime fans of the original broadway musical, many Wicked enthusiasts, including myself, were on the edge of their seats waiting for this musical movie adaptation to hit the screens, only to be completely thrown off by the wonders of this story being brought to life in every aspect.
Wicked the musical, first performed on broadway in 2003, enchanted thousands of people, theater kids mostly, with the fresh perspective of a classic story, giving a mixture of both wonder and closure to these minds after having the story of the Wizard of Oz as their only story.
From an idea based on a 1939 movie, to a book, made musical, then turned into a live action movie in 2024, the Wicked franchise has made itself somewhat timeless, and has stayed relevant in one way or another.
Musical movie adaptations have had a history of mixed reviews, with varying degrees of success in translating stage magic to the screen. Cats, for example, had a horrendous translation from stage to screen, that one is pretty much all around agreed. Chicago however, had a much better translation, and is loved by so many people both on stage and on screen.
Wicked, the movie, has proven with only a month out in theaters to be one of the most well received musical movie adaptations, and arguably, the best one in the last decade at least. This movie, which has gained so much popularity just with the promotion itself, has truly brought the magic of this world to life, with amazing casting, captivating musical numbers, gorgeous set designs, and powerful storytelling.
The main characters, who consist of Elphaba played by Cynthia Erivo, Galinda played by Ariana Grande, Fiyero played by Jonathan Bailey, Boq played by Ethan Slater, NessaRose played by Marissa Bode, Dr. Dillamond played by Peter Dinklage, Madame Morrible played by Michelle Yeoh, and The Wizard played by Jeff Goldblum, all played their parts to a tee.
Erivo and Grande played Elphaba and Galinda with so much love and care, they were Elphaba and Galinda. Their bond that they surely formed while filming the movie is seen so clearly in their acting. There is no movie if the main characters don’t have some sort of chemistry, and these two have such a strong pull towards each other.
Jonathan Bailey who plays both of their “love interest,” could likely have chemistry with a wall, so his connection with both Elphaba and Galida was strong, at least when it needed to be to fit the storyline. However, this isn’t really a love story, but a story of friendship.
From the moment they meet, Elphaba and Galinda loathe each other, they even sing and dance about it to prove how much. As time goes on, they grow to love each other and become best friends. So much so that Elphaba invites Galinda to the Emerald City with her to meet the Wizard of Oz.
There is such a grey area between good and evil that is shown through the evolution of Elphaba and Galinda’s friendship by showing that Elphaba is initially seen as “evil” because she’s different, and Galinda is seen as “good” because she fits in so well. However, the more we get to know them, the more we see that they’re so similar, and they’re both quite weird in their own ways.
Contrary to how the land of Oz may see her by the end, Elphaba decides to use her immense power for good, while Galinda is last seen staying with the Wizard and Madame Morrible. As much as she wanted to go with Elphaba and as good as she wants to be, she doesn't want to step out of society’s current view of “good.”
This society is shown to have a pretty corrupt view of what is good and what is evil, as they blindly believe the Wizard of Oz’s claims, despite the fact that he’s a fraud. The themes of power, identity, and the gray area between good and evil, as well as the musical’s deep cultural relevance tapping into issues of prejudice, power struggles, and personal transformation are so thought out and perfectly articulated by these actors that they really resonate with a lot of the audience.
While the book, the musical, and the movie are all largely fantastical, they also have very real factors about them that correlate into the real world.
The awareness that this movie brings to real world problems, like corruption, absoluteness in power, and the mistreatment of minority groups, is very prevalent, with the contrasting factors that appeal to younger audiences that just want to watch the Wicked Witch of the West be best friends with Glinda the Good Witch.
I personally felt a lot when watching this film, from joy, sadness, betrayal, and wonder, to yearning for that second part that will come out in the following November: Wicked: For Good. I believe this film brings a lot of inspiration not just for those watching but for the film industry as well, with its dedication to make everything as real as possible and really take the time and care to enhance this theatrical experience for the audience.
As longtime fans of the original Broadway musical, I, like many others, waited eagerly for the Wicked movie adaptation to hit the screens, only to be utterly captivated by the wonders of this story being brought to life in every aspect.
First performed on Broadway in 2003, Wicked enchanted audiences with its fresh, thought-provoking take on the classic Wizard of Oz, offering both wonder and closure to the fans who had only known the world of Oz from the original story.
From an idea based on a 1939 movie, to a book, made musical, then turned into a live action movie in 2024, the Wicked franchise has made itself somewhat timeless, and has stayed relevant in one way or another.
Musical movie adaptations have historically had mixed reviews, with varying degrees of success in translating stage magic to the screen. Cats, for example, received widespread criticism in their strange, disturbing version of translating to the screen. Chicago, however, had a much better translation, and is loved by so many people both on stage and on screen.
Wicked, the movie, has proven with only a month out in theaters to be one of the most well received musical movie adaptations, and arguably, the best one in the last decade at least. This movie, which has gained so much popularity just with the promotion itself, has truly brought the magic of this world to life, with amazing casting, captivating musical numbers, gorgeous set designs, and powerful storytelling.
The main characters, who consist of Elphaba played by Cynthia Erivo, Galinda played by Ariana Grande, Fiyero played by Jonathan Bailey, Boq played by Ethan Slater, NessaRose played by Marissa Bode, Dr. Dillamond played by Peter Dinklage, Madame Morrible played by Michelle Yeoh, and The Wizard played by Jeff Goldblum, all played their parts to a tee.
Erivo and Grande played Elphaba and Galinda with so much love and care, they were Elphaba and Galinda. Their bond that they surely formed while filming the movie is seen so clearly in their acting. There is no movie if the main characters don’t have some sort of chemistry, and these two have such a strong pull towards each other.
Jonathan Bailey, who plays both of their “love interest,” could likely have chemistry with a wall, so his connection with both Elphaba and Galida was strong, at least when it needed to be to fit the storyline. However, this isn’t really a love story, but a story of friendship.
From the moment they meet, Elphaba and Galinda loathe each other, they even sing and dance about it to prove how much. As time goes on, they grow to love each other and become best friends. So much so that Elphaba invites Galinda to the Emerald City with her to meet the Wizard of Oz.
The evolution of Elphaba and Galinda’s friendship highlights the grey area between good and evil by showing that Elphaba is initially seen as “evil” because she’s different, and Galinda is seen as “good” because she fits in so well. However, the more we get to know them, the more we see that they’re so similar, and they’re both quite weird in their own ways.
Contrary to how the land of Oz may see her by the end, Elphaba decides to use her immense power for good, rejecting the Wizards' corruption. Galinda however, remains in the system, choosing to stay within society’s flawed view of “good” despite her internal struggles.
This society is shown to have a pretty corrupt view of what is good and what is evil, as they blindly believe the Wizard of Oz’s claims, despite the fact that he’s a fraud. The themes of power, identity, and the gray area between good and evil, as well as the musical’s deep cultural relevance tapping into issues of prejudice, power struggles, and personal transformation are so thought out and perfectly articulated by these actors that they really resonate with a lot of the audience.
While the book, the musical, and the movie are all largely fantastical, they also have very real factors about them that correlate into the real world.
The movie brings awareness to real world problems, such as corruption, absoluteness in power, and the mistreatment of minority groups, is very prevalent, especially with the contrasting factors that appeal to younger audiences that just want to watch the Wicked Witch of the West be best friends with Glinda the Good Witch.
I personally felt a lot when watching this film, from joy and wonder to sadness and betrayal, leaving me yearning for the release of Wicked: For Good. I believe this film brings a lot of inspiration not just for those watching but for the film industry as well, with its dedication to make everything as real as possible and really take the time and care to enhance this theatrical experience for the audience.
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