If you have any form of social media you have probably seen the advertisements for the movie Wicked. Wicked was released on November 22, 2024, but gained much of its popularity beforehand. Most people know Wicked as a Broadway show that originally debuted on October 30, 2003. The Broadway show lasts 2 hours 45 minutes and is the fourth longest-running musical. The musical won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album and seven Drama Desk awards.
Overall the Broadway show and movie are very similar. Both have the same plot but the movie gives more insight into Elphaba’s childhood. In the musical, Elphaba is already enrolled in the university, but in the movie, she is just looking after her sister. Both the movie and part one of the musical end with some questions and uncertainty. The movie focuses on how the Wicked Witch of the West becomes wicked. Elphaba, the wicked witch of the West, is played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, the good witch, is played by Ariana Grande. Elphaba has always been made fun of and misunderstood because of her green skin. Glinda on the other hand has a desire to be popular and the center of attention. At first, they don’t get along, but as time goes on and they get assigned as roommates, they become best friends. They go through a lot together such as meeting with the Wizard of Oz and Glinda has to choose between helping her friend or following the rules. By the end of the movie Elphaba and Glinda end up going their separate ways. There is rumored to be a second part of the movie coming out in November 2025. The movie received a 4.1 out of 5-star rating and an 89% on rotten tomatoes.
Many people have been concerned that the movie encourages witchcraft. Some say the witches can be related to saints, and some parts of the movie can be religious. When Amanda Grey was asked about the controversy surrounding the movie she says “The story of Wicked has been around for so long. There is nothing in the story that promotes being a witch, it’s very fantasy fictional about Munchkinland where nothing happening is real.” Daisy Vasquez was asked the same question and said, “I haven’t heard about it, but I don’t think that the movie promotes any witchcraft because it’s a movie for kids, fictional.” Both Amanda and Daisy loved the movie Wicked and would highly recommend it. “I did like it, I think that they could’ve made some bolder choices with set design and costumes,” Amanda stated. On the other hand, Daisy has seen the movie three times and says, “I loved the movie – the songs and music, the choreography was really good too.”
Overall, Wicked has been blowing up over the past couple of weeks. The movie has done a lot of advertising like collaborating with Stanley, making a green and black Stanley cup, their very own Starbucks drink, and Crocs. If you get the opportunity to go see it in theaters, you definitely should.
Sources:
–https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wicked-on-broadway
–https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a62991153/wicked-movie-broadway-musical-differences-explained/
–https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/10/21/cynthia-erivos-wicked-poster-controversy-explained/
–https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/11/20/qa-wicked-author-discusses/
–https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/movies/wicked-review.html
–https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wicked_2024
