By Katina Handrinos, Banner Staff

The 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum has inspired a long line of spin-off media, including the stage musical Wicked, which first opened on Broadway in 2003 and has been running ever since. Wicked has garnered high acclaim, winning three Tony Awards and amassing a large following of dedicated fans. In November 2024, this story gained a whole new set of fans and attention with the release of the film adaptation, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda along with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh. 

The film’s 150 million dollar budget is evident in its elaborate life-size sets, complex costumes, special effects, and props. Costume Designer Ms. Pribble remarked, “The costume designer, Paul Tazewell, paid a lot of attention to texture while maintaining a very tight palette. This allows him to use huge amounts of layering and detail without the costume designs overwhelming the performers.”

Erivo and Grande’s chemistry is one of the most compelling aspects of the film. Both actors have spoken of the immense emotional connection that they developed through the production of Wicked; this bond is not only seen in interviews where they often cry and hold hands, but also in the way their Elphaba and Glinda connect on screen. At first, they dazzle as sworn enemies, fighting over dorm space and desks, but even more affecting is their connection as eventual best friends—Erivo and Grande work wonderfully off each other in moments like the Ozdust Ballroom scene and the Defying Gravity scene. 

Another film highlight is Jonathan Bailey’s performance as Fiyero. Bailey brings charisma and  strong vocal and dance performance, and completely commands the screen whenever he swaggers into frame. Bailey’s rendition of “Dancing Through Life” is show-stopping; he slides on books, flirts with every character, jumps through a spinning bookshelf, all while singing with grace. Amanie Yusef ’25 commented, “It was really inspiring to me as a dancer. Throughout the movie, I got to see people do what I want to do in the future, which is dance professionally, and it just looked like everyone was having so much fun… I think the movie will always have a special place in my heart.” The viewer can also feel the spectacle of each high-production, large-scale group number, such as “No One Mourns the Wicked.” Co-head of Theater and Film Club Matilda Fletcher ’25 added, “A lot of movie musicals that came out last year [Mean Girls] tried to actively hide the fact that they were musicals in advertising… I appreciated that the film didn’t reject the ‘musical-ness’ of the source material.” 

Unfortunately, the “musical-ness” and impressive spectacle of Wicked resulted in the film’s having an unusually long runtime of two hours and 40 minutes, even though the 2024 film is only Act One of the original stage musical. At times, scenes drag, and the runtime may cause viewers to check their watches instead of fully enjoying the film.

Overall, the Wicked film offers a fantastical world to dive headfirst into and fulfills its name as a movie musical. I would recommend that everyone go watch it—for goodness sake, I’ve seen it five times in theaters alone! But for now, The Banner is holding space for Wicked and all its magic.