Review: Wicked: Part 1 – Tap your red shoes and stay home
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Cynthia Nixon, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum
6/10
The wonderful thing about Wicked are the themes and lessons taught in this political allegory. For parents and teachers, there are many important conversations to be discussed with the next generation, hidden beneath the emerald buildings and rainbow fields.
Wicked is a commentary on perspectives—how a hero can be the villain, depending on who’s telling the story and how the historical narrative is written by the victor. It explores the possession and inequalities of power, the fear of difference, the subjugation of races, and the insidious nature of politics if one person is given too much power.
The Wizard’s line, “The best way to bring people together is to give them a good enemy,” could very easily have come from a century-old fascist manifesto or many modern political playbooks today.
Wicked: Part 1 is based on the smash hit Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which in itself is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire, which is then based on the characters from the iconic film The Wizard of Oz, which is based on a novel by Frank L. Baum. Needless to say, there are a lot of ingredients in this concoction.
Now if the stage show runs for two hours and 30 minutes and the film runs for two hours and 41 minutes, please explain why the movie released this week is only the first half? That’s right, Wicked: Part Two will be released in late 2025. Over two and a half hours seems extravagantly long for half a film, and there is certainly room for some sharp edits to retrieve time. If director Jon M. Chu really wanted the freedom for his vision, then a 4-6 episode miniseries on a major streaming service would be a much better platform for delivering this long-form content.
In the modern age of streaming, a two-part movie is not really a concern, as eventually the viewer can just binge watch till they are green. For what reason then would you see the cinematic release now if you are not going to get an ending? Where is the resolution? Oh, it is about 365 days away.
Part 1 introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a wise and resilient girl who is unfortunately born green and thus shunned by others. We see Elphaba’s journey from discarded daughter to strong, independent woman, from ridiculed laughing stock to the posh school’s most successful sorceress.
Along the way we meet the popular, spoiled, ignorant Galinda (Ariana Grande), the charmingly vacuous Prince Fiyero (Johnathon Bailey), the sweet and naive Boq (Ethan Slater), and a cast of others—but this is entirely Elphaba’s story and entirely Cynthia Erivo’s film. Erivo is outstanding as Elphaba, effortlessly carrying the film on her broomstick. From pitch-perfect soaring songs (Defying Gravity is iconic in the musical theatre world) to the subtle displays of emotional turbulence within a defiant green exterior, Erivo casts a spell as our heroine.
The other big name stars in Wicked are Ariana Grande, who does adequately well as the airhead Galinda (and gets the best quote with “Something is very wrong. I didn’t get my way”), Michelle Yeoh is very good as the tough teacher, as is Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. In a similar issue to the casting of Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia!, Goldblum is a good actor, until he has to sing. His struggles are even more noticeable when alongside the magnificent voices of Grande and Erivo. Given that his songs are not crucial to the film, this would have been a simple editing room cut to save time and pain. There are also unnecessary cameos by the original Broadway Wicked musical theatre stars, which add nothing but time to an already slow Emerald City sequence.
Verdict? Tap your red shoes and stay home. It will be an excellent movie in 2026 when you can stream both the beginning and the ending at your own pace. For now, read the story or see the stage show.
MELISSA MANN