Film Review: WICKED: PART 1 (2024): A Spectacular Musical and The Most Fun You’ll Have at the Movies This Year

Wicked: Part One Review

Wicked: Part One (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Jon M. Chu, written by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox and Gregory Maguire and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Dinklage, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Idina Menzel, Ethan Slater, Sharon D. Clarke, Adam James, Keala Settle, Bronwyn James, Bowen Yang, James Dryden, Andy Nyman and Grecia De la Paz.

Wicked: Part One, directed by Jon M. Chu, is a spectacular cinematic delight that will keep audiences in tune and entertained from opening to close. The Broadway musical the film is based on was simply an outline for one of the most entertaining films of all-time which is both fun and moving, simultaneously. This film is commandeered by two amazing actresses, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera. It’s impossible to say who delivers the better performance because both stars work at opposite ends of the spectrum. Erivo is the heart of the movie while Grande-Butera is the soul. Movies like Wicked: Part One are few and far between and this is surely a movie-going experience to be cherished.

This film is set primarily at Shiz University where our two leading ladies have come to learn a very distinct craft. There’s Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande-Butera). We’re told that the Wicked Witch appears to be no more at the very start of the picture. Glinda is sealing herself in a bubble to distance herself from a crowd until someone asks if Glinda was friends with the Wicked Witch. It seems like she was. The movie’s story line opens with the birth of Elphaba who comes out into the world as a baby the color green to the disgrace of her dad.

When we fast forward to Shiz, Elphaba and Galinda (that’s what she calls herself at first) meet up and Galinda decides to feel some sympathy towards Elphaba. Things are further complicated when they become reluctant roommates. Galinda has plenty of pink shoes and a lovely wardrobe while Elphaba is more down-to-earth in terms of what she wears herself. Michelle Yeoh serves as the knowledgeable resident instructor, Madame Morrible, who takes the blame for an incident initiated by Elphaba. Galinda would like to be trained by Morrible who focuses her attention on the more promising Elphaba.

Galinda has her charismatic personality and good looks on her side while Elphaba is an outcast. Galinda sets her eyes on a hunk named Fiyero (the tremendously talented Jonathan Bailey) who ends up becoming fascinated by Elphaba’s abilities. In the interim, a goat professor at the school, Dr. Dillamond (the distinct voice of Peter Dinklage), also forms a bond with Elphaba. When Elphaba goes to a party wearing a pointed black hat, she is ridiculed until Galinda stands by her side and begins to form a friendship of her own with the green but talented Elphaba.

Marissa Bode co-stars as Nessarose who is in a wheelchair and who Galinda convinces a good-hearted Munchkin named Boq (Ethan Slater) to ask out. Galinda sets her sights on helping make Elphaba “popular” and in that showstopping scene, Ariana Grande-Butera frolics and dances her way to the most enjoyable scene at the movies this year. As something along the lines of a popular “ditz,” Galinda is so energetic and the actress playing her, Grande-Butera, brings much depth and humor to her character that ends up making her role one of the best so far this year at the movies.

Cynthia Erivo is astonishing. She is the character people can feel for throughout the movie which makes her ultimate transformation at the end all the more intriguing and surprising. Erivo and Grande-Butera play off each other with magical precision that makes the heart of their relationship as best friends very touching and quite enjoyable to behold.

Jeff Goldblum is the Wizard. Goldblum has a lot of his own personal mannerisms and quirks that suit his role here well. This story featured in the movie was inspired by The Wizard of Oz. We get a hilarious glimpse at how the yellow brick road was decided to be colored as it was. Goldblum soon seems to become something of a catalyst to the final unveiling the plot reveals before leaving audiences eagerly awaiting the second part of this story.

“Defying Gravity” is the name of the very “popular” song the movie closes with, and it plays like gangbusters here. There will undoubtedly be applause by the time the end credits roll. Also, look out for original performers from the show, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, in a cute scene that may feel out of place within the context of the movie but honors the pedigree of the piece to perfection.

Wicked: Part 1 is an experience like no other. The world-building is phenomenal and is complemented by dazzling visuals that are heightened to full effect. The technical aspects here reel the viewer in from the first frame and won’t let the audience go throughout the duration of the film. By the time the movie ends, you’ll want to see Part 2 ASAP.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera are both deserving of Oscar nominations. The movie carefully keeps one of them off-screen at times while the other actress chews scenery. This is a clever way to try to get them into the Best Supporting Actress category but both stars would be perfectly fine if recognized as leads as well.

Wicked: Part 1 has so many phenomenal scenes that coalesce to bring the crowd-pleasing wonder of it all together. Grande-Butera is so charming that she could have viewers laughing out loud while Erivo touches the heart with a truly sensitive turn that is also full of subtext. This is a near-perfect masterpiece that will keep viewers enthralled all the way from now to Oscar season where it will undoubtedly take home a technical trophy or two at the very minimum. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 9.5/10

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