We Saw Wicked, Here’s Our Take! Gurlll…

We Saw Wicked, Here's Our Take! Gurlll...

It seems like we have been waiting for a million years for the film version of Wicked to come out. Well, it's finally here! Their marketing campaign has been a whirlwind with tie-ins everywhere you look, Wicked condoms anyone? Does the film live up to the hype? We got to see the movie on Monday night and have had to sit on our opinion until today when the film officially hits theaters. Yes, it's good. Yes, it's EFFING good.

Well, we have been waiting for the film for a long time. It was originally announced by Universal in 2012, over a decade ago! Names like Lady Gaga were being thrown around in terms of casting. Development delays slowed everything down. Then Covid hit. It wasn't until 2021 when Wicked found its director and the lead cast, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Then filming got stalled due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and the actors returned in January of 2024 to finish wrapping it up. The film comes in two parts, with the first film literally mimicking the close of Act 1 of the Broadway musical. The film is based on the Broadway musical that is based on the book by Gregory MacGuire (in 1995) that is based on the Frank Baum novel The Wizard of Oz in 1900. Wicked is a pre and post-sequel to Dorothy and her antics on the Yellow Brick Road, telling the tale of the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West).

This film is going to change the future of musical movies forever. It sets the bar so high, being a rare breed of film that actually surpasses the stage version. For die-hard fans of the musical, be very rest assured, the show's music is very very intact. So many movie versions of a musical will cut shorter numbers or musical interludes, Wicked keeps it all. And while some shake their heads at the 2 hour and 40 minutes run time for just Part 1 (longer than the entire stage show), the longer storytelling breathes new life to the story that many of us know. Not much has been changed in terms of storylines. There are a few new minor characters but other than that, the story remains pretty intact. The director has infused so many great moments that a high-paced Broadway musical can't allow for. There is a particularly touching moment that Glinda and Elphaba share on the dance floor the solidifies the intensity of their friendship in an extremely emotional way. Most of us gays know every word to the Act 1 finale Defying Gravity and we pretty much assume how the first part of the Wicked film will end. Throw all your assumptions to the side. They have turned Elphaba's big moment into a cinematic masterpiece. It is draw-dropping.

As far as the queer quotient goes. Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, and Cynthia Erivo are representing our community out and proud! Among the ensemble, you can peek some same-sex coupling and some non-binary characters. As far as the storyline, it is pretty queer. Feeling like an outcast because of how you were born, that's a no-brainer representation. Wicked also has a storyline about giving into fascism and vilifying a certain culture just to have someone to collectively fear and hate. Sound familiar?

The casting for this movie is impeccable. Ariana and Cynthia devour these roles and add subtlety, complex layers, and pathos to roles that are sometimes played very heavy-handedly. Wicked balances what we expect from the musical and what we want from an epic movie extremely well. Jonathan Bailey is hot as usual as the dashing and flirty Fiyero. Does he seem a bit old to be going to Shiz School? Hmmmm...still hot though!

There are fun throwbacks to the Wizard of Oz movie. The scene where the evil woman (Wicked Witch's counterpart in Kansas) is riding the bicycle with the basket, poppies that make everyone sleep, and even a pair of ruby slippers make an appearance. There are also many throwbacks to the film in terms of costuming, especially for the munchkins. And the rumored cameos we wanted to see? Yes, they show up and they do a lot more than just a cameo. And there's also a fun cameo from musical composer Stephen Schwartz.

It's a fun ride and will please musical and non-musical goers alike.

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