Absolutely amazing. They nailed (almost) every song with the utmost respect for staying true to the Broadway versions I’ve heard.
If you’re worried it might be ruined because you’ve seen it live, I’m here to reassure you: it does great justice to the source material.
However, there are some issues.
First, the most obvious one: the length. The movie is too long. It didn’t need to be over two hours. Yes, translating theater to film requires some adjustments—it can’t just “fade to black.” However, there were multiple moments that felt unnecessarily stretched and didn’t need to happen.
Another issue is the Prince (Jonathan Bailey). While he’s clearly an excellent dancer, his singing leaves much to be desired. On top of that, the pop influence they added to his rendition of “Dancing Through Life” simply didn’t work.
Last but not least with a rather “lame” introduction to the wizard, I’m left with some hopeful anticipation for his further character development in part 2
But enough with the cons—let’s talk about the positives!
The set design was absolutely amazing, and from what I’ve heard, incredibly well-crafted. The CGI, where it was used, looked mostly great (surprisingly the flying animation at the end was one of the best I’ve ever seen)—except for one moment where the Prince is holding that cub. All these people who are complaining about the color grading and that it needed more “saturation” can get stuffed.
Finally, let’s talk about Ariana Grande. She was incredible, which, funnily enough, I never expected to write (no hate, I just don’t listen to her music and haven’t been a fan of her past antics). She completely embodied Glinda’s character and deserved the role wholeheartedly. She was charming, funny, and had a beautiful voice—truly great work
Cynthia Erivo was phenomenal as Elphaba, reminding me of the first time I saw Wicked live. Her energy, the way she infused her personality into the character, and her captivating voice (especially during Defying Gravity) were stunning. The whole theater clapped at the end of the movie.
These two were absolutely meant for these roles. Honestly, they were so harmonious together that they could’ve switched characters, and it still would’ve been amazing. Great job—I’m looking forward to part two!