Wicked
Wicked
Elphaba, a young woman ridiculed for her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
stuhannaford reviewedJuly 2, 2025
As a lover of the theatre production, and very fond of the books, I was excited to see how it translated to the screen. For me, it falls into the ‘good’ category. Nowhere near the hype, but also much better than some of the negative press would have you believe.
The bad. It’s long, and I mean very long. It owes much of that to being overindulgent, with enormously long scenes that add little to the story, or indeed enjoyment, at regular intervals. The second issue for me, was Grande, and it was a grande problem. I found it difficult to watch her throughout, but the most problematic issue was her lack of comic timing. So many of the scripts’ very best lines, drop in her lap, but land poorly. She comes across as robotic, instead of indifferent and aloof. Any notion of being naively unaware of herself and surroundings, just doesn’t come across. As per Mamma Mia, there are a few stars that suffer the Brosnan Effect and should stick to acting, and not singing. Lastly, there is the ‘woke’ issue. Not the one where it’s lazily accused of being ‘liberalised’, without knowledge that the source material is already very progressive. It’s the fact that even with such a base, the film tries to almost eradicate any male, masculinity of any kind. With the exception of Goldblum, pretty much every man is at best ‘camp’, with the lead, for want of a better phrase, ‘queerbaiting’ at every turn, and it feels unnecessary. The story itself is already about acceptance, difference, persecution, a loss of voice, and the inverse of them all. And as with so many Hollywood movies of the past 5-10 years, the overcorrection is noticeable, even for a musical.
All that said, there are many positives. It’s bright, beautiful, and well performed as a musical throughout. It’s an important story that discusses difficult topics with a high degree of gloss and sheen, cleverly covering what’s underneath. There are also important themes about not believing everything you are told, from both sides of the spectrum. Goldblum adds his usual, awkward and odd style, to great effect. However, if for no other reason, see it for Erivo. Captivating, simply put. Ignore the outside political noises, and some of the less than perfect PR moments… watch the performer and you’ll find yourself magically drawn in. Bewitching.