‘Wicked: Part 1’ defies expectations

By Sophia Monastra

As I researched this movie, two thoughts ran through my mind: “This movie is how long?” and “What do you mean this is part 1?”

Full disclosure, I’ve never seen the musical “Wicked” due to limited finances, (or “Wizard of Oz” due to generational trauma from flying monkeys but that’s another matter), but research shows that the musical is around three hours long.

The movie is two and a half hours for Part 1. Surely the filmmakers had to be adding an insane amount of filler to bloat the movie into a money-grabbing duology. 

I’m happy to report that I was completely, irrevocably wrong. 

“Wicked,” originally conceived as a novel written by Gregory Maguire in 1995 was reconceptualized and adapted into a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman in 2003. Since then, it has become a theatrical staple and is still playing shows on Broadway.  

“Wicked” tells the story behind “The Wizard of Oz”. This first film focuses on the enemy-to-friendship relationship between Elphaba (better known as the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Cyntia Erivo) and Galinda (emphasis on the ‘Gah’, played by Ariana Grande).

Despite being a two-and-a-half hour-long movie, the pacing in “Wicked” never dragged. Each of the scenes and songs of the movie felt necessary to building the characters, world and plot. Splitting the musical into two movies allowed more time for Elphaba’s development while still creating a satisfying arc that helped part one feel like a full movie and not just half a musical.

I did wish that there had been more time to flesh out the friendship between Elphaba and Galinda, but that may have been impossible to do without inflating the already-long runtime. 

This may sound shallow, but one of the greatest parts of this already fantastic movie was the sets. From the gorgeous campus water features of Shiz University to the soaring skyline of the Emerald City, the set design helped establish Oz as a unique, vibrant world. Pieces such as the library’s rotating book carousel served as entertaining and dynamic choreography-assisting settings. 

As a well-known and loved musical, “Wicked” had immense challenges in bringing its songs to the big screen. Not only do these songs communicate significant plot points and emotions, people have also had over a decade to listen and love the original Broadway recording. Aside from a few minor changes, including longer instrumental breaks in “Dancing Through Life”, “Popular” and “A Sentimental Man”, as well as an extended scene in “Defying Gravity” that ties the movie together, the songs are still the same structurally. Erivo’s “Defying Gravity” keeps the power and freedom and Grande’s “Popular” is enthusiastic and slightly self-absorbed. 

Does “Wicked: Part 1” fully capture the energy of a live Broadway performance? Probably not, but as a new adaptation, it succeeds.

“Wicked: Part 1” is currently showing in theaters.

Sophia Monastra is a Junior Professional Writing and Information Design major. With a major that is literally writing, you’d think she’d have been able to write this review faster.

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures.