Wicked

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Wicked

Released Nov 22, 2024

2h 40m

Kids & Family

Musical

Fantasy

Adventure

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87%

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391 Reviews

95%

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25,000+ Verified Ratings

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway's The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Critics Consensus

Defying gravity with its magical pairing of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked's sheer bravura and charm make for an irresistible invitation to Oz.

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Audience Says

Fly, do not run, to see Wicked, a bewitching musical experience chanted by a spellbinding cast.

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Jesse Hassenger

AV Club

Is it enough for Wicked to be a better version of those live-action Disney remakes, one with more tactile sets, defter direction, and better leading performances? Maybe.

Rated: B-

Dec 12, 2024

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Kristy Puchko

Mashable

Indulgent and unwieldy as it is, Wicked is a thrill, at times wildly funny, heart-soaring, and ultimately inspirational in spite of itself.

Dec 10, 2024

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Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Hard to think of many screen adaptations of Broadway musicals that were this magical. Wickedly magical.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 10, 2024

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Andrew Kendall

Stabroek News

A sharper team would have realised that more thought was needed in re-jigging this into two parts, some element of daring to deconstruct the story to work in this new form that did not leave this feeling like a shrug when it should feel like a tornado.

Apr 13, 2025

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Pete Vonder Haar

Houston Press

It's inevitable, in a way, that the end result of what felt like years of press (but was really a mere 11 months) disappoints. Chu is shooting for a sprawling epic, earnest in its messaging, but it's mostly exhausting. And we're only halfway there.

Apr 5, 2025

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Wicked’s themes of persecution, bigotry, and the various masks behind which power manipulates the powerless and gullible feel particularly pertinent

Rated: 3/4

Apr 1, 2025

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Heather

Loved this movie!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

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Evelyn R

Brilliant movie. Just beyond on all levels. Acting, creativity, sets, filming, music, dancing, singing. Captivating, magical, touching, and totally entertaining.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Cory C

I am a huge fan of the novel series by Gregory Maguire, and therefore rolled my eyes at the announcement of the movie that promised to be an adaptation of the stage everyone loved, as opposed to the darker and more sinister (and nuanced I felt) novel series. However, I did drag myself to the theater to watch it with a friend, if only to bemuse them, and despite a first watch being distracted by a horribly distracted audience experience (people were standing up and feuding over children making too much noise) upon a second watching, I did, in fact, fall in love. What neysayers are possibly missing, and perhaps don’t want, is a more grounded story. Well, read the novels, I would say to that. But for this musical, for this adaptation, and for mainly the characters of Galinda/Glinda and Elphaba, Jon M Chu successfully inserted just enough more nuance and character development to make this, honestly, superior to the stage experience. If you want the glitz and glam and stage craft, absolutely see the stage play. Short, sweet, to the point. It gets the message more or less across of ‘girl discriminated against because she is different, meets people along the way, becomes bitter, and falls in love and, well the story (and my memory) gets fuzzy toward the end but whatever don’t think about it.’ What the movie does is it takes that raw story, takes even more of the aesthetic of the 1939 film than Gregory Maguire, in a written medium, was able to infuse, and sets all of that ablaze with the looks that Ariana Granda and Cynthia Erivo conjure between one another and those on the periphery that inform their tale. Truly spell binding, with engaging choreography and enough detail that it warrants multiple watches, and while you are searching for each new moment, you get to once again listen to Cynthia belt ‘the wizard and I’, unknowingly joke about her tragic fate of melting, and be excited to meet the man that will ultimately cause her revolt and ultimate disappointment, and Ariana’s ability to act priveledged, but simultaneously show the truth behind Gregory Maguires character of Glinda, which is more that she never had the opportunity to think before meeting Elphaba, and though it is startling, Glinda does ultimately happily rise to the challenge. Again, magnificent and spellbinding. Thank you, John M Chu, and I’m still waiting for that stupid picnic deleted scene!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

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melissa

Soooo good! Can’t wait for the next

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

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Jessica zeff

to be continued...... wasn't what I wanted after watching a 3 hour movie. they should charge you have the price..... JS

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

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Google

Phenomenal in everyday. From the actors to the sets, this film had so much love put into it that it was infectious. It was very well done and left me wanting more! Can't wait for a sequel

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

Full Review

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Jon M. Chu

Director

Cynthia Erivo

Elphaba

Ariana Grande

Glinda

Jonathan Bailey

Fiyero

Ethan Slater

Boq

Bowen Yang

Pfannee

Wicked: Official Clip - Dancing Through Life