Can More Than Just Theater Kids Enjoy Wicked?
- Kristen Petronio
- May 19
- 7 min read
The hype for the first part of Wicked was everywhere, leading up to its November 2024 release. Videos of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were inescapable. It didn’t matter what your social media feeds typically held. Promotion for Wicked would find its way onto your feed. Leading up to the release, some people were concerned it wasn’t going to live up to the hype that all the promotion was hinting at. That concern was swiftly quashed after it grossed $744 million worldwide on its $150 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film about Oz. Wicked received so many accolades, I’m just going to quote them all directly from their Wikipedia...“[Wicked was] named one of the best films of 2024 by the American Film Institute and won Best Film at the National Board of Review. Among other accolades, it received ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design... [it was] the highest-grossing musical film adaptation and the fifth highest-grossing film of 2024.”
That’s all very impressive, but at the end of the day, accolades don’t necessarily give someone a true idea of what a film will be like. Lately, musicals have been receiving negative feedback at theaters, especially if the marketing does not make it clear that it’s a musical. So, what made Wicked different? Well, it was upfront about being a musical for one thing. It also already had a dedicated built-in fanbase from the books and the musicals. Then you have a big star like Ariana Grande attached to the film, plus expert-level marketing you couldn’t escape. Their marketing team secured “more than 400 brand partnerships, from a Forever 21 rhinestone faux leather jacket to a Wicked-themed Samsung music frame to an Elphaba Squishmallow pillow” (Source). There were a lot of factors that helped lead them to success.
But we’re not here to talk about that – not really. I’m going on a journey to see how accessible a film like Wicked is to anyone. Not to a musical fan. Not to an Ariana Grande fan. Not to a film nut. Anyone. For someone who’s never even seen The Wizard of Oz. For someone who doesn’t gravitate toward musicals. For someone who wishes films stopped being nearly 3 hours (me). How enjoyable is a film like Wicked to the average person?
My Background
A little background on me and where I fall when it comes to musicals and The Wizard of Oz. I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz as a kid and loved it. I wouldn’t call it a favorite childhood film, but I have fond memories of it. I haven’t seen any of the spinoffs (although as a horror fan, I’m intrigued by the creepy nature of Return to Oz). I’m not a musical theater person, but I have seen quite a few musical films, including Newsies, A Star is Born, The Greatest Showman, A Hard Day’s Night, and DCOMs like the High School Musical franchise, Lemonade Mouth. I’ve never gone to see a theatrical musical beyond a Rocky Horror Picture Show reenactment as the film plays. So, for someone like, how will Wicked be received? I’m going to review the film from someone who doesn’t have any “skin in the game” meaning I’m not a fan going in. I’m just curious what all the fuss is about. How would a film like Wicked be received from someone with only familiarity of the bare bones story? We’re also going to find that out.
I’m going to first have a section of some of my general thoughts.
Thoughts and Reactions
I watched the film on Peacock, and before the movie starts, there’s a fun sequence from Grande and Erivo warming up their singing voices with the audiences at home. At first, I thought, wow, they really used them so much for press, I’m sure they’re exhausted. Then I swiftly realized I had selected the sing-along version of the film. I actually preferred it because it gave me a chance to see all the song lyrics onscreen. While I didn’t sing along (I only knew “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” from Glee), I enjoyed that personalized feel of experiencing it at home.
As the film continued, I wondered if I’d actually seen a true-blue musical film because the first 10 minutes had only pockets of dialogue, but nearly everything else was sung. It’s...a lot. Yet the singing during everything being done thing (like during Elphaba’s birth was so silly to me) does slow down a bit once Elphaba grows up and finds herself at Shiz. The time between dialogue and songs balances out a bit more, which I was grateful for. Before you musical lovers come for me, yes, it’s a musical and songs are expected. But for me personally to get invested in a musical, I like a story beyond the songs (which the film delivers).
Another early observation was that I appreciated that the title was in the old-style lettering of the original film. It is certainly cinematic, particularly with the costuming. I feel like the set pieces certainly feel like a set, taking away from that immersive element. It felt akin to how a Marvel movie’s sets have so many CGI backgrounds, it can be hard to take them seriously/be fully immersed. You can’t help thinking – these people are in front of a green screen. Another thing I wondered that I’m sure is explained (or is just some world quirk) - why does this world change the way things are pronounced? Is it supposed to signify that Oz is “off”? Is it meant to add whimsy? Either way, it felt unnecessary.
At 30 minutes in, I was having a fine time, but I was not that connected to the story or characters yet. I kept watching how the world treated Nessa and waited for something to be portrayed negatively, but so far, nothing too bad. But from my research after the film, it seems her arc sucks in the second part.
At first, I didn’t think many of the songs felt memorable or catchy, but I found myself with songs from the film in my head, especially “Dancing Through Life.” Funnily enough, it’s not even a song I liked much. I felt sad hearing of all these people who don’t want to think or read critically. And yes, as an avid reader, the way he stepped on the books upset me deeply. Still, interesting to me which songs stuck with me.
I found the subplot about the oppression of talking animals very topical and compelling. The story does a good job of drawing connections between people. Elphaba stands up for her goat teacher, Dr. Dillamond, because she can understand discrimination. Elphaba never coddles her disabled sister Nessa and loves her as she is, which is an extension of her own desire to be loved for her differences. Much of the film surrounds a woman who refuses to accept things as they just because they’ve always been. It’s an interesting way to tell the story of someone who is often presented as evil.
From my Wizard of Oz experience, it was fun looking for ways that the Oz I know was represented and how it differed. As someone very familiar with the classic story, I knew where some of the plot beats were going (like The Wizard being a fraud and what giving the monkeys wings would lead to). I think those moments added to the overall viewing experience.
All this being said, I still feel the story is too long. Even watching at home, where I could pause if I wanted to, I couldn’t believe how much time was left. I wasn’t bored, per se, but I was certainly feeling the runtime. It makes sense why it was longer to account for all the musical numbers, but as a person who only likes a musical every once in a while, I was totally over the songs by the middle of the film. Still, I did enjoy seeing “Defying Gravity” in the context of the story (when before I’d only see Glee performances, where I first heard the song). “Defying Gravity” is the most popular (outside of “Popular”) for a reason. The emotional weight of that song was really visceral. I really liked seeing Elphaba and Glinda figure out their paths and if they’d cross using elements of the song.
Collectively, the third act was my favorite, and I wasn’t really planning on watching part 2, but I saw some spoilers of what’s to come, and it certainly has me intrigued. So even though I’m not going to be running to the theater to check out part 2, I’ll give it a go when it comes to streaming (or better yet, the library. A valuable resource we need to keep).
So, what are my overall thoughts? It’s a solid musical, and I can see why it’s so beloved. It didn’t necessarily blow my mind and make me a fan, but I can appreciate it for what it is. I’d call it a 3.5/5.
How Accessible Is It?
Is it accessible to anyone? Meh, I wouldn’t say anyone. If you already weren’t interested, I doubt my thoughts swayed you. Wicked has themes that are universal and found in many common stories that people can relate to and connect with. Yet it’s a big undertaking and committing to a 2-and-a-half-hour movie. It doesn’t necessarily feel boring at any point, but it does get to a point where you wonder, where are we headed? If you’re not already a fan of The Wizard of Oz, there may be a lot of parts that are left unexplained that you wish were explained. You’d certainly get more of it if you’re able to catch all the references from the source material. If you’re interested in the story on its own, however, those universal themes may be something you’d enjoy.
What about if you’re not a musical theater person, but you want to be? I could see this one being a good gateway. It seems that it was a gateway for a lot of people into stage musicals, especially for people in theater, so I’d say give it a go! However, if you’re a person who usually hates musicals, hates when characters burst into song, and you’re thinking a 2 and half hour musical is a good place to start, I’d reconsider. A shorter one might be better to start with. But honestly, most musicals are long to accommodate the longer stage plays they’re adapting, so you’re not going to find many that are under 100 minutes. One of the only short ones I could pinpoint is A Hard Day’s Night at 88 minutes, and that follows The Beatles so it’s a different sort of musical film. While I think anyone can enjoy the story, the musical element will vary by person. If you don’t mind a few songs in your movies, Wicked only has 11 in a nearly 3-hour runtime, so it truly isn’t that many. It calculates to about 4 per hour.
For a person like me who has a very surface level of experience with musicals (I can probably count the number of musical films I’ve seen on two hands if you don’t count Disney movies), I’d say this was solid but nothing that’s converted me into a huge musical fan, and that’s okay (I hope, please be kind Wicked fans). That said, I did enjoy my time watching this... even if it did take me a bit longer.
So, is it accessible to anyone? No, not anyone, but it’s certainly for someone. It’s up to you to determine if you’re one of those people from my review and if you’re willing to give it a watch. This was a fun experiment for me that led me to conclude that I just like musicals, I don’t love them. Still, Wicked was a pretty damn good musical.
Thanks to the following sources for helping me put the research together for this article...
Written by Kristen Petronio