Euronews Culture's Film of the Week: 'Wicked' - 'You’re not being told the whole story!'

Glicked never really materialised, did it?

At least it didn’t in Europe, where both Gladiator II and Wicked came out a week apart.

The bid to create a cultural event around the simultaneous (-ish) release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel and Jon M. Chu’s The Wizard of Oz prequel, in hopes of rekindling the excitement that greeted last year’s simultaneous openings of Barbie and Oppenheimer, has fallen flat.

That said, the US release of both films – in time for Thanksgiving weekend – may yield box office returns. But Glicked doesn't feel like anything compared to the zeitgeist-capturing 2023 cinematic event that was Barbenheimer.

While global box office numbers have yet to speak, it’s still plain to see that this year’s buzzy new movie face-off hasn't generated the same level of excitement, fan art or meme potential. Despite what feels like months of press tours, the best Wicked could do to grab headlines was that porn SNAFU.

Both 2024 films may do well once the global stats come in, but the Gladiator II /Wicked releases are proof that desperately wanting to seize the public imagination by doing the same thing a second time around isn’t as foolproof as it may seem.

More than that, Glicked’s spiritus mundi failure may, in hindsight, boil down to the fact that neither Gladiator II nor Wicked are anywhere as good as Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Scott’s sequel was an entertaining enough romp but served very little purpose and ended up a bit meh. As for Chu’s first chapter of a planned two-parter, it is perfectly watchable but ultimately a bloated reminder that Hollywood cares more about portmanteau-named marketing coups than it does casting proper magic spells.

That isn’t to say that Wicked isn’t a good time at the talkies. It is – with reservations, as it enchants just as much as it exhausts.

For those who aren’t already disciples of the smash Broadway musical or Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked chronicles the origin story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Oz’s future Wicked Witch of the West, and her so-perky-it's-seizure-inducing forced roommate Galinda (Ariana Grande), who becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North.

Galinda is Elle Woods aspiring to be a sorcery major; Elphaba is a misunderstood and bullied outsider, who comes to Shiz University to keep an eye on her wheelchair-bound sister. Her untapped magical talents lead Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to make the green-skinned girl her prized student. This is music to Elphaba’s ears, as she wants to meet the all-powerful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), who she hopes will grant her wish to be “de-greenified.”

If only she knew.

Destined to be the best of frenemies, both Elphaba and Galinda set off on an adventure, even as the swoontastic presence of the self-centered Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, bringing a lot of Kenergy to the role) threatens to make matters love-triangley...

Props must go to Jon M. Chu, as it’s always tricky to adapt a cherished story to the screen. And the musical Wicked is cherished. There’s no doubt that the director is faithful to the source material, and the fandom will be pleased by the painstaking efforts to make the silver screen version as slick as possible.

Chu also does an admirable job when it comes to conveying characters’ vulnerabilities, placing the camera close to faces and letting Erivo do most of the heavy lifting. And make no mistake: the British actress / singer is wonderful here. As for Ariana Grande, the pop star manages to pull off the entitled and ditzy brat routine, even if she can’t quite pull off what Selina Gomez did on the acting front in Emilia Pérez earlier this year.

Thankfully, both performers are gifted singers, and their work here makes Wicked the superior outing of any Glicked double-bill.

That said, there are numerous issues. Chu goes big here, as it’s all very glossy and grandiose. However, this maximalist approach becomes tiresome through wonky CGI that borders on overkill; colourful sets that are inescapably artificial-looking and don’t provoke much curiosity when it comes to the world-building; and lensing that needed a redo. Indeed, Wicked doesn’t look great. When the scenes aren’t underlit, they’re insanely overlit. While these choices may work on paper considering the fairytale plot and setting, it feels oddly shallow in practice, lacking the awe and wonder generated by the stage show.

Worst though is how much this garishly bloated film drags. Clocking in at nearly three hours, there’s no escaping that this adaptation could have been achieved in one powerful and satisfying go - especially if you curtail that lethargic first hour.

When the Part One's runtime is as long as the whole Broadway play, there are no excuses.

Wicked does eventually find its footing – especially when it comes to Galinda’s signature number 'Popular',  Fiyero’s 'Dancing Through Life', and the time spent in the Emerald City. And when it does, it soars. However, there was ample time to make this the singular cinematic musical of this still very young century; and while Part One may quite literally end on a high note, with an excellent rendition of the showstopper ‘Defying Gravity’, you’re left with the impression that Wicked will only work as the first part of a double bill - with Wicked Part Two finishing off the story next year.

“You’re not being told the whole story!” cautions Shiz history professor Dr. Dillamond.

How right you are, CGI goat voiced by Peter Dinklage. Your line may as well be the tagline for 2024's first chapter.

Had this not been another Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay / Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning-shaped committee tactic to cynically milk the cash cow, Wicked could have shot straight up the list as one of 2024’s best films.

As it is, the forced efforts to make it a two-parter and orchestrate Glicked (or Wickiator, which is far better) ensures that Elphaba green will not replace Barbie pink.

Despite this bellyaching, it's worth ending on the same high note Part One does, as the film achieves something precious. Whether you love or are a wee bit lukewarm about it, Wicked comes out at an opportune moment.

Maguire’s novel, on which the Broadway show is based, has sociopolitical layers and wasn’t shy about depicting Oz’s decline into fascism. As for the stage show, which premiered in 2003, it ran with the allegorical potential of the source material and mirrored post-9/11 tensions, with the line “The best way to bring folks together is to give them an enemy” gaining further timely resonances.

The big screen version doesn’t try to embrace any allegorical weight but still stands as a timeless critique about division. With another exhausting year coming to an end, one filled with fascism, genocides, and a presidential election that has sent many into states of "What's the sodding point?", what is needed is a film that sees the year off by hammering the point across that hatred is a mirror. Wicked may be more impressive in scale rather than in depth, but it’s still a golden reminder that no good ever came from fearing the Other.

That beats any manufactured portmanteau event.

Wicked is out in cinemas now, with Wicked Part Two hitting screens on 21 November 2025.