The new film musical Wicked tells the story of two young witches: Galinda and Elphaba, who later become Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West from the legendary 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.

Galinda Upland (played by Ariana Grande) is a bubbly blonde dressed in pink who loves to be popular. Green-skinned Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) is a quiet but intelligent girl, who fights for animal rights. After a few twists and turns, they become very close friends, who go on a long journey.

The movie is based on the stage musical – a blockbuster hit on Broadway and elsewhere – which is itself based on the 1995 book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. That in turn was inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 book and the 1939 movie.

Wicked is also set in the Land of Oz, but before the arrival of Dorothy and her twinkling red shoes, as played so memorably by a teenage Judy Garland in the 1939 film.

Wicked was released on 22 November and was an instant box-office success in both the US and Europe – but is it really that good, or was it just the result of some amazing and extraordinary marketing? 

There has been a lot of hype about the film in the past few months. Erivo and Grande went on very long press tour, and numerous brands collaborated with the movie (to name a few: Target, R.E.M. Beauty, Crocs, H&M and even the luggage brand Béis). 

Personally, I was really excited to see the film adaptation, because Wicked was the first stage musical I ever saw. I went with my mom when I was six, and was completely awed. I wanted to find out how the film compared with the Broadway show: better or worse? Or was the all marketing and the Wicked-themed candles just a way of getting into the heads of ‘theatre kids’? 

The marketing for the movie was certainly extraordinary. In Warsaw, there were a few advertisements in the metro, but in the United States everywhere I looked I saw Wicked. For the average person on the streets of New York, after a two minute-walk down Times Square, they would be extremely excited to see the film. 

Director Jon M. Chu did an amazing job, in my opinion – just as he did with his earlier movie Crazy Rich Asians (2018). 

The casting was flawless too. Erivo and Grande were perfect for their roles of Elphaba and Galinda. Jeff Goldblum was also an excellent choice for the Wizard of Oz. At the beginning, I was nervous – what if I could only see Goldblum as Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park? Happily, his performance was so wonderful that I forgot his other roles. I also loved Michelle Yeoh as the famous witch Madame Morrible. 

It’s important to mention the sets, designed by Nathan Crowley, whose past credits include The Dark Knight (2008) and Interstellar (2014). The set for the small and adorable town of Munchkinland, where “no one mourns the wicked”, included an astonishing nine million tulips. Crowley also did an amazing job envisioning Shiz University and Emerald City. The costumes by Paul Tazewell were also exceptional.

Happily, for fans like me, this is only the first part of the Wicked movie experience. It covers just the first act of the stage musical, so a second film, Wicked: For Good, is due out in 2025.