Gregory Maguire 1995’s novel Wicked offered a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz that focused on the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West. Hollywood actually pursued Wicked when the novel arrived in the 1990s, but composer Stephen Schwartz managed to stave them off long enough to bring it to the stage as a musical in 2003 in an adaptation with his songs and a book by Winnie Holzman.

An immediate hit, a film version of the Schwartz/Holzman production got announced in the early 2010s but didn’t actually make it to multiplexes until 2024. Well, half of it, as 2024’s Wicked only offers one part, with 2025’s Wicked: For Good as the finale.

Green-skinned Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) escorts her wheelchair-bound younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to study at Shiz University. However, Dean of Sorcery Studies Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) convinces Elphaba to enroll as her personal pupil.

The hard-edged Elphaba winds up rooming with bubbly and popular aspiring sorceress Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) and the pair conflict. However, they eventually bond, a partnership that leads them to meet the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and learn of his secret plans.

Back in 2011, I saw Wicked on Broadway because my then-girlfriend wanted to go. I didn’t care for it, as I found it surprisingly dull and the songs didn’t stick for me.

This led me into Wicked the film with lowered expectations, especially given the decision to split the story into two movies. The stage version of Wicked runs about two and a half hours, or about the same length as this movie without its end scroll.

2025’s For Good goes for 127 minutes minus its credits. This means the collected cinematic Wicked spans a little more than two hours longer than its stage-bound source does.

Given that I didn’t much care for 150 minutes of Wicked on stage, I felt skeptical that I’d embrace 277 minutes of filmed Wicked. To my surprise, Wicked the movie fares pretty well.

Or at least this opening half does. How For Good wraps up affairs remains a topic for another day.

I always liked the basic concept of Wicked, and that became part of the reason the stage production disappointed me. The premise seems clever and opens all sorts of intriguing possibilities, but I didn’t think the Broadway take used these well.

The cinematic Wicked seems richer and more fulfilling, perhaps due to the expanded running time I mentioned. Though this initially led me to fear I would be stuck with an even less engaging project, the added minutes instead allow the characters more room to breathe.

Whereas the stage version substantially alters the 1995 novel, the filmed Wicked holds pretty close to Schwartz’s take. This means the tale follows the same path and doesn’t change matters significantly.

Instead, the movie simply allows these elements to open up better and not feel as rushed. I can’t fault Schwartz/Holzman for that, as Wicked comes with an awful lot of story and character material to cram into 150 minutes on stage.

Still, this ensures that the film moves at a superior pace, as it simply enjoys more breathing room. It seems counterintuitive to feel that an opening chapter of Wicked that lasts as long as the entire live production progresses better, but I think the expansions we find really help.

Even though the filmmakers understand the audience comes into Wicked with some understanding of Elphaba, Galinda – who renames herself “Glinda” late in this narrative – and the Wizard, the movie covers territory largely unknown to viewers familiar with the 1939 flick. As we’ll see, For Good allows Wizard of Oz and the Wicked universe to more fully cross paths, but this movie largely concentrates on material not examined in Oz.

As such, we find ourselves with the need for plenty of introductions and exposition. That’s where the extra running time allotted to Wicked the movie vs. Wicked the live show becomes useful.

The flick allows us to get to know the characters on a more intimate level, and I think the nature of the story simply suits film better than stage anyway. With all its wonderment and imaginary elements, a movie can pull off the tale in a more satisfying way without the inevitable compromises necessary to adapt things to a stage.

Director Jon M. Chu does nothing remarkable with the material, but he also fails to impede it in any way. He gets the benefit of a fine cast along the way.

Minor quibble: boy, all these actors look awfully old to play college students! But maybe living in Oz simply ages people.

And this was true of the stage show as well, as its original cast also used actors well past their university years. This didn’t impede my enjoyment of the tale but it did stand out at times.

Nonetheless, all do well, with particular plaudits aimed at our two leads. Erivo gives Elphaba the cynical and detached vibe she needs but also effortlessly allows the character to become warmer and happier as well.

The cartoonier role of the two, Grande’s Galinda indeed comes across as superficial and comic when needed. However, Grande achieves Galinda’s growth in an organic manner that makes the role much more than just the bubble-headed blonde we initially meet.

And those two enjoy tremendous chemistry together. With a weaker connection between the two main actors, Wicked would flop, but Erivo and Grande carry the load well.

All of this adds up to a surprisingly satisfying opening half to the Wicked saga. I looked forward to the next film.

Wicked appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. A native 4K product, the image looked terrific.

Sharpness always stayed solid. The movie avoided issues with softness and felt tight and precise.

No signs of jaggies or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

With a broad palette, the colors of Wicked shined. The hues leapt off the screen and looked dynamic, even with sporadic instances of the cliché teal on display.

Blacks came across as dark and rich, while low-light shots displayed appealing clarity. Everything about the presentation excelled.

Downcoverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Wicked’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack didn’t match up with the highs of the image. Still, it used the soundscape well.

Unsurprisingly, music dominated, so both songs and score filled the various channels in a compelling manner. Speech usually stayed centered but the mix occasionally brought some directional dialogue.

For much of the movie, effects acted as a supporting element, but the tale’s action and fantasy components allowed these to kick the track to life when appropriate. The material spanned around the speakers in a broad and seamless manner.

Audio quality largely satisfied, though I thought a few songs could seem a little lacking in low end. The score showed better range, but a couple of the tunes could’ve brought better bass.

Effects didn’t lack in that regard, as those boasted serious kick. These moments also seemed accurate and portrayed the material well.

Speech remained concise and distinctive. Outside of some oddly bass-shy songs, this turned into a good mix.

As we shift to extras, we get two separate audio commentaries, the first of which comes from director John M. Chu. He delivers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, score and songs, various effects, production design and costumes, photography, editing and related topics.

Though Chu’s track starts slowly, he eventually picks up speed. While he never makes this a great chat and he gives us a bit too much happy talk, Chu nonetheless offers enough useful info to make this piece worth a listen.

For the second commentary, we hear from actors Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Both sit together for their running, screen-specific view of their performances and experiences during the shoot.

At the end, Grande expresses a desire to reunite with Erivo for another commentary to discuss 2025’s For Good, the second half of the Wicked saga.

Before I screened this track, I felt disappointed that Erivo and Grande didn’t tape a chat for the next movie. After I screened this track, this caused me to feel relief.

This occurs because Erivo and Grande deliver a dull commentary, one that provides precious little information. On occasion, they tell us some minor nuggets of interest.

However, those moments occur infrequently, as the actors mostly just praise the movie and all involved. Add lots of dead air and this turns into a terribly disappointing track.

One footnote: Grande persistently refers to the “Boq” character as “Bick”, just like Galinda does. I don’t know if she did this intentionally or out of force of habit, but I find it amusing.

The movie can be viewed with or without Sing-Along mode. This simply runs lyrics at the bottom of the screen.

Since subtitles already do that, “Sing-Along” feels somewhat pointless to me. Still, it does make the lyrics sparkle a bit and it highlights each word as sung, so I guess it adds a little oomph.

10 Deleted and Alternate Scenes occupy a total of 15 minutes, 36 seconds. Most of the scenes add more from supporting characters, so we get longer versions of some sequences like when Galinda teaches Elphaba to toss her hair.

In general, the cut segments feel interesting but inessential to the story. However, I wish the filmmakers kept one in which Boq discusses his feelings toward Nessrose with Elphaba, as it gives Boq greater dimensionality.

Making Wicked spans 45 minutes, 45 seconds. It involves Chu, Erivo, Grande, producer Marc Platt, composer Stephen Schwartz, costume designer Paul Tazewell, choreographer Christopher Scott, production sound mixer Simon Wells, production designer Nathan Crowley, and actors Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Bronwyn James, and Bowen Yang.

The program looks at the source’s path to the screen, cast and performances, makeup, props and costumes, choreography and musical performances, sets and production design, stunts,

Although the scope of “Making” satisfies, the lack of depth disappoints. While it comes with enough worthwhile info to keep us engaged, it leans puffy and gives us way more praise than I’d prefer.

After years in development, Wicked hit movie screens with a bang – well, half a bang, as this film only provides the opening chapter of two. It turns into an enticing introduction that prospers thanks to the charm of its leads. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals and largely positive audio along with a mix of bonus materials. Wicked prompts me to look forward to its conclusion.