Despite its box office, critical, and awards season success, Wicked is not all that different from the Disney live action remakes that dominated the late 2010s. Technically impressive, it enhances the songs with deeper orchestration while faithfully translating the Broadway spectacle to the big screen. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) approaches the adaptation with strict dedication to faithfulness; every song, every moment remains intact, with no new additions. For devoted fans, it is everything they could have wanted. But the film also inherits the two biggest flaws of those Disney adaptations, an often artificial (and at times, ugly) visual style and an unwavering devotion to the source material that ultimately weighs down the film’s pacing.
Like Disney’s live action remakes, which stretched 90-minute films into bloated 130-minute versions, Wicked goes even further by splitting the musical into two films. The result is an experience that, while faithful, lacks cinematic flow and often drags.
As someone who has seen Wicked live and knows the songs well, I appreciate the strength of the material. The melodies are memorable, the lyrics are clever, and the show has amassed a passionate fanbase over the years. But that same attachment meant that every possible song had to be included, even when it hurt the film’s pacing. In particular, “Something Bad” and “Sentimental Man” add little to the narrative and could have easily been replaced with a couple of lines of dialogue. Meanwhile, songs like “One Short Day”, “I am Not That Girl”, and even the climactic “Defying Gravity” feel overextended, losing their impact in the process. The finale, in particular, is weighed down by unnecessary chases and interludes (unlimiteeeeeed!! unliiiiimitedd!!!), which diminish the song’s dramatic power. Once the film reaches Oz, it slows to a crawl, with unnecessary cameos and long-winded dialogue dragging out the final 30 minutes. These were moments when the film should have picked up its energy, but instead, it lingers to an exhausting degree.
Jon M. Chu’s direction is inconsistent. The first act, up until “What Is This Feeling?” moves briskly and benefits from creative visual choices, split screens, dynamic staging, and ensemble choreography that feel engaging. But after that, the direction becomes stagnant. The camera largely sits still, watching the (admittedly great) actors perform, but without much cinematic inventiveness. A number like “Dancing Through Life” should have had sweeping, dynamic camerawork akin to Spielberg’s West Side Story. Still, instead, it feels closer to High School Musical despite its significantly larger budget.
Despite its spectacular, Oscar-worthy production design, Wicked struggles visually, and the result is unfortunately not very visually appealing. The colors do not pop the way they should, leaving the world feeling muted and dull. There is a near constant reliance on close ups, making the cinematography feel claustrophobic and limiting the sense of scale the film should have. Even with lavish sets and detailed costumes, very few shots stand out as genuinely beautiful or memorable. The school, for instance, always seems to have only about 30 students, making it feel small and empty, especially compared to how alive and populated Hogwarts felt in the Harry Potter films. Wide shots aim for grandeur, but the digital environments feel weightless. Chu struggles to immerse the audience in this world, and no amount of budget can compensate for that lack of tactility.
Much has been praised about the performances, and rightly so. The cast is stacked with strong singers and seasoned musical actors. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande strike a solid balance between the theatricality of a musical performance and more grounded, intimate acting. Grande does not quite match Kristin Chenoweth’s magnetism, but she comes close enough. My only real issue with the casting is not the inclusion of A-listers like Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh (which was expected) but rather Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, who looks far too old for the role.
I do not want to sound overly negative, Wicked is still an entertaining ride, and the songs are undeniably great. But so much of what works about it is inherited from the original musical. Faithfulness alone does not make for a great adaptation. A bolder approach, trimming filler songs, embracing a more dynamic visual style, or reworking pacing, could have turned Wicked into something truly magical on screen. Bringing a story to the screen should be about exploring what the film medium can add. Yet, this version’s priorities seem to lie more in including everything rather than crafting a cohesive cinematic experience. The overuse of grayish skies, stark white lighting, and flat compositions only makes it harder to immerse yourself in this world. It feels more like a director’s cut that prioritizes completeness over flow.
Wicked gives fans what they want, but in doing so, it forgets to ask what a movie adaptation should bring to the table. Wicked may defy gravity, but it never quite takes flight.