Directed by Jon M. Chu — Screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.

Sometimes I like to think of myself as an ‘unrealized musical theater kid,’ since I do, and always have, enjoyed performances, musicals, and whatnot but didn’t really have school programs or friends to help steer me in a fulfilling direction when I was younger. As such, it sometimes feels like I’m behind on a couple of musical theater touchstones that I undoubtedly would’ve loved when I was younger. Although I knew of “Defying Gravity,” through, I think, Glee, Wicked has been a little bit of a blind-spot for me, despite my love and appreciation for The Wizard of Oz. In early 2024, I did express some doubt about this entire big-screen adaptation project of the musical theater phenomenon, as the adaptations of Cats and Dear Evan Hansen appeared to have only lessened the reputations of those shows. So, I openly asked, on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, if this was something people actually wanted to see? Wicked die-hard fans were quick to respond with a clear and obvious ‘yes.’ Now that I’ve seen the big-screen adaptation, I can happily say that I totally get the excitement. Although I, admittedly, don’t think it’s perfect or the best movie musical of the last ten years, I found Wicked to be utterly delightful. I understand why it is, ahem, popular.

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