Wicked (2024)

[Sarah 103]

23 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I still don't understand why they decided to make this 2 movies. I like Wicked but, the good numbers (IMO) are in Act 1. No Good Deed is the only song of note in Act 2 (IMO).

I agree with you and would take it a step further. Act 2 overall is weak. I don't see how you turn Act 2 into its own movie, even if it sort of a sequel. Also, the running time of the first movie makes me very nervous. Normally, the stage screen transition/translation fails when the filmmakers add a bunch of stuff that was not in the stage show. (The biggest offender that immediately comes to mind is Bye Bye Birdie). 

[proserpina65]

On 5/25/2024 at 6:26 PM, JustHereForFood said:

I don't even understand what the issue with showing/not showing if a movie is musical is. If somebody goes to watch a movie without looking up info about it and then is disappointed, it's their problem.

I think it matters when it's something which probably shouldn't have been a musical and for which the intended audience is not Broadway/musical fans.  Case in point - Joker: Folie a Deux.  I think if moviegoers had known ahead of time that it was a musical, it would've made even less money than it did, which is exactly why the studio hid that fact.

On 7/17/2024 at 10:51 AM, chitowngirl said:

I hate that they (whoever “they” may be!) are trying to make this a thing. There was anticipation and buzz about Barbie and Oppenheimer and they just happened to be opening the same day. Is there buzz about Gladiator 2? Were fans clambering for a sequel? Gladiator barely registered on my radar, so maybe I am missing something…

I seriously doubt there's much crossover in the fanbase for these movies.  I think there is buzz for Gladiator 2, but as someone who was a huge fan of the first movie, I don't think most of us were clamoring for a sequel.  Will probably end up seeing it, though.  The original movie was huge at the time, so I suspect the sequel will do very well as long as it doesn't suck.

 

[JustHereForFood]

On 10/29/2024 at 1:50 AM, Morrigan2575 said:

I still don't understand why they decided to make this 2 movies. I like Wicked but, the good numbers (IMO) are in Act 1. No Good Deed is the only song of note in Act 2 (IMO).

As long as you're mine and especially For good are IMO pretty strong, but otherwise I agree. One movie would be a lot better, IMO.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

As long as you're mine and especially For good are IMO pretty strong, but otherwise I agree. One movie would be a lot better, IMO.

I don't remember either song I'll try to find them on YouTube.  The only other Act 2 other (from the list) that I remember is Thank Goodness 

[tv echo]

Wicked Featurette - Singing Live (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon   Oct 28, 2024

Wicked Featurette - A Week On Set With Ariana (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon   Oct 31, 2024

Wicked Featurette - A Week On Set With Cynthia (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon   Oct 31, 2024

Wicked Featurette - Munchkinland (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon   Nov 1, 2024

 

[Sarah 103]

For the people who are fans of the character or the actor.

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

For the people who are fans of the character or the actor.

 

 

Personally I don’t like Boq and I really hope that the movie(s) call him out on his toxic Nice Guy behavior.

[MissAlmond]

I don't know what it is about this movie, but the more promotions I see, the more I think "Nah, I'm good."  I hope it works out for Wicked fans though. 

Edited November 15 by MissAlmond

[Kemper]

I saw the play (in Raleigh, NC) about six/seven years ago and thought I might go to the movie. Until those horrible Target commercials with the shrieking customers. Nails on a chalkboard. But I think most people will love it, especially during the holidays.

Also - it seems kind of like an obvious money grab to make it into two movies.

[Browncoat]

Knowing that this is in two parts, and that the first part is three days long (perhaps a slight exaggeration), makes me not want to see it at all, much less in the theater.

[iarwain]

Getting back to an earlier discussion about how the film was being promoted:  I was talking to a woman who was telling me she was going to go see it, and I told her I had the soundtrack to the play if she wanted to familiarize herself with the songs.  She was quite surprised to find out it was a musical.

So yeah, the trailers don't make it blatantly obvious.

[Spartan Girl]

On 11/17/2024 at 5:13 PM, Kemper said:

Until those horrible Target commercials with the shrieking customers. Nails on a chalkboard

Aww, I like that commercial. I mean, I only put up with the horrible singing just for Cynthia to nail that note, but still!

Look, everybody is welcome to their opinion about the show. Me? I need this, okay? Especially after this month.

[Browncoat]

It's getting excellent reviews, so now I'm waffling towards seeing it.

[Morrigan2575]

4 hours ago, iarwain said:

yeah, the trailers don't make it blatantly obvious.

Maybe because I live close to NYC but, I thought everyone would realize Wicked is/was a musical and the movie would obviously be a musical.  

I remember they did the same with that Peter Dinklage Cyrano movie, I had no idea until the last trailer that it was a musical but, I figured Wicked IP would have been well known. 

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

It's getting excellent reviews, so now I'm waffling towards seeing it

The biggest reason i don't plan to go is the fact that it's 2 movies, I just think it's a dumb move and killed any interest.  

[shipmate]

I am super excited to see this and have tickets for Saturday. I’m glad Ariana and Cynthia are getting deservedly lots of recognition, but I think Jonathan Bailey is a freaking superstar!!

[iarwain]

3 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I remember they did the same with that Peter Dinklage Cyrano movie, I had no idea until the last trailer that it was a musical but, I figured Wicked IP would have been well known. 

Cyrano was a musical?  I had no idea.  Anyway, yeah you would think everybody already knows Wicked is a musical, but obviously that isn't the case.  

As for the movie being 2:41 long, I have to wonder why?  It just seems completely unnecessary, especially since it's only covering the first act.  I'm guessing they are padding the dialogue, and maybe even a new song or two.  I wonder if they're even including some material from the book? 

[Keywestclubkid]

It was so good saw it last night .. 

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, iarwain said:

Anyway, yeah you would think everybody already knows Wicked is a musical, but obviously that isn't the case.  

People who have little to no interest in Broadway musicals probably don't know it's a musical.  They might have only read the book or just see the obvious relation to The Wizard of Oz.

[SeanC]

I was a teenager in the mid-2000s. Wasn't a theatre kid, but I listened to the soundtrack plenty over the years. I've made a number of trips to NYC over the years, but never actually saw Wicked in my trips to the theatre, as I tended to prioritize limited-run productions, so this was my first time seeing the actual story fully dramatized.

Overall, I thought this was pretty good. Chu already showed he knows his way around a production number, and he delivers here with all the big setpieces, and with most of what goes on in between.

You can tell this was Grande's dream role (as she has said many times), and she delivers. Lots of people didn't think she could do this, and to some extent I guess she only has herself to blame for foregoing acting for over a decade in favour of pop stardom.

They really went big on the cameos, in a way that unavoidably took me a bit out of the movie when they first happened, though the audience I was with loved it.

[Keywestclubkid]

17 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

People who have little to no interest in Broadway musicals probably don't know it's a musical.  They might have only read the book or just see the obvious relation to The Wizard of Oz.

no tea no shade but you would have to literally go out of your way to NOT know that this was a musical .. im sorry in this day and age to play dumb doesn't work when everyone and i mean everyone can google things at the drop of a dime and do especially with things they might be interested in seeing ..no one goes into things blind anymore ..And its not like its been a thing for 20plus years and has been KNOWN to the general public as a musical

Edited November 22 by Keywestclubkid

[tv echo]

There was a behind-the-scenes special that recently aired on NBC called Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked, which was pretty good. It made me interested in seeing this film, when I was 'meh" before. The special ended with showing a musical number from the movie.  I think you can only watch this special on Peacock now.

EXCLUSIVE: The First 90 Seconds of NBC's Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked Special
NBC   Nov 18, 2024

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Reminisce | Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked | NBC
NBC   Nov 20, 2024

Ethan, Marissa and Bowen Talk Choreography | Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked | NBC
NBC   Nov 20, 2024

Edited November 22 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

Jeremy Jahns gave it a middle of the road positive review (good time no alcohol required).  Which is his 3rd best ranking (Awesometacular and I'd Buy it on Blue Ray are his top 2 ranks).

Anyway he said the acting was good, the visuals were good, they setup the story so he knows/has an idea where it's going. He just felt that the story they are setting up is what he's more interested (part 2) and, didn't really see the need for a 2 part movie as this felt like a slow burn.

I think this will do well and, there are plenty of movie goers that will pay for both, just not me but, I hope the fans enjoy it as it sounds like they did a good job translating the musical to movie format.

Edited November 22 by Morrigan2575

[proserpina65]

3 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

no tea no shade but you would have to literally go out of your way to NOT know that this was a musical

No, you wouldn't.  Someone just seeing the commercials on tv would not necessarily realize this was a musical because the commercial I've seen does not make it obvious.  Not everyone is into Broadway or nor would they automatically google the movie.  I have relatives who've seen the commercial and assumed it was related to the WOO but did NOT know it was a musical.

[iarwain]

Saw it earlier today, thought it was fantastic.  I got a little emotional a few times just thinking about what a dream role it was for Ariana Grande to play Glinda, and she actually got to do it.  And she is well suited for it.  

Liked the way the title font was done to reflect the '39 Wizard of Oz.

Spoiler

I wasn't aware that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth had small parts in this, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw them.  And they both gave little nods to their original parts during their song.

 

[SeanC]

The full version of "What Is This Feeling?" has been posted by the studio:

 

[Browncoat]

I saw it last night, and apart from having to remind another moviegoer that recording the movie with her phone is illegal and she needed to cut it out, I enjoyed it a lot.  I've read the book, but haven't seen the musical, and only have a passing awareness of some of the songs.  

Galinda reminded me of a cross between Regina George and Elle Woods.  Hair tossing = bend and snap.

I love Jeff Goldblum, but I felt like he was the weakest link here.  He doesn't have much of a voice, and I find it unlikely that he was actually doing that little dance behind the curtain.  

And I agree with @iarwain's entire post, including the spoiler.  I thought that was an awesome piece.

 

[iarwain]

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And I agree with @iarwain's entire post, including the spoiler.  I thought that was an awesome piece.

That's a new song that wasn't in the musical, by the way.  Given the length of the movie, I was expecting added dialogue and perhaps a new song or two.

 

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I love Jeff Goldblum, but I felt like he was the weakest link here.  He doesn't have much of a voice, and I find it unlikely that he was actually doing that little dance behind the curtain.  

 

Not really fond of spoiler spaces, but I suppose I had better use them here:

Spoiler

Was he involved in the song at the beginning, as the voice of the "lover", or even as the de-aged actor?  I thought it sounded kind of like him, with maybe a younger actor standing in for him.

 

Edited November 23 by iarwain

[Crashcourse]

Did Ariana and Cynthia lose weight specifically for this movie, because they look like they have a combined weight of about 190 lbs.

[shoregirl]

I thought it was great. It looked beautifu.l I wasn't sold on the Ariana Grande casting but she was really good. Galinda suited her talent  well. Cynthia Erivo is stupendous. What a voice. Defying Gravity is pretty iconic and she killed it. 

Jonathan Bailey is super charming. Dancing Though Life was a highlight for me. 

I was sceptical about splitting it into two films but so far it works for me. Though I wish part 2 was coming out sooner.  I thought the pacing was good it didn't feel like it was as long as it was 

 

[scarynikki12]

I expressed my concerns about Ariana upthread and I'm happy to say they are no more. She was great, Cynthia was great, Michelle was great, Jonathan was great, Jeff was great, everyone was great!, and the movie was far more colorful than I expected. I'm still annoyed we have to wait a year for Part 2 but I'm looking forward to it.

[EtheltoTillie]

I’m excited to see this.  I saw the stage musical twice. Once in NYC and once in London. This looks like what Barbie should have been.  I’m in the Barbie haters club. 

[tv echo]

Wicked's ‘Dancing Through Life’ Full Scene Breakdown: Choreography, VFX & More (ft. Jonathan Bailey)
Entertainment Weekly   Nov 22, 2024

 

Edited November 24 by tv echo

[rwlevin]

On 11/23/2024 at 2:07 PM, iarwain said:

Not really fond of spoiler spaces, but I suppose I had better use them here

Spoiler

That's the way it is in the stage show. The actor playing the wizard sings while another performer shadow dances. If you've read the book before seeing the show, a lot of scenes and lyrics are very anvilicious, but then again Joel Grey, the original Broadway wizard, has a very distinctive voice.

 

[iarwain]

6 minutes ago, rwlevin said:

  Hide contents

That's the way it is in the stage show. The actor playing the wizard sings while another performer shadow dances. If you've read the book before seeing the show, a lot of scenes and lyrics are very anvilicious, but then again Joel Grey, the original Broadway wizard, has a very distinctive voice.

 

Lol, you are spot on about that distinctive voice.  I've read the book, seen the play, and now the movie.  I haven't read the sequels, although I have the first one, Son of a Witch, laying around somewhere.   I kind of thought the book was a bit dry, but I'm glad I read it.  Even though the musical is different in some ways, I feel like I have a more solid understanding of the story from it.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Went to see it this afternoon, and both Ariana and Cynthia delivered. I was skeptical at first but Ariana has great comedic timing and sang beautifully. I was nervous her voice was just going to be a carbon copy of Kristin Chenoweth but she added a lot of her own flair to make the role work. Cynthia really did a great job with the emotions of her piece and really showed a lot of vulnerability and rawness that I could buy her as a young college student.

Speaking of Kristin, loved hers and Idina Menzel’s cameos in One Short Day. That and Dancing Through Life are two of my favorite songs in Wicked. (I’ve seen the stage musical twice.)

Now I just want a couple more pieces of merch! I lucked out at Old Navy last night and found a logo t shirt in my size in their unisex section. But I would like a long sleeved shirt and/or a sweatshirt for the fall. My theatre doesn’t sell separate merch like AMC and Cinemark do unfortunately. 

[Shannon L.]

Wow, that was really good.  I wasn't going to see it because I was irritated that they split it into two movies, but after hearing the good reviews, I decided to go ahead and watch.

Cynthia and Ariana were born for these roles.  I haven't heard too many versions of Defying Gravity, but Cynthia's was my favorite so far.  She's got such a richness to her voice and she can easily hit those higher notes.  I was immediately drawn to her in Bad Times at the El Royale and had a feeling she'd do really well in this role. 

I definitely see some Oscar nominations for the technical categories and possibly the bigger ones, although, I wonder if they'll save those for after part two comes out.

[iarwain]

One small change I didn't care for, but it's a very minor quibble.  Glinda says that she knew Elphaba "from school", where in the play she says "from college".  I wonder why they changed it?  I know it's a minor thing, but it seems like "I knew her from college" conjures up a certain type of image better than "from school".

Also liked the little details, like the glimpse of Dorothy (and friends) carrying the broom to Emerald City in the beginning.  And Nessa's silver shoes - the shoes were originally silver in Baum's books (and Maguire's).  They changed them to ruby slippers for the '39 film because they would show up better on film.

 

2 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I definitely see some Oscar nominations for the technical categories and possibly the bigger ones, although, I wonder if they'll save those for after part two comes out.

Possibly, although I've always liked Act I better than Act II.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I just pulled up the recording from the original Broadway cast and Kristin/Glinda says “at school” in the intro of Dear Old Shiz. Did they change it since then?

I liked the detail of Elphaba putting the cat/baby tiger (or whatever he was supposed to be) in the basket on the back of her bike. 

[scarynikki12]

13 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

I definitely see some Oscar nominations for the technical categories and possibly the bigger ones, although, I wonder if they'll save those for after part two comes out.

Knowing the Oscar voters they'll nominate Part 1 for only a few categories or they'll nominate generously but not grant any wins on the grounds they know a Part 2 is coming and won't want to reward it too early. This is the excuse some voters gave for waiting to award Lord of the Rings until Return of the King. Oscar voters choose some of the stupidest reasons to not vote so anything's possible. Right now the best bet is it wins big at the Golden Globes and hope that gives it momentum for SAG and Oscars. Even the Globes aren't a guarantee as those awards are bought and paid for.

For what it's worth my copy of the cast album has Glnda saying "at school" but I've never seen it on stage so it's possible the Broadway, touring, and/or local productions have changed the line.

[Browncoat]

34 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I liked the detail of Elphaba putting the cat/baby tiger (or whatever he was supposed to be) in the basket on the back of her bike. 

It was a lion cub. and I thought that was a nice touch, too.  Could that be the cub that grows up to be the Cowardly Lion?

[Bookworm 1979]

12 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

It was a lion cub. and I thought that was a nice touch, too.  Could that be the cub that grows up to be the Cowardly Lion?

Spoiler

In the musical, yes it is!

 

[Browncoat]

7 minutes ago, Bookworm 1979 said:

  Reveal spoiler

In the musical, yes it is!

 

It's been a while since I read the book, but I thought I might have remembered that.  

[iarwain]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I just pulled up the recording from the original Broadway cast and Kristin/Glinda says “at school” in the intro of Dear Old Shiz. Did they change it since then?

Don't tell me it's one of my famous false memories again.  Never mind.

[Keywestclubkid]

On 11/22/2024 at 12:59 PM, proserpina65 said:

No, you wouldn't.  Someone just seeing the commercials on tv would not necessarily realize this was a musical because the commercial I've seen does not make it obvious.  Not everyone is into Broadway or nor would they automatically google the movie.  I have relatives who've seen the commercial and assumed it was related to the WOO but did NOT know it was a musical.

I'd say sure if this was 1980 and people didn't have the internet, or friends, or a tv or radio or a plethora of other options

EVERYWHERE it was and is stated as a musical...

now at the very beginning did they wanna give away their takes on the songs I'm sure NO ..

However its been advertised as a musical through tv spots, trailers, advertisements on entertainment shows, radio spots, streaming sites, social media sites,commercials, daytime talk shows, nighttime talk shows, the news, HELL even whole 45min preview was done on it where they showed parts of MUSICAL numbers and a preview of What is this feeling a song from the musical that aired on tv and 8 thousand interviews done with all the cast at varying times where they said over and over we sang live all BEFORE the movie was released NOT to mention the reviews online that stated the same and peoples reactions to some of the musical numbers

 

so unless the world ignores ALL that advertisement yea "possibly" they wouldn't know that it was a musical

Edited November 25 by Keywestclubkid

[iarwain]

1 hour ago, Keywestclubkid said:

so unless the world ignores ALL that advertisement yea "possibly" they wouldn't know that it was a musical

Well, if you weren't familiar with the franchise, and had only seen the trailers you might not have known it was a musical.  By the way, my female friend who didn't know it was a musical, saw the movie and LOVED it.  Which surprised me a little, because ordinarily she just doesn't care about musicals.  

[Keywestclubkid]

10 minutes ago, iarwain said:

Well, if you weren't familiar with the franchise, and had only seen the trailers you might not have known it was a musical.  By the way, my female friend who didn't know it was a musical, saw the movie and LOVED it.  Which surprised me a little, because ordinarily she just doesn't care about musicals.  

But I'm saying they would have to be willfully ignoring the MASSIVE push that said it was a musical .. you would have had to live in a hole to not at some point before seeing it KNOW it was a musical .. it’s impossible to hide from it wasn't like a oops its really a musical after you walked in the advertisement for this thing was and is EVERYWHERE

Edited November 25 by Keywestclubkid

[iarwain]

2 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

But I'm saying they would have to be willfully ignoring the MASSIVE push that said it was a musical .. you would have had to live in a hole to not at some point before seeing it KNOW it was a musical .. it’s impossible to hide from it wasn't like a oops its really a musical after you walked in the advertisement for this thing was and is EVERYWHERE

I disagree.  Not everyone pays attention to musicals, or watches TV shows where they were trying to promote the show.  I'm sure most people are aware Wicked is a musical, but to say it's "impossible" for someone not to know that is going too far.  Unlikely perhaps, but certainly not impossible.

And I still say if you only watched the trailers, without knowing anything else, you could very easily come away not realizing it's a musical.  

[PurpleTentacle]

I was pleasently surprised by Ariana Grande. I think she nailed Glinda and her singing was great.

Cynthia Erivo on the other hand... The acting was very uneven. In some scenes it was actually really good, in others pretty bad. I could totally forgive the acting though, but the singing, oh my god. They couldn't even autotune her to where she needed to be. How in the hell did she get cast in this part? I know there were some requirements, that were let's say the opposite of colourblind casting, but there have to be better black actresses / singers out there.

Weirdly, "defying gravity" was much better than "the wizard and I". Even though defying gravity is the more difficult song. Granted, both songs require different skills, but I still think an army of sound engineers must have slaved over defying gravity for weeks, to get it sounding good, since it's the big showstopper.

I was not spoiled on the fact that Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel would have a cameo. So that was a very pleasent surprise. Though that new part of "one short day" hardly showed off their talents.

A weird choice, at the end of defying gravity, when the guards break through the door, Elphaba and Glinda run out the broken window hand in hand. This makes it seem like they did decide to run away together, which is very much not what was happening in the musical or what the part of the song, they had just sung, was about. That was the breakup part, where they wish each other good luck. I'm not sure if the writers of this movie didn't understand it or why this weird choice was made. To make it fit Elphaba should have run outside by herself and Glinda should have stayed behind.

But overall, great and creative sets, fun cinematagrophy, mostly really good singing (with one exception). If only the casting for one particular character was better, this would be a fantastic adaptation. I was really not expecting it to be this good.

I'm also not as miffed about them splitting the story into two movies anymore. It didn't feel like there was a bunch of obvious filler in this movie. But I still think the decision was bad. The second part of the musical is just much, much weaker and building a whole movie on that is going to be rough. So not really looking foreward to part two.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 11/23/2024 at 9:03 PM, Crashcourse said:

Did Ariana and Cynthia lose weight specifically for this movie, because they look like they have a combined weight of about 190 lbs.

Ariana is very much annorexic to a concerning degree, which has nothing to do with this movie. If anything she has lost more weight since filming this. Yet she says "she's the healthiest she's ever been", which makes me question how sick she must have been her entire life...

Cynthia seems very thin, but not dangerously, like Ariana.

 

 

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Cynthia Erivo on the other hand... The acting was very uneven. In some scenes it was actually really good, in others pretty bad. I could totally forgive the acting though, but the singing, oh my god. They couldn't even autotune her to where she needed to be. How in the hell did she get cast in this part? I know there were some requirements, that were let's say the opposite of colourblind casting, but there have to be better black actresses / singers out there.

There was no requirement that this role be played by a black actress.

Erivo is a Tony Award winner and one of the more acclaimed musical actresses of her peer group.